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Confusing messages from Microsoft about Windows 11 hardware compatibility requirements have caused confusion among its customers for the past three years. This week, a simple update to an old support article sparked a frenzy of headlines. The company has reportedly waived these hardware compatibility requirements. And it would soon allow any old PC to be upgraded.
This is not true. But that hasn’t stopped some tech blogs from getting caught up in the confusion.
It is always difficult to identify patient zero in this type of incident. But as far as I can tell, that honor goes to TechSpot, for its headline “Microsoft now allows Windows 11 to be installed on unsupported hardware and devices.” And the race was on.
- PC World wrote: “Despite years of warning, it is now officially possible to install Windows 11 on PCs that don’t meet the requirements.”
- Tom’s Guide insisted, “Microsoft will finally let you install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs.”
- Techzine announced, with absolute confidence: “Microsoft raises the white flag: Old PCs can run Windows 11, of course.
- ExtremeTech, called this week’s news a “stunning reversal.”
None of this was true. Nothing has changed
So what really happened? The real story is typical of Microsoft’s clumsy communication on Windows 11.
Someone in Redmond updated an old support article, originally posted on Windows 11 launch day. These updates were extremely minor, boiling down to a few editorial fixes and removing a section on the old PC Health Check application.
Then the slightly edited article was published under a completely different URL. And without reference to the previous support article. A tech blogger saw it, assumed it was new content, and jumped to unwarranted conclusions. Even some of my knowledgeable colleagues saw the coverage and called me to ask if Microsoft had really caved.
What happened? My investigation
I found this old article, which is still available on Microsoft.com. You can read it here: “Installing Windows 11 on devices that do not meet the minimum requirements”
I then copied his text into a Word document, copied the text from this week’s article into another Word document, and used Microsoft’s redlining features to see the extremely minor changes.
After a few days, a tech writer in Redmond may have heard from a manager who was tired of receiving queries from other tech sites asking what was going on. And he attached a note at the top of the newly published version:
Important: Updated December 12, 2024
“This support article was originally published on October 4, 2021, when Windows 11 was first made available to the public. At the time of publication and still today, the intention behind this support page is to detail considerations for customers to understand the implications of installing Windows 11 against Microsoft’s recommendation on devices that do not meet the system requirements for Windows 11. If you have installed Windows 11 on a device does not meet the system requirements of Windows 11, Microsoft recommends that you revert to Windows 10 immediately.
The minimum system requirements for Windows 11 remain unchanged and can be found in the Windows 11 specs, features, and computer requirements article.
Like I said, nothing has changed since last month, last year or three years ago. Microsoft really doesn’t want you to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.
