TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      MTN hires outgoing Icasa CEO Willington Ngwepe into top role

      16 August 2022

      Rain in embarrassing climbdown over Telkom statement

      16 August 2022

      Jo’burg to issue RFP for 500MW of electricity ‘within weeks’

      16 August 2022

      Load shedding returns, and may last until Thursday

      16 August 2022

      Coal miner Seriti plans R12-billion Mpumalanga wind farm

      16 August 2022
    • World

      Semiconductor boom turns to bust

      16 August 2022

      Tencent plans to offload R400-billion Meituan stake: sources

      16 August 2022

      Ether leaps higher on verge of Merge

      16 August 2022

      Institutions eye crypto but retail investors remain nervous

      15 August 2022

      Tencent woes mount, even after $560-billion selloff

      12 August 2022
    • In-depth

      African unicorn Flutterwave battles fires on multiple fronts

      11 August 2022

      The length of Earth’s days has been increasing – and no one knows why

      7 August 2022

      As Facebook fades, the Mad Men of advertising stage a comeback

      2 August 2022

      Crypto breaks the rules. That’s the point

      27 July 2022

      E-mail scams are getting chillingly personal

      17 July 2022
    • Podcasts

      Qush on infosec: why prevention is always better than cure

      11 August 2022

      e4’s Adri Führi on encouraging more women into tech careers

      10 August 2022

      How South Africa can woo more women into tech

      4 August 2022

      Book and check-in via WhatsApp? FlySafair is on it

      28 July 2022

      Interview: Why Dell’s next-gen PowerEdge servers change the game

      28 July 2022
    • Opinion

      No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

      11 July 2022

      Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

      8 July 2022

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022

      Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

      13 June 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Africa Data Centres
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»Sections»IT services»Windows 11 is here, but not everyone is eligible to get it

    Windows 11 is here, but not everyone is eligible to get it

    IT services By Duncan McLeod5 October 2021
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    Microsoft launched Windows 11, the latest version of its operating system, on Tuesday, offering better security and a fresh lick of paint that appears to borrow design ideas from both the Mac and Linux worlds. But good luck getting it!

    The new operating system, which is a free upgrade for Windows 10 users – if they can meet the stringent system requirements for security – will be rolled out gradually starting today, with most users with eligible PCs expected to be offered the upgrade by no later than mid-2022.

    Built on Windows 10’s core, the new operating system has new security requirements that could preclude many users, especially those on older hardware, from getting the upgrade. It also offers a new user interface, including a centred taskbar reminiscent of the dock on Apple’s macOS.

    Windows 11 will be targeted squarely at retail consumer users at launch, not enterprises

    Windows 11 will be targeted squarely at retail consumer users at launch, with business – and especially large enterprise – users to follow later, Colin Erasmus, Modern Workplace and Security Business Group lead at Microsoft South Africa, said in an interview with TechCentral ahead of Tuesday’s launch.

    “A lot of organisations will do due diligence as they always do (before upgrading),” Erasmus said. “Corporate compatibility is always an issue, but we are trying to get to 99% compatibility (with this release).”

    Some new technologies introduced in Windows 11 will also be “backported” into Windows 10 “to ensure 11 and 10 run side by side”, he said.

    Roadblock

    “We not expecting everyone to move (to Windows 11) immediately,” Erasmus said, adding that support and updates for Windows 10 will continue to be offered for at least another four years.

    Many Windows 10 users are, however, likely to run into a roadblock when seeking to upgrade to Windows 11. This is due to the new operating system’s security requirements, which mean that many users with older processors and security features won’t be offered the update.

    These requirements include a recent-generation CPU (for Intel, it’s an eight-generation chip or higher), support for Trust Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 – a chip designed to secure hardware through cryptographic keys – and support for UEFI SecureBoot. There are ways to get around these requirements, but Microsoft doesn’t recommend them and has even warned that those who use these workarounds may not be eligible for some security and other software updates in the future.

    Microsoft’s hardware partners in the PC industry may be hoping these requirements spur a surge in new device sales in the coming months. In reality, most ineligible PCs will probably simply carry on running Windows 10, especially given Microsoft’s plan to support the older OS for years to come.

    Microsoft won’t disclose how many PCs in South Africa are still running older versions of Windows, including Windows 7, but Erasmus said the market has “moved very nicely from 7 to 10”, with “quite a few people already running Windows 11 through the Windows Insider Programme”. This programme allows PC users and developers to test upcoming features and versions of the operating system before they are released.

    Microsoft has encouraged those who are not sure whether they are eligible for the upgrade to download the PC Health Check app from the company’s website to find out whether they can upgrade and, if they can’t, whether they can do something about it. Some PCs may simply need to have settings changed in the BIOS to ensure they are eligible for the upgrade – by, for example, enabling the TPM 2.0 chip if it’s present or by enabling UEFI SecureBoot.

    According to StatCounter figures, 57.6% of desktop and laptop systems worldwide were running Windows 10 as of June 2021, with Windows 7 at 11.4%. About 0.4% of PCs were still running Windows XP, which was released 20 years ago and is no longer supported at all by Microsoft.  — (c) 2021 NewsCentral Media

    colin erasmus Microsoft Windows 11
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleNaspers-backed Udemy files for Nasdaq IPO
    Next Article South Africa to accelerate analogue TV switch-off

    Related Posts

    MTN hires outgoing Icasa CEO Willington Ngwepe into top role

    16 August 2022

    Rain in embarrassing climbdown over Telkom statement

    16 August 2022

    Jo’burg to issue RFP for 500MW of electricity ‘within weeks’

    16 August 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    HPE SimpliVity: addressing SMBs’ data conundrums

    16 August 2022

    Digital transformation – don’t get caught unprepared

    16 August 2022

    Seven reasons your business needs IP surveillance cameras

    15 August 2022
    Opinion

    No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

    11 July 2022

    Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

    8 July 2022

    South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

    4 July 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.