Microsoft was right. Don't update your "old" computer to Windows 11
Each of us would like to use the computer for as long as possible, so that the money invested in it would pay off in time. Therefore, a large number of people would also like to use the latest system from Microsoft, which is Windows 11.
Microsoft has introduced a certain barrier when it comes to what equipment will be able to freely run Windows 11.
In addition to TPM 2.0, one of the requirements is a compatible processor, such as at least 8th (8th) generation Intel.
When Microsoft released Windows 11 for end users, in October 2021, I immediately started testing.
At first on a virtual machine on my Mac, then I switched to it at work on a computer that is not showing its age (Lenovo e530c from 2013).
I did it according to my post: Upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11 without TPM 2.0 on unsupported hardware and I described my adventures with the system at work here: Windows 11 on Unsupported Hardware - Day by Day and here: Windows 11 on Unsupported Hardware - Day by Day, Part 2.
This computer is not and will not be supported by Microsoft for Windows 11. Windows 10 is the system it should remain on until it is no longer supported – October 14, 2025.
After months of intensive work with the system, I can confirm that Microsoft was right. If according to the installer your computer is not supported by Windows 11, then you should take it to heart and stick with Windows 10.
Windows 10, after a multitude of major updates, has become a really good, stable system.
Windows 11 is sluggish. This is especially noticeable on older computers.
Despite the fact that my Lenovo is slightly tweaked with fast RAM and a fast SSD drive, you can still feel in your daily work that Windows 11 is torture for it.
Microsoft’s forum is crackling with complaints from users, especially those who use OneDrive and SharePoint to share files with others on a daily basis.
Personally, I use OneDrive and SharePoint at work, which is why the problem bothers me every day.
Working with files in the cloud is torture. Everything opens slowly. There are lags during synchronization, problems with navigating between folders. The problem is so serious that it affects the default file browser in Windows (File Explorer). To help with this, I installed the Files application.
Unfortunately, this application itself requires significant computing power.
Over the past month, I have been forced to work with Files because File Explorer was driving me crazy to the point where I wanted to format my drive and reinstall Windows 10.
The latest Windows 11 updates (21H2, OS Build 22000.493) were intended to eliminate a number of inconveniences in the system. Unfortunately, in my case it did nothing, although a number of users confirm that everything is starting to work as it should.
However, it should be noted here that these are mainly users who have compatible hardware supported by Windows 11.
In general, Windows 11 is nice and there are no major problems with it. Personally, I feel that it is still an unfinished product.
Just as I remember Windows 10 becoming suitable for professional use with the second or third major update, Windows 11 still has to wait for that.
I even started writing a text entitled # Is it time to update to Windows 11?, which I kind of abandoned.
Microsoft is working hard to patch up all the pain points in the Tuesday system updates, but I still think the system was released in a hurry, just to get the hardware market going and let others make money.
It has nothing to do with what users want, what matters is money.
Everyone believed that Windows 10 was the last system we would have to install, and that half-yearly or yearly “big” updates would replace the main releases of the system.
However, this did not happen and Microsoft released Windows 11, cutting off a lot of devices from further circulation.
Recently, even in the UK, you could find a good sale on Microsoft Surface 4. The computer with a keyboard could be bought for less than £200. With the prices of the new Surface comparable to Apple computers, this is an incredible opportunity. There is only one problem. This equipment available in the “offer” is based on the 6th (6th) generation of Intel processors, so despite it being official equipment from Microsoft, you can forget about the official update to Windows 11.
However, if you decide to update to Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, Microsoft itself will be putting obstacles in your way.
First, forget about Microsoft’s phone support, even if you’re a business customer and you pay for it. By installing software on unsupported hardware, you’re asking for problems (or so Microsoft believes). These are the problems that the support people won’t be happy to solve, blaming us and our hardware.
Second, Microsoft will start throwing obstacles in our way, users who decided to update.
As reported by OnMSFT, Microsoft will start displaying a warning in system settings that our hardware is not officially supported by Microsoft.
Just as Microsoft previously mentioned that Windows 11 will not receive updates on unsupported hardware (without explaining which updates it refers to), it will take small steps, starting with warnings, to limit the use of old hardware and tempt you to spend some money on new.
For now, Microsoft, in the Insider version of Windows 11 (soon in the consumer version), redirects the user from the warning to a page explaining the fact that they are using an operating system that should not be installed on them due to lack of compatibility.
Over time, Microsoft will certainly go a step further and introduce blockings (which will probably be possible to bypass as they have done so far) to limit this precedent.
If you have a computer that is officially supported by Windows 11, you can do so when you are notified that your update is ready to install.
However, if your hardware is not very old, no matter how powerful it is under Windows 10, I recommend that you wait with a manual update.
Personally, as soon as I have some free time at work, I am going back to Windows 10. In the meantime, I will be looking into upgrading my company hardware (including my computer) to Windows 11 in the future. For now, Windows 10 will once again be on my desk at work (while still using Windows 11 in my virtual environment).
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