He also acknowledged the expansion of Microsoft Store to include more "traditional" desktop applications. Windows 11 isn't drastically different from Windows 10. Apart from a fresh coat of paint and a few features, the operating system maintains most of the core functionality of Windows 10.
Visually, Windows now has rounded corners, and the taskbar icons and the start menu have moved to the centre. One of the most jarring experiences for me has been getting used to the centred Start Menu. While the new start menu looks nice with pinned apps on the top and recent files below it, the sporadic movement of the Start button is a chore. In Windows 10 and previous versions of Windows, the left aligned start menu has been in the same spot as always. In Windows 11, the menu is centred, and the addition of new icons tends to push icons away from each other on the centred plane.
I was forced to look at the taskbar and understand where the icon moved to click on it. It would have been a better design decision to leave the start button to the left while only moving application icons to the centre. Fortunately, users can fix this problem by realigning all icons to the left. Cunningham concluded that "as I've dug into and learned its ins and outs for this review, I've warmed to it more", but argued that the OS was facing similar "public perception" issues to Windows Vista and Windows 8.
Internet Explorer has been replaced by the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge as the default web browser like its predecessor, Windows 10, and Microsoft Teams is integrated into the Windows shell. Microsoft also announced plans to allow more flexibility in software that can be distributed via Microsoft Store, and to support Android apps on Windows 11 . Windows 11 continues our strong commitment to compatibility.
This means that devices can upgrade to Windows 11 and critical apps and devices will simply work. Raising the Windows 11 minimum system requirements enables us to better support apps and hardware for drivers and devices. Feedback also shows us that unsupported hardware is more likely to have older drivers that are incompatible with new OS features such as VBS. Supported hardware also comes with modern drivers, which helps ensure not only the reliability we mentioned earlier, but also great hardware compatibility. A redesigned user interface is present frequently throughout the operating system, building upon Fluent Design System; translucency, shadows, a new color palette, and rounded geometry are prevalent throughout the UI. In addition to increased reliability, the supported processors increase security capabilities at the chip level.
These processors provide virtualization extensions and virtualization performance improvements. Windows 11 supports virtualization-based security which enables several security capabilities, including memory integrity, also known as hypervisor-protected code integrity . HVCI disables dynamic code injection into the Windows kernel. HVCI also provides driver control and ensures that all drivers loaded meet a policy of allowed drivers set by Microsoft and the user. The United States Department of Defense requires virtualization-based security on Windows 10 for their devices.
In partnership with our OEM and silicon partners, we will be enabling VBS and HVCI on most new PCs over this next year. And we will continue to seek opportunities to expand VBS across more systems over time. In October 2019, Microsoft announced "Windows 10X", a future edition of Windows 10 designed exclusively for dual-touchscreen devices such as the then-upcoming Surface Neo.
Legacy Windows applications would also be required to run in "containers" to ensure performance and power optimization. Microsoft stated that it planned to release Windows 10X devices by the end of 2020. Anyone with one of the newer chips should have no trouble installing Windows 11 via Windows Update. Microsoft made a downloadable ISO disk image file for the beta Insider version available for installing Windows 11, allowing in-place upgrades or clean installations on a PC or in a virtual machine.
A similar installation option is now available for the release version of Windows 11 via Microsoft's Download Windows 11 page. For those who are using a PC that won't upgrade, and who aren't ready to transition to a new device, Windows 10 is the right choice. We will support Windows 10 through October 14, 2025 and we recently announced that the next feature update to Windows 10 is coming later this year. Whatever you decide, we are committed to supporting you and offering choice in your computing journey.
Should I Update To Windows 11 For Gaming 2022 If you want to see the full Windows 11 minimum system requirements, you can visit this page. While Windows 11 is free for many Windows 10 users, there is a rite of passage for this version of Windows. Not all desktops and laptops may be able to use Windows 11, since the update comes with system requirements that might lock many Nepali systems out of the update. More recent laptops would most likely have this TPM module, but many older and custom-made computers might not. Computers running older CPUs, mainly Intel 7th Generation and older, are locked out of the update, while Windows 11, at least in the early phases, did not play well with AMD CPUs due to a scheduler issue.
