Support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025, but not all computers can be upgraded to Windows 11 using standard means, and Microsoft advised their owners not to be under any illusions – the system requirement is to have Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 for the current system “non-negotiable”.
Image source: microsoft.com
The company published a blog article entitled “TPM 2.0 is a must for a secure and future-proof Windows 11”which made it clear that it would not lower the strict requirements for the new system, even to encourage people to upgrade from Windows 10. The presence of this module among the system requirements of the new platform was unexpected when it was announced in 2021, and today almost all modern PCs ship with TPM. This is a chip or software module that is involved in data encryption, verifies digital signatures, and is used in other cryptography-related operations.
“TPM 2.0 plays a critical role in improving identity and data protection on Windows devices and maintaining the integrity of your system. TPM 2.0 also ensures Windows 11 is future-ready. One way to do this is to help protect critical information as AI capabilities permeate physical, cloud and server architectures.”writes senior product manager at Microsoft Steven Hosking. TPM is heavily used by security features in Windows 11: Credential Guard, Windows Hello for Business, BitLocker encryption, and Secure Boot protection.
Microsoft sees TPM 2.0 as “the non-negotiable standard for the future of Windows”therefore, system hardware requirements will not be revised. Computers running Windows 11 must also support security features based on virtualization and hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI), which means the system can only run on processors released after 2018.
Previously, enthusiasts found ways to run the new system on officially unsupported hardware, but over time, Microsoft began to block configuration and update functions for such machines – especially with the release of the 24H2 update. Enterprise customers can take advantage of the official Windows 11 LTSC 2024, which runs without a TPM, but processor requirements remain the same.
Microsoft will also begin pestering users who managed to install Windows 11 on an incompatible computer with warnings. A recent Microsoft support document states the following: “When Windows 11 is installed on a device that does not meet the minimum system requirements, a watermark is added to the Windows 11 desktop. You may also see a notification in Settings that the requirements have not been met.».
If watermarks don’t bother you, Microsoft further discourages users from installing the updated OS on unsupported hardware by adding a disclaimer. The disclaimer states that any damage to the PC “due to lack of compatibility are not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty».
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