Windows 11

[Chris Savage]

There's a little bit of a rant here...okay, there's a lotta bit of a rant here! IMHO, Windows 11 should run on any PC that was high-performance or business class when it came with Windows 10 Pro installed. I'm confident saying that, because when I build or buy a PC, I pretty much get everything top of the line for the time. The fact that the next version of Windows says it can't run on ANY of my computers is ludicrous!

Two of my machines are high-performance and one is a Dell business class. ALL came with Windows 10 Pro and all had better than average or highest specifications at the time. My laptop has, I think 4 cores (not on it at the moment). It's an i7. The PC Health Check app that M$ has you download says I have multi-core Intel CPU (OK), 32GB RAM (OK), 512GB SSD (OK), TPM 2.0 (OK). But then it says my CPU is not compatible with Windows 11! When I looked in the compatibility list, my CPU is listed with a foot-note that says something about release.

I have yet to run that app on my main PC, which has an Intel Core i9 Extreme ($1,000+), but as of when Windows Update was telling you to upgrade, it said my PC wasn't eligible. This is completely ridiculous. I don't even like Windows 11. In fact, I hate it! But as we fast approach the EOL for Windows 10 updates, I have to start planning. I will NOT buy (or upgrade) a PC just to run Windows 11.

My wife bought an ASUS laptop about a year ago with Windows 11 on it. My Windows 10 machines ALL run circles around her Windows 11 PC. She complains about how slow it is. I have to say how disappointed I am at an ASUS with decent specs choking on Windows 11 that came pre-installed. To add insult to injury, when we took it out of "S" mode, it ran even worse, forcing me to do a factory restore just to get back to where we were.

Microshaft really screwed the pooch here. There are several applications that I use that require Windows or I would just switch to Linux. The applications I mention cannot run on an emulator. I'm looking into the possibility of changing the CPU in my laptop, but honestly, not even sure I can do that with the current BIOS.

[granz]

There's a little bit of a rant here...okay, there's a lotta bit of a rant here! IMHO, Windows 11 should run on any PC that was high-performance or business class when it came with Windows 10 Pro installed. I'm confident saying that, because when I build or buy a PC, I pretty much get everything top of the line for the time. The fact that the next version of Windows says it can't run on ANY of my computers is ludicrous!

Two of my machines are high-performance and one is a Dell business class. ALL came with Windows 10 Pro and all had better than average or highest specifications at the time. My laptop has, I think 4 cores (not on it at the moment). It's an i7. The PC Health Check app that M$ has you download says I have multi-core Intel CPU (OK), 32GB RAM (OK), 512GB SSD (OK), TPM 2.0 (OK). But then it says my CPU is not compatible with Windows 11! When I looked in the compatibility list, my CPU is listed with a foot-note that says something about release.

I have yet to run that app on my main PC, which has an Intel Core i9 Extreme ($1,000+), but as of when Windows Update was telling you to upgrade, it said my PC wasn't eligible. This is completely ridiculous. I don't even like Windows 11. In fact, I hate it! But as we fast approach the EOL for Windows 10 updates, I have to start planning. I will NOT buy (or upgrade) a PC just to run Windows 11.

My wife bought an ASUS laptop about a year ago with Windows 11 on it. My Windows 10 machines ALL run circles around her Windows 11 PC. She complains about how slow it is. I have to say how disappointed I am at an ASUS with decent specs choking on Windows 11 that came pre-installed. To add insult to injury, when we took it out of "S" mode, it ran even worse, forcing me to do a factory restore just to get back to where we were.

Microshaft really screwed the pooch here. There are several applications that I use that require Windows or I would just switch to Linux. The applications I mention cannot run on an emulator. I'm looking into the possibility of changing the CPU in my laptop, but honestly, not even sure I can do that with the current BIOS.

Come to the "Open" side, Luke.

Seriously, Linux does not have this kind of stupidity. It's totally insane to require standard 2030 equipment here in 2025. Microsoft has been doing that for nearly the entire run of Windows.

