Windows 11

[Passepartout]

Yesterday evening my Lenova Yoga 6 told me it was ready to download and install windows 11. I started it and went out. By the time I got home, it was done and was ready to restart. All went off without a hitch. With it's SSD, all went fast.

I see a Win 10 feature or two missing (like Cortana that I didn't use) and the addition of new ones. I like the hub for widgets and apps.

So far, so good. All seems OK, though I haven't thoroughly fiddled with it, and am a pretty light user.

Jim

 

[chellej]

I just bought a new laptop and it said the windows 11 was a free upgrade...said it was downloading but never got the message that it was finished. I am wondering if it is wise to wait and see what bugs there are first?

 

[Passepartout]

I just bought a new laptop and it said the windows 11 was a free upgrade...said it was downloading but never got the message that it was finished. I am wondering if it is wise to wait and see what bugs there are first?

Just select settings/update and it will initiate the download or install. If the onscreen 'power' button has an orange dot on it that indicated that there is an update available.

 

[MrockStar]

Jim thanks for being the tip of the spear on your widows 11 download. Please keep us posted on your experience. I usually like to wait a few months on new versions of widows upgrades. Hoping for the best.

 

[pittle]

Neither of my computers are eligible for an upgrade. I read somewhere that 75-80% of current computers are not. Both my Dell All-in-One and HP Envy laptop are i7 models and the laptop is barely 3 years old and in the i7-6000 series, but the particular one that I have is not on the list. I was disappointed with that one not being upgradeable as I paid more for it that any computer that I have ever had. From what I have read, they will support WIndows 10 through 2025. But, some folks are still using Windows 98 (edited).

 

[Talent312]

Mine are not upgradeable, but Wind10 works just fine for me.
I don't plan to buy a new one until these start breaking down.
.

 

[artringwald]

But, some folks are still using Windows 97.

Microsoft went from Windows 95 to Windows 98. They were going to call it Windows 97, but the release was delayed, so they named it Windows 98.

Some companies have very old versions of Windows. They can't update because they have unique hardware or software that they still use, but is incompatible with newer versions of Windows.

I'm miffed because my Dell laptop, which is less than 4 years old, has a Intel i5-7300HQ, which Microsoft says won't run Windows 11. I certainly don't need Windows 11, but I'd like to have the choice. The laptop has plenty of memory and a very speedy SSD drive, so the hardware should be good for longer than the 2025 date when support for Windows 10 will end.

 

[callwill]

I am certain I will not be able to upgrade to W11. I have a purpose build that lets me choose to boot W10 or WXP. Selected hardware runs either, most of that hardware and the way it boots will not meet the requirements for W11. I keep XP to play W98 era games on legacy gaming hardware.

 

[emeryjre]

Windows 11 would run on older hardware except for the requirement of Trusted Platform Module 2.0. Here is Microsoft's blurb on TPM

Trusted Platform Module 2.0

Note: Since July 28, 2016, all new device models, lines or series (or if you are updating the hardware configuration of a existing model, line or series with a major update, such as CPU, graphic cards) must implement and enable by default TPM 2.0 (details in section 3.7 of the Minimum hardware requirements page). The requirement to enable TPM 2.0 only applies to the manufacturing of new devices.

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) technology is designed to provide hardware-based, security-related functions. A TPM chip is a secure crypto-processor that helps you with actions such as generating, storing, and limiting the use of cryptographic keys. Many TPMs include multiple physical security mechanisms to make it tamper resistant, and malicious software is unable to tamper with the security functions of the TPM.

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

I predict there will be a lot of powerful second-hand machines suitable for running Linux in the future. . .

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

My HP Pavilion laptop bought a few years ago with an AMD chip (I am old-school, I prefer AMD over Intel) is not Windows11 compatible. HP e-mailed me and they said they would no longer support the laptop, meaning no security or firmware updates. Oh well, Windows10 runs slow and Linux Mint Cinnamon runs super-fast, so until the hardware dies, I will keep this thing running.

