Microsoft is urging owners of Windows PC’s and notebooks to check their computer system to see whether it can cope with an update to Windows 11.
Support for Windows 10 will end in less than a year (October 2025), and in light of this Microsoft says in a new blog post that “it’s important to revisit a key minimum system requirement for Windows 11: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0”.
TPM refers to a dedicated chip or firmware that offers hardware-level security services for your device, MS says.
“It securely houses encryption keys, certificates, passwords, and sensitive data, shielding them from unauthorised access.
“Additionally, TPM is tasked with cryptographic operations such as producing random numbers, encrypting and decrypting data, and confirming digital signatures.”
Microsoft says installing Windows 11 on a device that doesn’t meet Windows 11 minimum system requirements isn’t recommended.
“If Windows 11 is installed on ineligible hardware, you should be comfortable assuming the risk of running into compatibility issues. A device might malfunction due to these compatibility or other issues. Devices that don’t meet these system requirements aren’t guaranteed to receive updates, including but not limited to security updates.”
“If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won’t be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren’t covered under the manufacturer warranty.”
In Windows 11 MS says “TPM 2.0 advanced encryption techniques offer more versatile and critical key management for contemporary IT infrastructures, as compared to its predecessor, TPM 1.2”.
It acknowledges that “implementation might require a change for your organisation. Yet it represents an important step toward more effectively countering today’s intricate security challenges”.
To check if a device running Windows 10 meets the Windows 11 minimum system requirements, Microsoft advises people to use the PC Health Check app.
“The PC Health Check app assesses Windows 11 eligibility and identifies components of a device that don’t meet the minimum requirements,” MS says. “The app also links to info that details steps that can be taken to make a device meet the minimum system requirements. To learn more.”
If you install Windows 11 on a device that doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements, a watermark is added to the Windows 11 desktop. Notification might also be displayed in Settings to advise that the requirements aren’t met.
If a device that doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements for Windows 11 experiences issues after upgrading to Windows 11, Microsoft recommends going back to Windows 10.
