Announcing Windows 11!

MicroCenterOfficial · June 2021

Yesterday Microsoft announced the successor to Windows 10, the aptly named Windows 11. You can check out the full presentation here, or read some of our highlights under the video

https://twitter.com/Windows/status/1408069904155119635

The first big news is that Windows 11 will be a free upgrade for Windows 10 users, provided they meet the criteria:

· 64-bit CU

· 4GB of RAM

· 64GB of storage

If you meet all those specifications, Windows 11 will be a free upgrade, performed through a Windows update, a la the free upgrade from Windows 7/8 to Windows 10. If you’re not sure if you meet the criteria, Windows has launched a validator that will quickly check you machine and let you know if you’re eligible here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11

With that, let’s dive into the biggest changes Windows 11 brings!

More Robust Gaming Integration

Windows 11 is taking a lot from the new Xbox Series X when it comes to gaming. Adding in automatic HDR to create more vibrant color in your games and boosting load times with DirectStorage to get you in the game even quicker.

Updated and New Windows Apps

Expanding on Windows 10’s Start menu sidebar, Windows 11 introduces fully customizable Widgets, personalized with news, weather, and updates specifically for you. Available on the side of your desktop, Widgets can be expanded to cover your entire desktop – without disrupting any of the apps underneath.

The Microsoft Store has been revamped, emphasizing speed and ease of use, and brings with it a slew of new and returning first and third-party apps, all designed for the Windows experience.

Windows will soon be bringing Android apps to the desktop as well, utilizing Amazon’s Appstore to bring Android to the Windows store

Finally, Windows will be integrating Microsoft Teams into the desktop experience, designed to make connecting with people as simple as a few clicks. This also brings with it a unified microphone mute button, disabling your attached microphone for all applications with a single click.

A familiar, but not too familiar, desktop

The core desktop, on the surface (pun not intended), looks mostly familiar. The task bar and Start Menu still exist, but they’ve been moved to the middle for easier access and a more streamlined experience.

But under it all, there have been some major additions. Enhanced snap features make customizing your desktop even easier. And if you’re working on multiple projects: multiple desktops that save what you were doing. This means you can instantly switch from work mode to game mode with the press of a button, then get right back to work without missing a beat.

Added support for 2-In-1s

With the continuous rise in 2-in-1 PCs, or laptops that either split apart or fold over to become touch-enabled tablets, Windows 11 has put a bigger emphasis on usability. Once transformed (or disconnected from the keyboard dock), Windows will automatically adjust for touch usage. This means further spreading out icon in your task bar for easier tapping and increasing touch points on windows, making resizing and adjustments easier for fingers.

Following the event, Microsoft launched a shorter summary of everything coming to Windows 11 with a stylish preview video:

https://youtu.be/Uh9643c2P6k

So, what do you think? Will you be making use of that free Windows 11 upgrade?

Ian · June 2021

Most likely will use the free upgrade, interested to try out a test branch before the actual launch to get a feel for it all though!

twdixon · June 2021

My 2017 ASUS PRIME Z270M-PLUS motherboards fails the compatibility check for lack of TPM. I suspect this will be a limiting factor for many others?

TSTonyV · June 2021

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/33956#Comment_33956

That will definitely be a limiting factor for people operating on some older hardware. As of right now, looks like Windows 11 will require at least TPM 2.0 and will only officially support Intel 8th Gen+ CPUs or Ryzen 2000+ CPUs.

Now of course, if things are like they were previously, you may still be able to install Windows 11 on unofficially supported hardware, but run the risk of stability issues or compatibility/functionality problems with that hardware or other software designed for Windows 11. Until it's actually released though, we won't really know if that's the case.

IvanSamuelson · June 2021

If you have a PC or Motherboard manufactured after 2014, more than likely it has a TPM 2.0 chip installed in it. You have to go into your BIOS and find the appropriate setting. It could be called anything. Intel calls it one thing, AMD refers to it as another.

I had to enable it on my Gigabyte B450M DS3H motherboard that I got last year when I built my new PC. Thanks Microcenter for having all the parts back in July of 2020! The PC has been running smoothly ever since.

In any case, boot into your BIOS and look for the following:

For Intel motherboards, you're looking for TPM or IPTT (Intel Platform Trust Technology). Enable it, save the settings and reboot.

For AMD, it's TPM or fTPM. Same thing as Intel. Enable it, save the settings and reboot.

This URL explains it pretty well and how to find it.

https://gamersdiscussionhub.com/how-to-enable-tpm-in-bios-intel-and-amd-windows-11/

PeterM · June 2021

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/33956#Comment_33956

Check your BIOS Dude! My MSI B250M Gaming pro has a 14pin TPM header on it but I can not find the MSI TPM module anywhere as they are all out of stock anywhere I look due to this bullshit announcment by MS about requiring TPM support so now all modules are being bought up. I am thinking of switching my mobo out with the ASUS Prime Z270M-PLUS because looking at the manual for it even though there is no TPM header on the MOBO in its BIOS there IS a setting to Enable/Disable TPM or as they call it in the manual "Intel Platform Trust Technology"! So TPM support may be baked into that MOBO! Try enabling this in your BIOS and see if it then passes the compatibility check....and report back....please. Look on page 2-34 of your manual.