TS

 

[DaveNV]

Good luck with the upgrades. Seems odd that MS would prevent such recent equipment from upgrading. If TPM 2.0 is such a major thing for them, you'd think every computer maker would add that into their platforms.

I have an ancient cheap Toshiba laptop that runs Win7. It is my utility computer. I keep it around because it has a full version of Photoshop installed on it, with supporting software, that I use strictly for graphic editing - when I need it. I don't go online with it, and don't even connect it to my home network. It's a standalone machine, as a kind of animated brick. No virus protection, no support from anywhere - it's an offline utility gadget that serves its purposes. It does what I want, when I want it, which isn't very often. It's also handy for formatting USB sticks and external drives to various MS-DOS compatible formats.

My daily computer is a MacBook Air laptop - which brings its own version of technology into the mix.

Dave

 

[GetawaysRus]

I have a laptop and desktop, both nearly 5 years old. A few months ago, I swapped the hard drives in both machines for 1TB SSD drives. Both computers now run faster than they ever have, even compared to when they were new, so I see no reason to buy new computers. They both do have TPM 2.0, and meet all the requirements for Windows 11 except that their Core i5 CPU chips are too old to be on Microsoft's compatible chip list.

My guess is that there are so many of us in this "non-upgradeable" boat that Microsoft will either end up extending the Windows 10 support date or perhaps expand the list of compatible CPU chips. It's bad form to cut off so many of your customers.

1TB SSD drives have fallen in price. The Samsung 870 EVO that I used is now only about $135, and sales are frequent. I just looked at Amazon - the SanDisk 1TB is only $85. With a little help from a few YouTube videos and free drive cloning software, it makes far more sense to me to perform an SSD upgrade on an older computer rather than run out to buy something new.

 

[artringwald]

I will be able to play around with Windows 11 as soon as Oracle updates the drivers for its VM VirtualBox so it can bypass Microsoft's requirements.

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Good luck with the upgrades. Seems odd that MS would prevent such recent equipment from upgrading. If TPM 2.0 is such a major thing for them, you'd think every computer maker would add that into their platforms.

I have an ancient cheap Toshiba laptop that runs Win7. It is my utility computer. I keep it around because it has a full version of Photoshop installed on it, with supporting software, that I use strictly for graphic editing - when I need it. I don't go online with it, and don't even connect it to my home network. It's a standalone machine, as a kind animated brick. No virus protection, no support from anywhere - it's an offline utility gadget that serves its purposes. It does what I want, when I want it, which isn't very often. It's also handy for formatting USB sticks and external drives to various MS-DOS compatible formats.

My daily computer is a MacBook Air laptop - which brings its own version of technology into the mix.

Dave

Dave, I've been doing something similar for over a decade. I run multiple nano format computers (Inter NUCs and ZOTAC nanos). One "dirty", connected to the Internet, others "clean", not connected to the internet. Mint Linux on the "dirty" machine, two Win 7 boxes (I bought a refurb AMD Zotac for $30, and turned it into a Win 7 machine, $50 for obsolete ram sticks, and a leftover 500 Gig HD, plus an unused vendor key I got from a friend, who had some leftovers (he builds OEM machines). Lots of fun for $80! The other Win 7 is my print driver/scanning machine.) I run VirtualBox on the "clean" linux, with virtual XP and Win 7 machines.)

I left the Windows world at Win 8. Linux may not be better, but it's stable, and reasonable secure. And FREE! (And you control the upgrades, when and if you want one.)

(I forgot to add, they go through a 4 port KMV (Keyboard/Mouse/Video monitor) switch. Once they are booted up (as many or as few as I choose) I can swap machines at the touch of a button.)

 

[callwill]

Windows 11 would run on older hardware except for the requirement of Trusted Platform Module 2.0. Here is Microsoft's blurb on TPM

Trusted Platform Module 2.0

Note: Since July 28, 2016, all new device models, lines or series (or if you are updating the hardware configuration of a existing model, line or series with a major update, such as CPU, graphic cards) must implement and enable by default TPM 2.0 (details in section 3.7 of the Minimum hardware requirements page). The requirement to enable TPM 2.0 only applies to the manufacturing of new devices.

