Articles about upgrade to Windows 11

You will be able to install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC... but there could be serious security drawbacks

Windows 11

When Microsoft first released details of the system requirements for Windows 11, there was a mixture of confusion, annoyance and disbelief. The need for TPM 2.0 sent people running off to find out what on Earth this is, and many were disappointed to learn that a number of relatively recent CPUs were not supported.

Seemingly aware of the frustration the minimum requirements were causing, Microsoft has relented a little. Even though there will be no official upgrade path from Windows 10 to Windows 11, it will be possible to manually install Window 11 on hardware that is not technically supported. Microsoft, of course, is hardly shouting about how to do this, and points out that the system requirements exist to ensure the best possible experience. And while these warnings are to be expected from the company and will be ignored by many people, there is one very important factor to keep in mind if you are thinking about taking advantage of a loophole to install Windows 11.

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Microsoft gives further clues about the Windows 11 release date

Windows 11

We know that Windows 11 is on the way, we know that there is a new look, we know that there are new features, and we know that we can test drive the beta version right now. But what about the actual release date for the finished product?

So far, Microsoft has not given much away beyond saying it will be ready for the holiday season. That said, it seems that the only way to get hold of the RTM build this year will be to buy a new computer with it pre-installed; anyone looking to upgrade from Windows 10 will have to wait until next year. We've already had hints that the release date for Windows 11 is October, but now there are further clues -- from Microsoft itself.

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Unimpressed with Windows 11? Don't worry... Microsoft says there's 'much more to come'

Laptop running Windows 11

If you have installed Windows 11 as part of the Insider program, or if you've obtained the OS through other channels, there's a chance that you may not be blown away by what you see.

But -- thankfully -- Windows 11 is not yet finished. There are kinks to be ironed out, things to be tweaked and, Microsoft promises, "much more to come".

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An upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 11 will have to be a clean install

Windows 11

Microsoft's announcements about Windows 11 have raised as many questions as they answered, primarily around the issue of system requirements. While the operating system is due for launch later this year, it is not expected to roll out as an upgrade for users of older versions of Windows until some time in 2022.

In the meantime, however, hardware manufacturers are busy preparing for the launch, as well as preparing their customers for what will be involved. Lenovo is among the companies sharing helpful details, and this includes the fact that Windows 7 users will need to perform a clean installation of Windows 11 rather than an in-place upgrade.

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Check whether your computer can be upgraded to Windows 11 using Win11SysCheck

Thumbs up, thumbs down

Is your computer up to the task of running Windows 11? To help you to find out, Microsoft released the PC Health Check app, updated it to make it more useful, but then pulled it for not being useful enough.

So how can you check your system's compatibility with Windows 11 -- especially the TPM requirement? We've already written about WhyNotWin11 which does a great job, but you can also try Win11SysCheck, a great open source utility that gives you a straight yes or no, along with helpful information if the answer is negative.

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