Microsoft to tighten Windows 11 hardware requirements in upcoming update, impacting users...

[midian182]

In brief: The question of whether your ancient PC can somehow run Windows 11 is set to be answered definitively with a 'No' later this year. The Windows 11 24H2 update reportedly includes a requirement for a CPU instruction not found on processors older than 15 years - without it, the OS will not boot.

The hardware restrictions found on Windows 11 have been a controversial aspect of the OS since its arrival in October 2021. While there are workarounds in some instances, these requirements have slowed Windows 11's adoption in many businesses that still use vintage PCs.

According to a post on X from Bob Pony, Microsoft is making a CPU with the POPCNT (population count) instruction a requirement in Windows 11 24H2. Processors lacking this instruction will not boot the updated Windows 11.

So HUGE discovery found in Windows 11 Version 24H2, since build 25905.
A CPU with the instruction "POPCNT" IS NOW REQUIRED!
There are various system files requiring the POPCNT CPU instruction, from the Windows 11 kernel to the USB XHCI drivers.

Without POPCNT, it doesn't boot! pic.twitter.com/vCWYvzfu6k

– Bob Pony (@TheBobPony) February 11, 2024

POPCNT arrived in 2006/07 within AMD's Barcelona architecture, followed by Intel's first generation of Core I series chips, the Nehalem-based Core i7 CPUs, in 2008.

We've seen tinkerers running Windows 11 on pre-2008 PCs before, but that was more of a demonstration than for practical reasons. It appears that the arrival of the Windows 11 24H2 update, believed to land sometime in the fall, will prevent this sort of thing.

The vast majority of people are using a processor made sometime during the last 15 years, of course, so most PC users are unlikely to notice any changes.

The reasons behind Microsoft's decision to introduce the POPCNT requirement at this time remain unclear, though it could be another way of pushing more users onto its latest OS. Windows 11's worldwide share is still just 26.5% compared to Windows 10's 67.4%, according to Statcounter. The newer OS is faring better among Steam survey participants, though, with almost half of those taking part using Windows 11.

Earlier this month, Microsoft revived its full-screen, multi-slide Windows 11 upgrade nags for users of Windows 10, which reaches its end-of-life date in October 2025.

Microsoft recently confirmed that the Windows 11 24H2 update, which won't be called Windows 12, arrives this year. Like everything else in the tech industry, we can expect the update to have a heavy AI focus.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101862-microsoft-tighten-windows-11-hardware-requirements-upcoming-update.html

 

[MaXtor]

"The reasons behind Microsoft's decision to introduce the POPCNT requirement at this time remain unclear ..."

I assume the hardware backdoors weren't as robust prior to that CPU era.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I would just like to say....
CALLED IT. Just wait, those who dodge the TPM will get it eventually. MS isnt going to let you get away with running "obsolete" (read - hardware we havent made money on recently) systems. Be green, throw your PC away and buy another one! THINK OF THE ENVIROMENT!

 

[The Talking Tech]

I can only imagine the amount of backslash Microsoft will get if all of the sudden millions of vintage computers wouldn't boot over night just because of their own malicious update.

As usual, Microsoft would have to back paddle Thor decision and revert that update.

Now in Windows 12, that would be fair game.

 

[The Talking Tech]

I would just like to say....
CALLED IT. Just wait, those who dodge the TPM will get it eventually. MS isnt going to let you get away with running "obsolete" (read - hardware we havent made money on recently) systems. Be green, throw your PC away and buy another one! THINK OF THE ENVIROMENT!

There's nothing wrong for the environment in using an older PC, if anything they have proven to be more durable than newer ones on the market.

Remember...just because something is new it doesn't mean it's better.

 

[Adhmuz]

So what?

Honestly doubt there are that many people running Windows 11 on hardware older than 2008.

I'm not advocating for Microsoft's practices here, but really, people complain about upgrading/replacing their computers, but gladly replace their cars and phones every couple of years... (Yes I know some people do keep cars for a long time, myself included as I drive a 2008 model) And I consider myself, and most people who frequent these forums as the minority.

 

[hahahanoobs]

I can only imagine the amount of backslash Microsoft will get if all of the sudden millions of vintage computers wouldn't boot over night just because of their own malicious update.

As usual, Microsoft would have to back paddle Thor decision and revert that update.

Now in Windows 12, that would be fair game.

The "new requirements" are simply SSE4.2 and SSE4A instruction sets current W11 recommended CPU's already have.

 

[trparky]

The "new requirements" are simply SSE4.2 and SSE4A instruction sets current W11 recommended CPU's already have.

Ah yes, a voice a reason among the shouting masses of this thread.

 

[jwdR311]

So what?

Honestly doubt there are that many people running Windows 11 on hardware older than 2008.

I'm not advocating for Microsoft's practices here, but really, people complain about upgrading/replacing their computers, but gladly replace their cars and phones every couple of years... (Yes I know some people do keep cars for a long time, myself included as I drive a 2008 model) And I consider myself, and most people who frequent these forums as the minority.

...but they do it because they choose to, not because they are coerced or forced to.

 

[trparky]

...but they do it because they choose to, not because they are coerced or forced to.