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) technology is designed to provide hardware-based, security-related functions. A TPM chip is a secure crypto-processor that helps you with actions such as generating, storing, and limiting the use of cryptographic keys. Many TPMs include multiple physical security mechanisms to make it tamper resistant, and malicious software is unable to tamper with the security functions of the TPM.

You did not mention UEFI secure boot. My Mainboard has that option, but i cant boot to XP with UEFI enabled.

 

[emeryjre]

As I understand UEFI secure boot, it can be part of a bios update and does not require a chip like TPM 2.0 does. It also required Windows 8. So in some cases, a motherboard could be updated to support UEFI secure boot, but would still not have the extra TPM 2.0 chip. So the ultimate reason to not be able to upgrade is the lack of TPM 2.0 capabilities. IMHO

I am not upgrading any hardware to be able to run Windows 11. If I did not have software that is specific to Windows, I would be dropping Windows completely over time.

 

[dioxide45]

I still have an old Window 8.1 laptop that I never upgraded to 10 because it seemed that Microsoft Money wouldn't run on W10. I stopped using that last year and gave in and paid for a Quicken subscription. Glad I did, it is so much faster than that old MS Money I was using. I was also only using that computer for MS Money and to access rofr.net via Microsoft Azure. I still need it for Azure, but I think I can actually upgrade it Windows 10, which the free upgrade apparently still seems to work according to some blogs out there. Doubtful the hardware would support W11.

 

[Passepartout]

Boy, You guys are OLD!

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Boy, You guys are OLD!

OLD? Sonny, you don't even know old. I have an Atari 800 somewhere in the closet. (I run my old Atari software on an Atari 800 emulator, on my XP virtual machine. I have all 4 of the original Electronic Arts games. Wanna play M.U.L.E.?)

Plus I have some original IBM punch cards, and 81 bytes of ferrite core memory in lucite. . . (That, ladies and gentlemen, is OLD!)

 

[callwill]

Boy, You guys are OLD!

I still have a Timex-Sinclair stored away with the Xtra memory module and a cassette player for the programs that came on the tapes! Its getting harder to find a TV that it will hook up to!

 

[DaveNV]

Plus I have some original IBM punch cards

Aah, but can you read the Hollerith code the holes in those cards represent? THAT'S talent!

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

I still have a Timex-Sinclair stored away with the Xtra memory module and a cassette player for the programs that came on the tapes! Its getting harder to find a TV that it will hook up to!

I had one of those, purchased in about 1984 from a drug store in San Diego - for something like $40. I messed around with it for awhile, but finally retired it when I bought my Kaypro 2X, running CP/M. (Now there's a stagger down Memory Lane...)

Dave

 

[Passepartout]

I had one of those, purchased in about 1984 from a drug store in San Diego - for something like $40. I messed around with it for awhile, but finally retired it when I bought my Kaypro 2X, running CP/M. (Now there's a stagger down Memory Lane...)

Touche'

 

[easyrider]

Good luck with the upgrades. Seems odd that MS would prevent such recent equipment from upgrading. If TPM 2.0 is such a major thing for them, you'd think every computer maker would add that into their platforms.

I have an ancient cheap Toshiba laptop that runs Win7. It is my utility computer. I keep it around because it has a full version of Photoshop installed on it, with supporting software, that I use strictly for graphic editing - when I need it. I don't go online with it, and don't even connect it to my home network. It's a standalone machine, as a kind of animated brick. No virus protection, no support from anywhere - it's an offline utility gadget that serves its purposes. It does what I want, when I want it, which isn't very often. It's also handy for formatting USB sticks and external drives to various MS-DOS compatible formats.

My daily computer is a MacBook Air laptop - which brings its own version of technology into the mix.

Dave

I have one those Toshiba win7 laptops too. We rarely use it. The only thing we use it for is to entertain the grandkids. They watch dvd's on it. So I guess it's a dvd player now.

Bill