Many workarounds for these requirements aren't official and may lock you out of future updates. Microsoft has also removed local user profiles for Windows 11 Home users, forcing people to connect to an online Microsoft account, which is for data collection and telemetry in all intents and purposes. Windows 11 might be free, but you will be paying for it in data.
KMak, every time Apple releases a new version of a device, they update the hardware requirements for its OS, and they make older versions obsolete after a few years . Original equipment manufacturers can still ship computers without a TPM 2.0 coprocessor upon Microsoft's approval. Some third-party software may refuse to run on "unsupported" configurations of Windows 11.
Microsoft Teams is similarly integrated with the taskbar, with a pop-up showing a list of recent conversations. I've disabled Win 10 'updates' on my PCs and will not put Win 11 on any of my PCs. I have good protection on all my computers and carry out regular backups/images to external hard drives and never experience any problems now. I even have XP on one of my laptops which I use with my music keyboards because some of the excellent programs I use, will not run on later versions of windows. I'll stick with my fully working mix of XP, Win 7 and Win 10.
Minor complaints aside, we like to see Microsoft giving its marquee software some attention. For the last few years, the company has focused more on its Azure cloud computing services—justifiably given that business's profitability. Windows 11 brings slick new looks, useful new tools, updated default apps, extra capabilities, and performance advances.
Perhaps that's enough to lure away some Chrome OS users or Mac users. People that I know still install windows emulator in their Apple laptop to do serious work. This issue may cause some Windows users to consider switching to Apple but for big corporations with thousands of pc running windows, a realistic choice is still to upgrade to a newer windows laptops. File Explorer is a good example of Windows 11's new look, particularly its updated left panel controls and folder icons. Note the simplified ribbon along the top, which is far less busy and distracting than the previous File Explorer's. The New button at the top left works for new folders or documents supported by your apps, and the same viewing options for files are available.
The overflow menu offers file compression, selection, and Properties options, as well as the old Folder Options dialog. The right-click context menus, which have grown longer and longer over the years, get shorter, smarter, and clearer in Windows 11. As with Windows 10, you can let the company know what you'd like to see added to the software in a dedicated Feedback Hub app, and you may be surprised at how often it listens. Anyone can sign up for preview builds of the OS through the Windows Insider Program.
This lets you experience new features before they're available for general release. The next major update, 22H2 is expected to add Start menu options, some redesigned stock apps, and machine-learning intelligence. Windows 11 SE was announced on November 9, 2021, as an edition exclusively for low-end devices sold in the education market, and a successor to Windows 10 S. It is bundled with applications such as Microsoft Office for Microsoft 365, Minecraft Education Edition, and Flipgrid, while OneDrive is used to save files by default. Windows 11 SE does not include Microsoft Store; third-party software is provisioned or installed by administrators. For new users, Windows 11 will seem like a good option with the new design.
You get rounded corners, a departure from the sharp edges we've seen in Windows for a long time. The Start Menu is now cleaner, featuring pinned apps and a recommended tab that shows you files based on your recent usage. The desktop more or less stays the same, but the right-click menu gets a simplified look, with the most common options like cut, copy, paste, and rename, at the top in a grid.
As for whether someone running Windows 10 should upgrade to Windows 11, it depends on what they want from their OS. Microsoft will provide Windows 10 with updates, bug fixes and security patches through 2025, so there's no pressing need to spend a ton of money to buy a new PC to update to Windows 11. However, the refreshed look and the additional features make it an enticing proposition. In the end, people with a compatible PC should update to Windows 11 because of all the goodies it offers. However, those with older and unsupported devices need not despair because Windows 10 is still plenty good for years to come.
Live Tiles are gone in favour of a snapshot view of pinned apps, recently accessed files as well as the option to restart or shutdown. The good news is if a Start button in the centre is too much to handle, you can shift it back to the left-hand traditional view. What likely won't bother Windows traditionalists is that app corners, menus and File Explorer windows have been rounded off in Windows 11 rather than the typical square look of Windows 10. The above distros are available from Canonical and come in both free or paid for versions.
The paid version is about 50 quid and offers more features and more support. All come with a suite of software for office and internet use. The default browser is Firefox but you can also have Chromium or other browsers. If you installed Linux alongside Windows, no problem, except that you will have lost some of your hard disk space to Linux. But if you want to delete Linux, you can restore your HD, using something like Partition Magic. The main issue with the approach is that Microsoft does not support this officially.