What do you mean by that?

 

[dangh]

Happy with it, more Linux installations and more people less dependent on a single vendor.

 

[jwdR311]

What do you mean by that?

I see a difference between choosing to do something stupid like buying the latest car or phone vs. buying a new computer because MS pushed out a stupid requirement. I can do stupid all by myself. I don't need MS's help.

 

[human7]

If one's CPU doesn't support that instruction, it's a fair question to ask why one is even trying to run Windows 11 on that hardware in the first place. POPCNT is old, as this article says.

A lot of people in this thread are chalking this up to Microsoft making it harder to bypass the hardware requirements that they have for Win11 as their main motivation. Honestly, I don't see where that argument is coming from besides them wanting that to be the case. This new requirement will affect basically nobody.

 

[trparky]

POPCNT appeared on the scene for Intel chips as far back as 2008 with the Nehalem microarchitecture and AMD with the Barcelona-based series of processors back in 2007. What does this mean? It means, that despite all of the clickbait articles that the media has been pushing as of late, unless you're still running a system from before 2010, you really have nothing to worry about. Yes, that's right... 99% of users WILL NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES!!!

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Yes because Windows 11 ran perfectly fine before on these old cpu's it DID NOT support.

 

[Manu Arg]

I don't get the fuss around this. Few people still have working systems with those specs, and even fewer care about Windows 11. At that point, you're better off using a Linux distro since it's getting easier to do nowadays. The one requirement that already made a huge impact was TPM. There's no need to make this kind of news so... overexaggerated

 

[trgz]

...but they do it because they choose to, not because they are coerced or forced to.

...or are brainwashed into doing so.

 

[BobHome]

So what?

Honestly doubt there are that many people running Windows 11 on hardware older than 2008.

I'm not advocating for Microsoft's practices here, but really, people complain about upgrading/replacing their computers, but gladly replace their cars and phones every couple of years... (Yes I know some people do keep cars for a long time, myself included as I drive a 2008 model) And I consider myself, and most people who frequent these forums as the minority.

Huh! Your car's newer than mine.
(But my PC is pretty new--well, most of the innards are since I replaced them.)

 

[BobHome]

POPCNT appeared on the scene for Intel chips as far back as 2008 with the Nehalem microarchitecture and AMD with the Barcelona-based series of processors back in 2007. What does this mean? It means, that despite all of the clickbait articles that the media has been pushing as of late, unless you're still running a system from before 2010, you really have nothing to worry about. Yes, that's right... 99% of users WILL NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES!!!

And most systems that old are running an older OS because of their custom software. Like on airplanes still using floppy discs.

 

[BobHome]

POPCNT, huh? Well, that will give the modders something new to circumvent.

I'm sure M$ has a few programmers that are the equivalent of bean counters pouring over the code to find things like POPCNT for just this purpose, to make the obsolete hardware (in their minds) even more obsolete.

 

[wiyosaya]

Perhaps the title of this article should be: Microsoft Tightens the noose around its own neck, then kicks out the chair from under themselves.

 

[wiyosaya]

POPCNT, huh? Well, that will give the modders something new to circumvent.

I'm sure M$ has a few programmers that are the equivalent of bean counters pouring over the code to find things like POPCNT for just this purpose, to make the obsolete hardware (in their minds) even more obsolete.

It's probably more likely that some M$ programmer implemented some useless feature that needs POPCNT to work.

 

[trparky]

It's probably more likely that some M$ programmer implemented some useless feature that needs POPCNT to work.

Do you even know what that CPU instruction does? If not, you have no room to say that.

Again, modern processors have had this instruction included for the last twelve damn years. People seriously need to stop with this silly sky is falling crap already.

 

[arrowflash]

Out of the few Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Athlon X2 machines that are actually still in operation, I doubt many of them are running W11 today or ever intended to switch. The vast majority of these are probably on Windows 7, Windows 10 or Linux. All of this means that users / PCs affected by these new hardware requirements are a very tiny minority inside a minority, and would probably be much better off running one of the other OS I mentioned anyways. I mean, I do have an ancient Core 2 Duo HP laptop in my home lab (it's the oldest machine I currently own), and I never even thought about installing W10 on it, much less W11. It currently dual boots Windows XP and Windows 8.1.

The W11 TPM requirement is much worse (though it can be circumvented), since it tries to force obsolence for relatively modern PCs that can run Windows 11 perfectly fine.

I still don't like forced obsolence developments like these when we're not even given a good reason for it, even if the CPUs are ancient and not really very adequate for running the OS in the first place. It's a matter of principle. Still, the drama around this seems a bit overblown.

 

[bviktor]

I would just like to say....
CALLED IT. Just wait, those who dodge the TPM will get it eventually. MS isnt going to let you get away with running "obsolete" (read - hardware we havent made money on recently) systems. Be green, throw your PC away and buy another one! THINK OF THE ENVIROMENT!

MS isn't even selling PCs, genius.

Try installing cutting-edge Linux on a 15 year old PC - you'll be surprised how awful it is. No one supports anything till eternity, especially for free. That's how the grown up world works. Deal with it.