[Chris Savage]

Come to the "Open" side, Luke.

As I said, were it not for specific applications I need, I would! My video editing software is the reason I have the i9 PC. Not available under Linux and they have no plans for it. I've been using Vegas Pro for 15 years now so it's hard to switch.

Seriously, Linux does not have this kind of stupidity. It's totally insane to require standard 2030 equipment here in 2025. Microsoft has been doing that for nearly the entire run of Windows.

Ironically, I've never had this issue before. Every PC I have had has run the next version of Windows, and sometimes past that. The debugging PC I have here at work originally had Windows 7 on it. It's an Intel i3. It has Windows 10 Pro on it, and while it's a bit slow (mainly due to low RAM), it works fine.

[JKnightandKARR]

There's a little bit of a rant here...okay, there's a lotta bit of a rant here! IMHO, Windows 11 should run on any PC that was high-performance or business class when it came with Windows 10 Pro installed. I'm confident saying that, because when I build or buy a PC, I pretty much get everything top of the line for the time. The fact that the next version of Windows says it can't run on ANY of my computers is ludicrous!

Two of my machines are high-performance and one is a Dell business class. ALL came with Windows 10 Pro and all had better than average or highest specifications at the time. My laptop has, I think 4 cores (not on it at the moment). It's an i7. The PC Health Check app that M$ has you download says I have multi-core Intel CPU (OK), 32GB RAM (OK), 512GB SSD (OK), TPM 2.0 (OK). But then it says my CPU is not compatible with Windows 11! When I looked in the compatibility list, my CPU is listed with a foot-note that says something about release.

I have yet to run that app on my main PC, which has an Intel Core i9 Extreme ($1,000+), but as of when Windows Update was telling you to upgrade, it said my PC wasn't eligible. This is completely ridiculous. I don't even like Windows 11. In fact, I hate it! But as we fast approach the EOL for Windows 10 updates, I have to start planning. I will NOT buy (or upgrade) a PC just to run Windows 11.

My wife bought an ASUS laptop about a year ago with Windows 11 on it. My Windows 10 machines ALL run circles around her Windows 11 PC. She complains about how slow it is. I have to say how disappointed I am at an ASUS with decent specs choking on Windows 11 that came pre-installed. To add insult to injury, when we took it out of "S" mode, it ran even worse, forcing me to do a factory restore just to get back to where we were.

Microshaft really screwed the pooch here. There are several applications that I use that require Windows or I would just switch to Linux. The applications I mention cannot run on an emulator. I'm looking into the possibility of changing the CPU in my laptop, but honestly, not even sure I can do that with the current BIOS.

There's something specific in the BIOS that needs to be there/needs to be turned on in order for Windows 11 to be allowed. I can't think of what that is right at the moment.

Edit: UEFI Secure Boot capible and Trusted Platform Module.

[Chris Savage]

There's something specific in the BIOS that needs to be there/needs to be turned on in order for Windows 11 to be allowed. I can't think of what that is right at the moment.
Edit: UEFI Secure Boot capible and Trusted Platform Module.

Their checker program isn't complaining about my BIOS or TPM module.. On the laptop it's complaining about my CPU, which is a high-performance CPU.

I know this business class Dell at work isn't eligible. It came with Windows 7 originally. I will see what it says about that PC, just out of curiosity...

You cannot view this attachment.

So, you can see here this PC fails immediately for the Secure Boot, TPM Module and CPU. As I said, I didn't expect it to pass having originally come with Windows 7 and such an older machine (6 years?).

You cannot view this attachment.

RAM, HD and cores passes.

[JKnightandKARR]

There's something specific in the BIOS that needs to be there/needs to be turned on in order for Windows 11 to be allowed. I can't think of what that is right at the moment.
Edit: UEFI Secure Boot capible and Trusted Platform Module.

Their checker program isn't complaining about my BIOS or TPM module.. On the laptop it's complaining about my CPU, which is a high-performance CPU.

I know this business class Dell at work isn't eligible. It came with Windows 7 originally. I will see what it says about that PC, just out of curiosity...