At least 16 GB of RAM The basic system requirements of Windows 11 differ significantly from Windows 10. Windows 11 only supports 64-bit systems such as those using an x86-64 or ARM64 processor; IA-32 processors are no longer supported. Thus, Windows 11 is the first consumer version of Windows not to support 32-bit processors . The minimum RAM and storage requirements were also increased; Windows 11 now requires at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. S mode is only supported for the Home edition of Windows 11.
The compatibility list includes the Intel Core i7-7820HQ, a seventh-generation processor used by the Surface Studio 2, although only on devices that shipped with DCH-based drivers. As part of the minimum system requirements, Windows 11 only runs on devices with a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 security coprocessor. According to Microsoft, the TPM 2.0 coprocessor is a "critical building block" for protection against firmware and hardware attacks. In addition, Microsoft now requires devices with Windows 11 to include virtualization-based security , hypervisor-protected code integrity , and Secure Boot built-in and enabled by default.
The operating system also features hardware-enforced stack protection for supported Intel and AMD processors for protection against zero-day exploits. Windows 11, the first major Windows release since 2015, builds upon its predecessor by revamping the user interface to follow Microsoft's new Fluent Design guidelines. The redesign, which focuses on ease of use and flexibility, comes alongside new productivity and social features and updates to security and accessibility, addressing some of the deficiencies of Windows 10. Perhaps the most important thing to know about the release of Windows 11 is that we should expect it to change significantly over the next few years. I've been using beta versions of Windows 11 for a month in the lead-up to writing this review, and it seems like every few days there's a minor new feature or redesigned app to check out.
We may not see that feature fully realized in Windows until next year. If your gaming laptop or PC meets Microsoft's minimum system requirements, you'll be able to install Windows 11 onto its SSD or hard drive. It is possible to install the operating system on unsupported hardware but doing means you won't have access to Windows Updates, and your desktop will be brandished with a watermark. The connected boot disc should prompt your rig to display a boot menu, allowing you to select your DVD drive or USB stick. Doing this will instruct the machine to load Windows install files, rather than diverting to a BIOS settings screen. You'll be greeted by a familiar Windows logo, followed by an installation wizard that will kickstart the final stretch of the process.
After the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has, for the first time, completely revamped the Settings app. It's built from scratch, following a mobile-driven design that plays well with both desktops and tablets. The Settings page has been neatly categorized with menus and sub-menus, along with a static menu pane at the left. You also have breadcrumbs for easy navigation and expandable settings options for improved clarity. Instead of a longer flyout, the new menu has a broader feel with a search bar at the top, followed by pinned apps and recent files.
The new start menu looks fresh and nice; pinned applications and recent files follow a nice long search bar on the top. Although the simplified start menu is a visual upgrade to Windows 10, it is far more simplistic with no live tiles or dynamic content. Even the context menu for the taskbar has been simplified as right-clicking the bar only yields one result with the removal of essential options like the task manager or toolbars. Oh, and you can't move the taskbar at all in Windows 11—at the bottom is the only option. The answer is just keep using Win10, until the hardware doesn't do what you need it to.
The lack security updates won't matter to the average home user, as they can already jack up an install still being updated. There are people still trying to hang on to Macs that don't have or soon won't get valid root certificates for SSL sites. On the Microsoft side it's a bigger issue in the corporate space, but on Mac those computers become useless on the internet without completely switching the OS. MS has at least demonstrated a willingness to issue a post eol patch when something particularly egregious is discovered. This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11 - these requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher quality experience.
Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. 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. Most Windows 10 devices that do not meet the minimum system requirements will stay on that version of Windows, but what happens when Windows 10 runs out of support in 2025? Microsoft lists October 14, 2025 as the retirement date for Windows 10 Home and Pro .
Some users will certainly replace their devices with new ones, which will likely include Windows 11 or are at least compatible with the new operating system. Any user, not just admins, can now add both the display language and its features, which can help users in business environments, but these exact options for languages still depend on the OEM and mobile operator. In January 2021, it was reported that a job listing referring to a "sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows" had been posted by Microsoft. A visual refresh for Windows, developed under the codename "Sun Valley", was reportedly set to re-design the system's user interface. Citing security considerations, the system requirements for Windows 11 were increased over Windows 10.
