Microsoft booting PCs with unsupported hardware off Windows 11 testing

It'south peculiarly frustrating given that many users report their 'unsupported hardware' runs fine on Windows eleven

Microsoft has started boot PCs from the Windows Insider testing program that aren't eligible to upgrade to Windows 11.

It'due south the latest frustrating movement from the company, which seems determined to make upgrading to Windows 11 incredibly difficult, confusing or outright impossible. What's particularly galling about removing unsupported devices from the Windows Insider program is that many of those devices were running Windows 11 merely fine.

The Vergereports that people running the Windows 11 preview on an unsupported device volition presently see a message in Windows Update directing them to go dorsum to Windows x. Twitter user 'BetaWiki' shared a screenshot of the message, which reads:

"Your PC does not encounter the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. Your device is not eligible to join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11. Please install Windows 10 to participate in the Windows Insider Programme in the Release Preview Aqueduct."

Microsoft has now dropped ineligible systems from the Insider programme and tells them to install Windows x. pic.twitter.com/zfALanmcuq

— BetaWiki (@BetaWiki) August 31, 2021

To be fair,The Vergenotes that Microsoft previously warned testers that this would happen when Windows 11 transitioned into beta. Nonetheless, several commenters on The Verge'sstory note they've been running Windows 11 on old, unsupported hardware and not merely has it run fine, but it also runs better than Windows 10.

Additionally, part of why unsupported devices were able to run Windows 11 previews was to help test performance on older hardware. I had hoped that whatever learnings from onetime hardware running Windows eleven would help Microsoft meliorate its confusing and largely arbitrary organisation requirements. My optimism in that regard has diminished significantly.

This all comes afterward Microsoft appear that people with unsupported hardware could manually install Windows 11, although the visitor didn't recommend doing so. Microsoft followed up that announcement with a clarification that it would withhold security patches and updates from devices upgraded this way, effectively leaving manual updates every bit an option only for the most dedicated enthusiasts.

With the October fifth release date for Windows 11 looming and Microsoft's Windows xi upgrade path getting more convoluted, it's looking like the "next generation" of Windows volition have an incredibly rocky start.

Source: The Verge, @BetaWiki