FGAZ 18-07 Page 2 21 Mar 2022


=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================

Win 11 adds 'requirements not met' nag for unsupported hardware

Don't wanna buy the latest stuff? Here's your watermark

Brandon Vigliarolo
Mon 21 Mar 2022 // 17:00 UTC

Those running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware are getting an
update, though not the kind that low-end hardware and VM users might
be hoping for.

The latest Release Preview of Windows 11 adds an undocumented feature
that slaps a line of text in the lower right hand side of the Windows
desktop and a similar warning in the Settings app for any system that
fails to meet Windows 11's exacting standards.

The message is short and to the point: "System requirements not met.
Go to Settings to learn more."

It's also far less obtrusive than the watermarks on unactivated
Windows 11 systems, which shows inside full-screen apps. This one does
not.

Microsoft's strict hardware requirements for Windows 11 are well
known, and the method for bypassing them is likely also known to
anyone who needs to run Windows 11 on older computers or in a virtual
environment.

Even when circumvented, Microsoft takes pains to notify users, which
can get cumbersome in enterprise environments. (This will be rare, as
Windows 11 on unsupported hardware is nightmare fuel for admins.)

However, the warnings are not as burdensome as the hardware
requirements, which have kept Windows 11 software from running on
countless machines that didn't meet the requisite 4GB RAM, 1GHz 64-bit
processor.

As of November 2021, Microsoft's latest operating system was only on
0.21 percent of systems included in a survey of 10 million IT assets,
compared to Windows XP's 3.62 percent.

Microsoft didn't respond to a question about whether or not it plans
to take any additional action against those running Windows 11 on
unqualified hardware. The Windows-maker put a number of restrictions
in place on unregistered copies of Windows 10, but hardware
requirements aren't the same as violating terms of service.

Microsoft would be setting itself up for serious PR blowback if it
started restricting Windows 11 on unqualified hardware after upsetting
people with strict hardware requirements in the first place.

Microsoft has previously stated that Windows 11 installs on


--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8 (GNU/Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200)