PeterM · June 2021

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/33956#Comment_33956

Disregard my last post. As stated earlier, as of now, Win 11 will NOT support intel 6th/7th gen so even though you should be able to enable TPM in the BIOS that is now moot since MS will not support any CPU that mobo can run. I'm in the same boat. Spent hours reading/researching my MSI B250M Gaming pro and discovered that it DOES have TPM and Secure Boot in the BIOS! I enabled both and passed everything in the PC Health Check app to run WIN 11 EXCEPT for my 7th gen intel CPU!!! Goddamn! FU Microsoft! Now its looking like I have to get a new mobo and a new 8th gen cpu! Hopefully MS will reevaluate CPU compatibility seeing as how they're excluding so many people and pissing folks off!

IvanSamuelson · June 2021

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/33956#Comment_33956

If you have a PC or Motherboard manufactured after 2014, more than likely it has a TPM 2.0 chip installed in it. You have to go into your BIOS and find the appropriate setting. it could be called anything. Intel calls it one thing, AMD refers to it as another.

I had to enable it on my Gigabyte B450M DS3H motherboard that I got last year when I built my new PC. Thanks Microcenter for having all the parts back in July of 2020! The PC has been running smoothly ever since.

In any case, boot into your BIOS and look for the following:

For Intel motherboard, you're looking for TPM or IPTT (Intel Platform Trust Technology). Enable it, save the settings and reboot.

For AMD, it's TPM or fTPM. Same thing as Intel. Enable it, save the settings and reboot.

This URL explains it pretty well and how to find it.

https://gamersdiscussionhub.com/how-to-enable-tpm-in-bios-intel-and-amd-windows-11/

PCDave77 · June 2021

I'm really concerned about the timetable for upgrading to Windows 11. Why is Microsoft only giving Windows 10 users a little over 4 years to upgrade, and why are their processor requirements so high? What they're doing means that if I went into my Denver Micro Center today, and bought an otherwise perfectly useable Windows 10 PC that had (for example) a 6th gen Intel Core i5 CPU in it, I could only use it safely until October 24th, 2025. I read an article, where this person wrote that people shouldn't worry, because Microsoft extended the support for Windows XP for so long. But, to my knowledge, that was only due to the backlash over Windows Vista.

JS_MC · June 2021

@PCDave77 There has been some new information released by Microsoft about the possible changes to the minimum requirements.

https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2021/06/28/update-on-windows-11-minimum-system-requirements/

In support of the Windows 11 system requirements, we’ve set the bar for previewing in our Windows Insider Program to match the minimum system requirements for Windows 11, with the exception for TPM 2.0 and CPU family/model. By providing preview builds to the diverse systems in our Windows Insider Program, we will learn how Windows 11 performs across CPU models more comprehensively, informing any adjustments we should make to our minimum system requirements in the future.

It's very up in the air for the time being.

As to the retirement of Windows 10, I think that this would be more than enough time for the OS to be phased out. 4 years in technology is quite a long time respectively.

Ian · July 2021

It looks like Microsoft has removed the Windows 11 compatibility checker from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11 and it is now listed as "coming soon" so there may be more changes coming.

Ian · July 2021

Some more info here on a Windows blog regarding Windows 11 accessibility features:

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2021/07/01/whats-coming-in-windows-11-accessibility/

Cousin · July 2021

So much for Windows 10 being the last one ever LOL

Ian · July 2021

Looks like another Insider Build released

https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2021/07/08/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-22000-65/

GeekOnTheHill · July 2021

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/34212#Comment_34212

It's the last Windows I'll ever buy, that's for sure -- and I've been using Windows since the original.

My reasons are, firstly, that I simply don't need it anymore. Actually, I never really did. It was just more convenient due to the availability of third-party software. I don't use ANY Microsoft software except for Windows itself. I never have. Even when I was a Microsoft "Partner" and got in-house copies for free, I used other products because I liked them better.

At this stage of my life, everything I use either will run on Mac and/or Linux, or has a plug-in equivalent that will run on Mac and/or Linux. The only thing keeping me on Windows at this point is inertia.

Secondly, Microsoft's morphing into a data-mining operation is reprehensible. Having to seek out and disable all their blasted spyware and telemetry every time they put out an update is getting to be a real drag.

So for me, at least, Win10 is the end of the line for Windows. I expect that the only thing really different about Win11 will be even more spyware, embedded even more deeply into the system to make it that much harder to disable. No thanks. I'll use Win10 until it's EOL; and if that happens before I'm EOL, I'll run Linux and Mac exclusively. My main desire with regard to Win11 is avoiding it.