Microsoft accidentally disabled its controversial hardware compatibility check, offering Windows 11 to computers not on the list.
Windows 11 won’t install on computers without a recent TPM-equipped processor, although there are exceptions (notably for some hardware from Microsoft, which failed to make the cut in the list of origin). It is possible to circumvent this limitation, although there is no guarantee that a future version of Windows 11 will not definitely slam the door.
However, users noticed overnight that PCs in the Windows Insider Release Preview ring without an eligible processor were being offered the update without the usual terse rejection message.
.@windowsinside my unqualified channel preview version of w10 7th gen machine is offered on windows 11. pic.twitter.com/lSC74OJpbP
— Barb Bowman 🌷💙💛 (@barbbowman) June 8, 2022
Could Microsoft have softened its position? Perhaps the less-than-stellar adoption of Windows 11 prompted an overhaul in Redmond? As of May 2022, according to Statcounter, it has yet to surpass outdated Windows 7, let alone catch up with Windows 10.
Unfortunately not. The Windows Insider team was quick to respond that all was business as usual in the Windows world. Namely, something went wrong and needed to be fixed.
It’s a bug and the right team is investigating it. Thanks for letting us know.
— Windows Insider Program (@windowsinsider) June 8, 2022
This won’t help the Windows team in their efforts to justify Windows 11’s hardware compatibility list. Especially when Microsoft itself happily releases a version with some of the checks removed.
One also can’t help but notice the difference between Microsoft’s response to recent zero-day vulnerabilities and how quickly it moved to keep its flagship operating system untainted by incompatible hardware. .
Users who successfully completed the update can cancel it.
While it would be nice to claim that the incident could have signaled a quiet change in policy, it may be more a sign of Windows’ legendary quality control (or lack thereof). ®
