Windows 11 Upgrade Gets Easier
Microsoft is to release a tool to make it easier to move to a new computer when upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11. It removes a minor headache but won't necessarily overcome the main reasons people are passing on the upgrade.
With some recent estimates saying the majority of Windows PCs are still running Windows 10, time is running out for the end-of-life deadline in October. After that, Windows 10 will get no new features and no free security patches. Businesses can pay for security patches for three more years (with the price doubling each year), while consumers can pay $30 for one year, with Microsoft not committing beyond that.
Microsoft clearly acknowledges that some people who upgrade to Windows 11 will be buying a new PC, either because they feel it's time for new hardware, or because their existing computer doesn't meet Microsoft's minimum specs. In particular, some older machines don't have the mandatory TPM, a hardware component that better secures the computer.
PC-to-PC Transfer
Switching to a new computer and transferring data and applications isn't always easy, so Microsoft has been working on a tool to simplify the process. That's now showing up in preview versions of future Windows 10 updates, as seen by people in public testing programs.
The existing Windows 10 Backup tool will soon have a "PC to PC" transfer that works across different editions. From the available screenshots, it looks a simple process as it simply requires the two PCs to be on the same local network.
After enabling the process on both computers, the user simply types the old PC's network name (the example in the screenshot is DESKTOP-GOPNQPC) into the new one. The user then selects what data they want to transfer. This approach means the user doesn't have to make a copy of the original computer's drives, for example on an external hard drive. (Source: windowslatest.com)
Hardware Refusers
Useful as this could be, it doesn't really address the issue that many people refusing to upgrade to Windows 11 are not doing so because transferring data could be tricky, but rather because they can't or won't buy a new computer, for example for cost or environmental reasons. That's particularly the case given the TPM requirement feels arbitrary on computers will still work and have enough processing power and memory to run Windows 11. (Source: techradar.com)
What's Your Opinion?
Do you plan to get a new computer to run Windows 11? Would you find this tool useful? Do you think Microsoft really will stop patching Windows 10 as planned?
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Comments
Some CPUs support TPM 2.0, but still not compatible
Yesterday I had a client contact me because he couldn't upgrade to Windows 11. It turned out that his CPU (1st gen Ryzen 1700, which supports TPM 2.0) doesn't have Mode-Based Execution Control (MBEC) as part of its processor spec and is "incompatible" with Windows 11. The MBEC is a modern CPU security feature required for Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI).
According to ChatGPT: without MBEC, Windows 11 would have to emulate these security features, which leads to severe performance degradation - up to a 40% CPU hit with Memory Integrity enabled. That would be very slow.
The fix was to upgrade him to the latest BIOS on his MSI B350m motherboard and get him a used Ryzen 3700x chip on ebay for around $80 bucks, which supports MBEC. The new CPU will also be a nice boost: around 43% faster on multi core benchmarks and around 35% for single core.
This is proof that you shouldn't throw out your 'old' system yet - make sure you investigate why it is not upgradable (though, if it is because of TPM 2.0, then you are SOL).
Not helpful for me
Data transfer isn’t really that much of an issue for me. What would be an issue for me is application transfer.
I have over a hundred games and an additional 200 or so applications. That’s a lot of work acquiring and reinstalling them.
That’s why I build my own or sometimes have someone build a custom computer. That way I simply transfer the drives from one computer to the next one. Sometimes there are issues, but it’s a lot easier to migrate the OS than reinstalling 300 plus applications.
Also, not having a 2.0 TPM isn’t always an SOL situation if your CPU is capable and your motherboard has a TPM header. Then you just need to buy and install the TPM.
I’m still not sure why requiring users that don’t encrypt their drives is necessary. I know some applications will use it and it can cause issues if not cleared first if selling or disposing or troubleshooting some security issues.
I’m not upgrading because I don’t like Windows 11. I don’t like the interface. I don’t like the start menu. I don’t like how it makes it harder to do things that are easily done on Windows 10 since they hide the most basic tasks behind ellipses and “more options”. And, while I know and use OpenShell, it’s still not worth it.
I’ll be paying the $30 and hope they extend it to 3 years even doubling the price even though my computer is Windows 11 compliant.
Upgrading Windows
I'm an early adopter of new windows versions. I upgraded to Win 11 in January of 2022. Since I've been building my machines since the mid 90's, upgrading my mobo, CPU, and RAM was a cheap buy. I always use parts from previous builds, saving money.
However, I've been using different Linux distros on and off for the past ten years. Since retiring 10 years ago, I think win 11 will be my last windows version. If Microsoft makes upgrading to Win 12 require new hardware, I'm just going to use Linux full time. It was my job that kept me anchored to windows for compatibility with it.
Windows 11 upgrade
My 2nd PC is an ASUS with an I7-6700, two 500Gb SSDs, but no TPM.
MS said the I7 wasn't good enough in addition to the missing TPM.
I used RUFUS to remove the restrictions, and the PC runs Windows 11 with no problems.
New Tool Is Not Useful
This new tool would not affect me in any way. I have upgraded three "non-compliant" computers using a genuine Windows 11 ISO and the Rufus tool. They are all capable machines with 16-32GB of RAM and good CPUs. They don't have the proper TPM. I also have one PC that is Windows 11 compliant.
It is possible that some future update will not work. This could be because of some CPU feature that the upgrade needs, or perhaps they will start checking hardware requirements for every update. If that's the case, I'll move them to Linux.