You cannot view this attachment.

So, you can see here this PC fails immediately for the Secure Boot, TPM Module and CPU. As I said, I didn't expect it to pass having originally come with Windows 7 and such an older machine (6 years?).

You cannot view this attachment.

RAM, HD and cores passes.

My Dell gaming laptop isn't supported either. Little bit of a pain.

[Chris Savage]

My Dell gaming laptop isn't supported either. Little bit of a pain.

I haven't confirmed it yet, nor have I seen this mentioned by Micro$oft, but one of the YouTube PC gurus says that once Windows 10 support stops that you can still pay a yearly fee for updates. I'm really starting to think about that route, though I do need to confirm it. Seems odd nobody else has mentioned this option. Last polling I saw, there were still more Windows 10 PCs in use than Windows 11. That says something right there.

[granz]

Come to the "Open" side, Luke.

As I said, were it not for specific applications I need, I would! My video editing software is the reason I have the i9 PC. Not available under Linux and they have no plans for it. I've been using Vegas Pro for 15 years now so it's hard to switch.

I know almost nothing about Vegas Pro, except what I just found in the wine (WINdows Emulator) compatibility page (https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=3467.) According to that page, version 14 of Vegas Pro has a Platinum rating (Applications which install and run flawlessly on an out-of-the-box Wine installation) when run under the latest version of wine. So, if you are using an older version of Vegas Pro, then it should work perfectly.

If you need the latest version of Vegas Pro, then you could try using Virtual Box and running under Windows 10.

Alternatively, there is the Open Source video editing OpenShot (https://www.openshot.org/) program. That is a pretty heavy hitting video editor. I used Open Shot for my videos in college, and they passed the requirements for my courses. I do understand that it can be difficult to change programs, when you are used to one, but it may be worth the effort rather than continuing to pay tribute to Micro$oft - not to mention MS requiring greater, and greater, hardware specs all the time.

[Chris Savage]

According to that page, version 14 of Vegas Pro has a Platinum rating (Applications which install and run flawlessly on an out-of-the-box Wine installation) when run under the latest version of wine. So, if you are using an older version of Vegas Pro, then it should work perfectly.

I'm running Version 22, which makes very careful use of multi-core CPUs like mine in rendering.

I do understand that it can be difficult to change programs, when you are used to one, but it may be worth the effort rather than continuing to pay tribute to Micro$oft - not to mention MS requiring greater, and greater, hardware specs all the time.

It's not just the learning a new program, I have spent significant time saving presets for various functions and settings so that I don't have to tweak things every time I do a video. If I showed you what I mean, I think you would appreciate the automation. When I drop a video onto a specific track, there's a preset that crops, sizes and / or positions it on the screen without me having to do those things manually. Not to mention that this is commercial software, so I have a significant investment in it.

Now, don't take that as your information not being useful. I am learning a valuable lesson here. It seems that I need to reconsider my future options. I need to reconsider whether I want to keep upgrading my software, or just switch to free stuff once and for all. It seems the latter is looking like a long-term plan. I think I got too dependent on Windows after all these years and now I'm starting to have buyer's remorse. This is why I only upgrade my office software every 5 or 6 years or so. I try to maximize the time I get from the software I pay for.

I think I should start by creating a list of all the software I use and see what's compatible with Linux and what requires Windows and go from there. Something things are utilities for various hardware. Some utilities, like X-CTU are available for Linux. Others, not so much. I need to weigh my options.

[granz]

It's not just the learning a new program, I have spent significant time saving presets for various functions and settings so that I don't have to tweak things every time I do a video. If I showed you what I mean, I think you would appreciate the automation. When I drop a video onto a specific track, there's a preset that crops, sizes and / or positions it on the screen without me having to do those things manually. Not to mention that this is commercial software, so I have a significant investment in it.

Not so much - I have many programs set up exactly the way I want, and I like it that way. So, no I can appreciate the automation without you even needing to show me that stuff. I can easily concede that for you. 

