Microsoft is kicking unsupported Windows 11 devices out of the Windows 11 preview program without warning, even though it said that wouldn't happen until the new Windows version was released.
When Windows 11 was first announced, Microsoft released stricter minimum system requirements that required newer CPUs and a TPM 2.0 security processor to install the new operating system.
To show appreciation to their most loyal fans and supporters, Microsoft exempted Windows Insiders in the 'Dev' channel from these hardware requirements and allowed their unsupported devices to install and test Windows 11 until it was released.
This allowed any device, such as one of ours using an i7-2600K CPU without a required TPM 2.0 security processor, to install and test the Windows 11 preview builds.
Since we have been testing the build, we have not experienced a single crash or performance issue, showing that our hardware runs Windows 11 without a hitch.
Microsoft stated that users of unsupported devices could continue previewing Windows 11 until it is generally available, which we learned yesterday would be on October 5th, 2021.
"Once Windows 11 is generally available, these PCs will be opted out of flighting and will not be able to receive future Windows 11 Insider Preview builds. These PCs must clean install back to Windows 10 with the media (ISOs) that we provide and can then join the Release Preview Channel to preview Windows 10 updates.
However, Microsoft is now booting incompatible devices from the Windows 11 Insider program 'Dev' channel without warning over a month before the new operating system becomes generally available.
After showing the notification, Windows 11 prompts you to restart the device, and once restarted, the Insider settings state users must install Windows 10 to receive new builds again.
The full text of this notification is displayed below, with the 'Learn More' link going to Microsoft's original article about previewing Windows 11 builds in the Insider Program.
"Your PC does not meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. Your device is not eligible to join the Windows Insider Program on Windows 11. Please install Window 10 to participate in the Windows Insider Program in the Release Preview Channel."
However, from BleepingComputer's tests, even after being kicked out of the Windows 11 Insider Program, devices can still download the latest cumulative updates for the operating system, as shown below.
It is not clear if Microsoft will continue to allow Windows 11 devices with unsupported hardware to receive updates in the future.
BleepingComputer has contacted Microsoft with further questions but has not heard back at this time.
Update 9/1/21: Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager on the Windows Insider Program Team, clarified that unsupported devices will continue to receive cumulative updates but will no longer receive new Windows 11 builds.
The PCs given an exception will no longer receive any new future Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel but will still get Cumulative Updates for Windows 11 leading up to GA. As I said, there is a distinction between *new builds* here.
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) September 1, 2021
As Microsoft plans on releasing a new Windows 11 build to users in the Dev channel, unsupported devices will not be able to receive this build.
Comments
zotenschmied - 2 years ago
Strange, I have Windows 11 as a virtual machine (VirtualBox, no TPM, no secure boot, less than 64 GB storage) and I don't see this message. To be precise, after clicking on Windows Insider Program I only see the options "get help" and "give feedback". But I installed KB5005191 already on August 29 - before checking the status of Insider Program. Perhaps I should mention as well that I did no clean install but upgraded from Windows 10 Dev Channel to Windows 11 Dev Channel.
Lawrence Abrams - 2 years ago
Is your host CPU compatible? If so, it's probably being passed through to the VM and seen as supported.
zotenschmied - 2 years ago
My CPU is indeed supported (AMD Zen+) but the guest and the host have no secure boot and no TPM (not activated for the host). And futher to this the Windows 11 guest fails to meet the storage requirement and has according to WhyNotWin11 no support für DirectX and WDDM2.
zotenschmied - 2 years ago
After booting up my virtual Windows 11 again I now have access to the options for the Insider Program. No warning message here. And it confirms that I'm using the dev channel. On the other hand Microsoft informs me by e-mail that I run Windows 11 on an unsupported machine and that I should switch back to Windows 10. And while I write this I download Windows 11 Build 22449.1000. Does Microsoft excempt virtual machines from the new hardware rules for Windows 11?
AdvancedSetup - 2 years ago
So is Microsoft trying to create some type of class of users based on hardware? Microsoft spent probably the better part of decades trying to develop software that would run on almost any hardware and put both Mac and Linux behind in that area. Then they've spent the last six years trying to get, force, users onto Windows 10 by all types of incentives, and now with Windows 11, they're going to create at least two classes of users. Those on Windows 10 and those on Windows 11 so that at some point you end up with a billion+ computers once again out of date and easily exploited because they're not on Windows 11? What are Microsoft's thinking and roadmap on this? It seems destined to create more problems worldwide with a hard stance on hardware like this than it would resolve.
George-Popescu - 2 years ago
Hello,
To understand how embarrassing Microsoft is, I leave below a computer configuration that meets all security criteria TMP 2.0, Secure Boot and two video cards, including the processor is checked as ok. But God forbid it's an I7-6500U CPU that works perfectly. Microsoft doesn't feel like seeing old processors. Will I not be able to install Windows 11 on this computer?
Microsoft wants us to generate mountains of waste (garbage) to buy new technology, well why, what makes Windows 11 so big that it can't work properly on this computer.
Operating System
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i7 6500U @ 2.50GHz 46 ° C
Skylake-U / Y 14nm Technology
BIOS UEFI Mode
Secure Boot State On
TPM 2.0 and Manufacturer Version 11.8.50.3425
RAM
12.0GB Dual-Channel Unknown @ 1063MHz (15-15-15-36)
Motherboard
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD. NP740U5L-Y02US (U3E1)
Graphics
Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080 @ 60Hz)
DELL E198WFP (1440x900 @ 75Hz)
Intel HD Graphics 520 (Samsung)
2047MB NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (Samsung)
SLI Disabled
Storage
931GB Samsung SSD 860 QVO 1TB (SATA (SSD))
465GB Samsung SSD 860 EVO M.2 500GB (SATA (SSD))
Optical Drives
No optical disk drives detected
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio
JohnC_21 - 2 years ago
"Microsoft wants us to generate mountains of waste (garbage) to buy new technology, well why, what makes Windows 11 so big that it can't work properly on this computer."
Especially when someone was able to install and run Windows 11 on a Microsoft Lumia Lumia 950 XL phone and that specs out as having a Snapdragon 810.