Microsoft has revealed that Windows 11 won’t feature Windows Update, the utility that handles operating system updates and security patches, when it’s installed on unsupported devices.
The company previously affirmed its decision to limit Windows 11 to recent hardware—it requires an 8th Gen Intel Core or 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen processor as well as a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0—despite criticism for withholding the update from three- or four-year-old systems.
But there’s a workaround: Microsoft will reportedly allow Windows 11 to be manually installed on unsupported hardware using its Media Creation Tool. That should allow people to experience the upcoming operating system without having to buy new hardware during a global chip shortage.
The workaround had some obvious flaws. Microsoft seemed unlikely to offer support for problems on PCs that don’t meet Windows 11’s system requirements, for example, especially since it cited reliability issues as one of the reasons why it didn’t change those minimum specs.
Losing access to Windows Update could be a more serious obstacle for many people. The utility is a one-stop shop for updates to Windows, Microsoft Defender Antivirus, and at least some of the drivers the operating system uses to improve compatibility with connected hardware.
There are other ways to get those updates—and they’ll probably be familiar to anyone who managed their own Windows install before Windows Update became a core part of the operating system—but they aren’t nearly as convenient as the one-click experience the utility provides.
The message is clear: Yes, Microsoft will technically allow Windows 11 to be manually installed on devices it doesn’t officially support, but it would really prefer if people would just upgrade their three- or four-year-old processors and switch to a TPM 2.0 security chip instead.
