Windows 11 is here! Well, it is for some people. If you’re currently running Windows 10 and you navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, you’ll have already verified whether your PC meets the system requirements to receive the update.

Assuming it passes muster, Microsoft would like you to wait for the update to be offered to you. But what if you can’t wait, or want to use the opportunity to create a clean install of Windows 11? What options are available to you?

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Reports are coming in about a strange bug in Windows 11 that results in the Windows 10 taskbar being displayed instead of the updated versions. The same issue was reported by Windows Insiders in the build up to the launch of Windows 11, and it seems that Microsoft has not been able to get things fixed.

In addition to problems with the old taskbar showing up, users are also reporting that the Start menu is not working. Microsoft is yet to acknowledge the problems, but workarounds have been uncovered.

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With Windows 11 now publicly available the time has come for problems to start surfacing. We have already had reports of reduced performance in games as well as File Explorer using large amounts of memory; now AMD has issued a warning that Windows 11 users with certain processors can expect reduced performance.

The chipmaker has provided information about "known performance impacts reported on Windows 11 when running compatible AMD processors on certain applications". Affected processors include Ryzen 3, 5, 7, 9 and Threadripper (plus Pro variants), and the impact means that performance is reduced by as much as 15 percent.

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Windows 11 is officially here, but not all new Windows computers will ship with that version of Microsoft's desktop operating system. Understandably, for a little while at least, some machines will still come with Windows 10... they will have the ability to upgrade to Windows 11, however.

Today, ADATA unveils such a laptop under its XPG gaming brand. Called "XENIA 15 KC," it comes with Windows 10 Home, but you can absolutely install Windows 11 when you want to. This gaming notebook is downright drool-worthy. It is powered by a very modern 8-core Intel Core i7 11800H CPU and super-powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU. The other components are impressive as well, including 32GB of DDR4-3200MHz RAM, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, RGB optical mechanical keyboard, and a 15.6-inch display with 165Hz refresh. It's a beast!

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Although Microsoft would prefer it if people waited to be invited to install Windows 11 on compatible hardware, you can jump the queue now and install it in a number of ways, including by downloading the ISO file, or using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant.

Microsoft has warned against installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware but -- in the perfect display of the mixed messaging the company seems so adept at delivering when it comes to the new OS -- it’s also revealed the steps you need to take to do exactly that.

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With performance problems, confusing system requirements, high memory usage, and other issues, the launch of Windows 11 has not been as smooth as many people would have hoped. In the build-up to the rollout of the operating system, Microsoft made much of the need for systems to have TPM 2.0 in order to qualify for an upgrade -- but then the company moved the goalposts.

Having previously said that installation on computers without TPM 2.0 would not be possible, Microsoft has since revealed an official workaround that makes it possible to install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware. This is a risk, however, and there is a stark warning that you could cause damage to your PC.

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With Windows 11 now available for more people to download and install, more and more problems are starting to emerge. We've already seen a short list of known issues, and users have already complained of high memory usage by File Explorer.

Another issue that is causing some annoyance is an apparent reduction in gaming performance under Windows 11.  The slowdown is measurable in benchmarks and has been blamed on the Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) security features.

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The roll out of Windows 11 started yesterday, and while many people are eager to upgrade as soon as possible, there are plenty of others who want to hold off for a little while. The list of known issues acknowledged by Microsoft may be short, but users who have upgraded to Windows 11 are experiencing other problems.

One such issue sees File Explorer using huge amount of RAM. The problem is being blamed on a memory leak and was initially reported a couple of months ago -- but now more people have access to Windows 11, further reports are coming in confirming the issue.

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Today is October 5, which is particularly significant as it is the official Windows 11 release date. This is even more special as Microsoft's latest desktop operating system isn't just good... it's great. Yes, this is probably the best version of Windows ever, and if you are a Windows user, you should absolutely upgrade if your computer is compatible.

Unfortunately, that is a pretty big "if" this time around. You see, Microsoft is quite strict with the system requirements, meaning many computers will not be compatible or officially supported. Even though Windows 10 will continue to be supported for a while, understandably, some users will want to jump ship immediately knowing their PC has no future in Microsoft's eyes. Thankfully, these users have a wonderful alternative to Windows 11 -- Linux!

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Microsoft started to roll out Windows 11 yesterday -- a day earlier than originally stated -- and many users chose to immediately jump on the new OS, installing it via either the Media Creation Tool or the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. The latter is the method I used to painlessly upgrade both my desktop and laptop PCs.

For some users however, the process has been far from painless, with a number of eager upgraders reporting the installation stalling with error code '0x8007007f', despite their having compatible hardware.

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The latest research by IT Asset Management software company, Lansweeper, has revealed that 55 percent of workstations are not capable of being upgraded to Windows 11.

This will be an issue for enterprise IT teams looking at strategies to install the new operating system which begins its rollout from today.

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When Microsoft announced that Windows 11 would start to become available from October 5 it didn’t specify a time zone. That’s because its new operating system will be released in each country as the day begins.

That means, for some lucky users, Windows 11 is already available to install and users can start to buy new PCs with Windows 11 preinstalled on them from today.

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Tomorrow is a huge day for Microsoft as it’s when Windows 11 starts to roll out to the first batch of compatible systems.

Work continues apace on the new operating system though, and Microsoft today releases a new build to Insiders in the Dev Channel. Build 22471 is the lone build this week and comes with a large number of fixes.

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We may be in the tail end of 2021, but Microsoft is on the verge of releasing the latest edition of the non-subscription version of its office suite bearing this year in its name. Microsoft Office 2021 is due for release on October 5, the same day as Windows 11, and will be available for Windows and macOS.

If you want Office without a subscription, you will have to be willing to pay upfront for Office 2021. Microsoft has now revealed that pricing starts at $150, but you could pay much more than this.

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Starting next week, Microsoft will start to rollout Windows 11 to people with compatible computers that qualify for the free upgrade. While there have been numerous previous versions of the operating system for people to play with, it is not until October 5 or later that the vast majority of people will get to play with Windows 11.

And it is at this point that more people will become frustrated at some of the changes that Microsoft has implemented -- one of which means that it is no longer possible to move the taskbar from the bottom of the screen. But with an updated version of Stardock's Start 11 utility (which we've mentioned before) it will be possible to get around Microsoft's limitations and move the taskbar to a different position.

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