Eight of every 10 computers in the world are Windows machines. The popularity can be attributed to the broad price range of these machines (the Avita Cosmos with a Celeron processor is just about Rs20,000, while an Alienware Area 51 costs around Rs4 lakh), the ready availability of compatible programmes and users’ familiarity with the operating system. And, despite the occasional complaints about the clunkiness (often due to compromised hardware), it is a very capable OS. There is not much you cannot do with a reasonably specced Windows machine.
Windows 11, which will start rolling out on October 5, is technically free to download for all machines that run Windows 10. You will need a 64-bit processor, which is 1GHz or faster and has at least two cores, and at least 4GB memory and 64GB storage. Most modern machines meet these requirements. But, there is a catch. Microsoft wants your machine to meet some security requirements as well, called TPM 2.0 and secure boot. Secure boot is a feature that allows which operating systems can be active on your computer. TPM, or trusted platform modules, are small devices that prevent cyber attacks. Most Windows machines since 2016 have these chips. Microsoft will soon re-release its PC Health Check app, which will tell you if your computer can get Windows 11 and even advise you on some workarounds if it does not.
Now what if your computer is not compatible with Windows 11? The best thing to do is sticking to Windows 10, which is an excellent OS and will be supported by Microsoft till 2025.
Some older devices that do not make the cut may be able to manually download Windows 11 through the Microsoft media creation tool or the Windows Insider programme. But Microsoft will not support this version, which means no updates or security patches later; it will leave your computer vulnerable to cyberattacks. It has been reported that Microsoft is looking at making more devices compatible with the new OS and may soon make an announcement on it.