Now, don't take that as your information not being useful. I am learning a valuable lesson here. It seems that I need to reconsider my future options. I need to reconsider whether I want to keep upgrading my software, or just switch to free stuff once and for all. It seems the latter is looking like a long-term plan. I think I got too dependent on Windows after all these years and now I'm starting to have buyer's remorse. This is why I only upgrade my office software every 5 or 6 years or so. I try to maximize the time I get from the software I pay for.

I think I should start by creating a list of all the software I use and see what's compatible with Linux and what requires Windows and go from there. Something things are utilities for various hardware. Some utilities, like X-CTU are available for Linux. Others, not so much. I need to weigh my options.

I actually use Microsoft Office 2000 as my primary office suite (and no, it's not because MSO 2K was my first office suite, far from it - the first was for MS-DOS - or was it TRS-DOS? .) I just like the way it fits plus (like you mentioned) all of my customizations for it.

That said, there are many Open Source programs that I like, and use. Actually, in spite of using MSO 2K, I have, and often use, Libre Office, too. I really don't normally need any high-powered programs, but there are just so many Open Source programs available.

[Chris Savage]

Actually, in spite of using MSO 2K, I have, and often use, Libre Office, too. I really don't normally need any high-powered programs, but there are just so many Open Source programs available.

I've upgraded Office over the years due to issues with other applications. Outlook was the main reason for the upgrades, since I use it for my domain email.

By the way, I am on the laptop now, which is an HP Z Book 17 G4. Here's what the PC Health Check app says about it.

You cannot view this attachment.

Despite my CPU having 4 cores with 2 indexes per core (8 logical processors), it isn't supported!!! This is a 7th generation Core i7!


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Everything else is fine. It's so stupid that this high-performance laptop can't run Windows 11!

[granz]

...
Despite my CPU having 4 cores with 2 indexes per core (8 logical processors), it isn't supported!!! This is a 7th generation Core i7!
...
Everything else is fine. It's so stupid that this high-performance laptop can't run Windows 11!

Of course not - Micro$oft wants you to have to purchase a 64-core CPU with 32 indexes per core - even though they don't exist yet. And by the time those CPUs are introduced MS will think that those are BADLY out of date. 

It's enough to make a guy want to go back to using nothing but MS-DOS.

[JKnightandKARR]

...
Despite my CPU having 4 cores with 2 indexes per core (8 logical processors), it isn't supported!!! This is a 7th generation Core i7!
...
Everything else is fine. It's so stupid that this high-performance laptop can't run Windows 11!

Of course not - Micro$oft wants you to have to purchase a 64-core CPU with 32 indexes per core - even though they don't exist yet. And by the time those CPUs are introduced MS will think that those are BADLY out of date. 

It's enough to make a guy want to go back to using nothing but MS-DOS.

Stupid.... They're making crap WAAAAY TOO HARD.....  Had to get my mom's laptop redone by a shop cause HDD protected. WIndows Pin UNKOWN.... so ANYthing mom might have left for me, is gone without seeing it....
 

[Chris Savage]

So, this is weird. Before, the System Health Check said my CPU wasn't supported, but everything else was in the green. Now, it says the CPU is good, but the TPM is not (but it was before). Here's the check for the main machine...

You cannot view this attachment.

I think the TPM must have gotten disabled when I had to restore my PC. Not sure what happened, but this PC may in fact support Windows 11.


You cannot view this attachment.

As shown, this CPU has 18 cores with 2 threads / core, showing up as 36 logical processors in Windows 10.

[granz]

So, this is weird. Before, the System Health Check said my CPU wasn't supported, but everything else was in the green. Now, it says the CPU is good, but the TPM is not (but it was before). Here's the check for the main machine...

You cannot view this attachment.

I think the TPM must have gotten disabled when I had to restore my PC. Not sure what happened, but this PC may in fact support Windows 11.


You cannot view this attachment.

As shown, this CPU has 18 cores with 2 threads / core, showing up as 36 logical processors in Windows 10.

Too weird.