It is only as a second option and without “recommendation” that Microsoft mentions installing Windows 11 on existing hardware in its support document. Anyone who finds that their PC can be used with Windows 11 can update to the new version of Windows, taking into account that data may be lost during an upgrade or that some applications are no longer compatible. As a third option, the software company’s support document also mentions installing Windows 10 as an alternative. The operating system is still available and will be supported until October 14, 2025. If the system requirements for Windows 10 are met, it also offers the option to upgrade from an even higher version of Windows old and no longer supported. However, this is precisely where the big problem lies. In reference to increased security of user data, Windows 11 24H2 now requires support for certain instruction set extensions and processor functions (SSE 4.2 and POPCNT), which were not supported on many systems aged approximately eight years or older.
As a result, many owners of older PCs that still work perfectly, but with Windows 10 support ending on October 14, 2025, no longer have an officially supported operating system and have no path upgrade possible. In most cases, the performance of PCs would certainly still be sufficient under Windows 11 – or even increase in certain circumstances – but Microsoft’s requirement to support the security technologies mentioned above has so far prevented a simple upgrade.
