Articles about upgrade to Windows 11

So keen is Microsoft for everyone to embrace Windows 11 that it has gone as far as developing a dedicated tool to simplify the process of getting a new PC.  The company has not said as much, but the data transfer tool is a clear acknowledgement of the fact that when Windows 10 support end later this year, a large proportion of users will not be able to upgrade their current system to Windows 11 because of not meeting hardware requirements.

Which means there are going to be a lot of new PCs sold from this point forward, and Microsoft has made much of being there to hold the hands of those who fear losing data as they migrate to a new computer. But it seems that the transfer tool is not as impressive as has been suggested thus far.

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With official support for Windows 10 coming to an end next year, those who are still using the operating system are faced with a difficult choice. They can stick with using Windows 10 as an unsupported OS, perhaps turning to a third-party patching service to plug security holes.

Or they can look to upgrade to Windows 11. But this presents a problem. A lot of computers that run Windows 10 are not able to run Windows 11 because of the TPM 2.0 requirement of the newer OS. For anyone hoping Microsoft might finally relent and ease up on this requirement, Microsoft has restated its position, making it clear that it will not be backing down.

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After almost two-and-a-half years, an issue that prevented some people with Intel 11th Gen Core processors from upgrading to Windows 11 has finally been addressed.

Microsoft has quietly announced that compatibility issues with Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers and Windows 11 have been "resolved externally". Until now, there has been a compatibility hold in place for devices with both an Intel 11th Gen Core processor and certain versions of the Intel SST driver, but now this has been lifted, it is possible for owners of such systems to upgrade to Windows 11.

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Microsoft, it seems, never learns. Despite having repeatedly riled users by pestering them with ads for its products the company seems intent on continuing to use Windows to badger people.

The latest example of this is a full screen message displayed to Windows 10 users inviting them on a "new journey with Windows". The nag screen serves as a reminder that support for Windows 10 comes to an end in 18 months, but it is also being used to promote Windows 11 -- even on computers that are not able to run the latest version of the operating system.

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Windows users are well aware that Microsoft is no stranger to trying to nag them into submission. The company has a history of pestering users to switch to its web browser and to upgrade to the latest version of Windows, and this is a practice that it not only continuing, but expanding.

Microsoft has already been encouraging / nagging (delete as you see fit...) to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, and now the company has announced that it is about to take this further. It is described rather euphemistically as "expanding invitations to move to Windows 11 to more people".

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The number of paths for upgrading to Windows 11 for free has just been reduced. Microsoft has officially removed the option to upgrade from both Windows 7 and Windows 8 to Windows 11 without paying.

This should not really come as a surprise, as the ability to upgrade from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10 and then 11 free of charge is not something that was meant to last. Microsoft originally said that these upgrade routes would remain available until mid-2016, but the company either "forgot" to disable the option or decided to leave it open to get as many people onto its newer operating systems as possible. But now this changes as explained in a sneakily quiet announcement by Microsoft.

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Microsoft is always eager for as many people as possible to be using the very latest versions of Windows. This not only means encouraging users to upgrade to Windows 11, but also ensuring that the majority are running the most recent version of Windows 11.

To promote this idea, Microsoft gives each edition of Windows a product lifecycle during which it will be fully supported. One such period is coming to an end, and the company has issued a reminder to users of Windows 11 21H2 that they need to update very soon.

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Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will receive no more feature updates. This means that Windows 10 22H2 is the last version of the operating system.

The 22H2 feature update was made available back in October, and it will continue to receive security updates for some time. Microsoft is keen for people to move on, however, saying: "We highly encourage you to transition to Windows 11 now as there won't be any additional Windows 10 feature updates".

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Earlier this week, a number of Windows 10 users were surprised to be offered a free upgrade to Windows 11 despite the fact that their hardware did not meet the minimum system requirements set out by Microsoft.

Upon trying to take advantage of the upgrade offer -- which even appeared in virtual machines running Windows 10 -- users were unable to complete the installation. Microsoft has now acknowledged the issue, but has neither apologized nor offered an explanation.

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Microsoft is, it seems, at it again. No stranger to irritating ads and nags, the company has been spotted pestering Windows 10 users with a full-screen prompt to upgrade to Windows 11 for free.

If the appearance of an unwanted nag screen was not enough, the upgrade prompt is also rather deceptive, appearing to give users just two choices -- install Windows 11 now, or schedule the installation. It is actually possible to back out of the upgrade, but Microsoft has made it less than obvious.

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Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 11 in the form of KB5022360.

The release is only for Windows Insiders participating in the Release Preview Channel running Windows 11 22H2. Although it may be a little while before it is made available more widely, it sees Microsoft not only fixing a number of issues -- including one relating to searchindexer.exe and another to conhost.exe -- but also introducing changes that reduce the number of reboots experienced by users upgrading to Windows 11 22H2.

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It is no secret that the uptake of Windows 11 is rather slow. Microsoft may be unlikely to publicly say as much, but the company will no doubt be extremely disappointed at the number of people who have made the leap to the latest version of its operating system.

All this could change in 2023, however. There are many people and businesses who have hung on to Windows 7 or Windows 8, despite the fact that mainstream supported ended back in 2020. But when January 10, 2023 rolls around, Microsoft will no longer even offer paid-for Extended Security Updates. And with the likes of Edge and Chrome no longer supporting the aged OSes, the time really has come to switch to Windows 11.

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The uptake of Windows 11 has been rather slow, almost certainly slower than Microsoft would have hoped. With Windows 10 users sticking doggedly to their slightly aging operating system, the company is seeking way to promote and simplify Windows 11 upgrades -- and with the KB5020683 update, it has done just this.

KB5020683 is an out-of-band update that Microsoft released recently to little fanfare. It has one aim: improving the out-of-box experience (OOBE) so users have the option to upgrade to Windows 11 immediately.

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Some seven-and-a-half months after the original release, Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 is now "designated for broad deployment".

We use the word "announced" fairly loosely here; the revelation was made in a status change on the release health page for Windows 11. It means that any computer that meets the minimum requirements will now be offered the upgrade, and it lays the groundwork for the rollout of Windows 11 22H2 in the coming months.

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While some versions of Windows 10 are reaching the end of support and many people are making the upgrade to Windows 11, Microsoft continues to push newer editions of Windows 10 to users.

For those people who either do not want to upgrade to Windows 11 -- or find that the hardware requirements mean that they are simply not able to -- there is Windows 10 version 21H2 (Windows 10 November 2021 Update as it is also known). Microsoft has just announced that this particular edition is now designated for broad deployment.

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