Microsoft presses ahead with plans to watermark Windows 11 on older PCs
Microsoft has committed to its initial proposal of adding watermarks to Windows 11 environments that are running on unsupported hardware.
After updating to the latest preview version of Windows 11 (build 22000.588), users have noticed a watermark on the desktop that reads: “System requirements not met”. A similar message also appears in the Windows 11 settings app.
The observation is thought to confirm Microsoft’s plan to warn users that they’re using hardware that isn’t supported but will not impede the performance of the computer itself.
Microsoft has made no official admission that is implementing the watermark for unsupported hardware, omitting it from the latest preview build’s release notes, though testers have reported it since updating.
Microsoft’s decision to impose minimum hardware specifications was a controversial one. Only PCs with a TPM 2.0 chip, Intel 8th-gen Coffee Lake, Zen 2 CPUs, or a higher spec processor will be able to run the operating system without seeing the watermark.
This means computers running on hardware that pre-dates the Coffee Lake series of chips, which were released in 2017, will not be able to reliably upgrade to Windows 11.
By contrast, Apple’s latest macOS version, Monterey, is compatible with certain devices built as far back as 2013.
PC users previously used open source workarounds to manipulate Windows into allowing an upgrade on unsupported hardware. Users who opted for this route will likely see the watermark on their machines when Microsoft releases the preview build to the wider Windows user base.
Microsoft’s testing of the watermark began in February 2022 with users noticing the same ‘system requirements not met’ message on their desktop and setting app.
It said at the time that if users willfully install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, then they should be comfortable risking compatibility issues down the line.
Microsoft device malfunctioning was a possibility and said devices would not be guaranteed to receive security updates, it said on its support page.
The exception to the rule is virtual machines, which will not be subject to the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11.
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