Windows 11 is What's Next for Windows!

[Corrine]

It is official!  Windows 11 is the next version Microsoft operating system.  As Satya Nadella said in the "What's Next for Windows" event, "It's the beginning of a new generation".  Highlights of that new generation are described in the article on the Windows Experience Blog by Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer, Windows + Devices, "Introducing Windows 11". You can also be certain that all the "tech bloggers" will be publishing numerous articles highlighting the new Windows 11.

A question that many home computer users have been wondering about since rumors of the new operating system started is whether the upgrade from Windows 10 will be free. We now know that Windows 11 will be available through a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs and on new PCs beginning this holiday and will continue into 2022.

The minimum system requirements to run Windows 11 are as follows:
 

Quote

processor	1 gigahertz (ghz) or faster with 2 or more cores on acompatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (soc)
memory	4 gb ram
storage	64 gb or larger storage device
system firmware	uefi, secure boot capable
tpm	trusted platform module (tpm) version 2.0

 

graphics card	directx 12 compatible graphics / wddm 2.x
display	>9” with hd resolution (720p)
internet connection	microsoft account and internet connectivity required for setup for windows 11 home

Certain features require specific hardware, see detailed system requirements.

 

To determine if your current PC is eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 11, download the PC Health Check app.

I happy that my PC meets the system requirements for Windows 11 and am looking forward to testing the new Windows Insider Builds for Windows 11 next week.

(Note  If you had a problem with the event streaming as I did during the event, you can watch a replay here.)

 

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Wow! Must be a whole lotta' goodies in 11 if it requires 64Gig of drive space.

[raymac46]

It looks to me as if Microsoft is taking a different approach with the Windows 11 upgrade. They were much more liberal when it came to upgrading to Windows 10 from 7/8. The objective at that point was to get as many users as possible to switch to Windows 10.

Now it seems that the objective is to get as many users as possible to buy a new PC with Windows 11 preinstalled. Windows 11 upgrades won't happen unless you have a 2017 or later Intel CPU or 2019 or later AMD Ryzen. Some possible reactions to this:

1. There will be considerable whining and moaning, but the majority will chug along with Windows 10. They have 4 more years of support after all.
2. A fair number will freak out and buy new machines. This might mean that you'll be able to get a good deal on used hardware that'll run Windows 10 or Linux well. Or a lot of stuff will end up at the recycler.
3. Those with newer hardware will eventually upgrade to Windows 11 if they are using Windows 10 now.
4. A small minority who currently run Linux (or Mac users) will be oblivious to all the Windows drama.

What's really scary is that 0.5 % of users are still on Windows XP.

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by raymac46

[Bookmem]

I just installed 11 on one of my desktop PCs with a Ryzen APU.  No problems installing.  So far I've seen minor changes in the task bar setup but nothing really major.  I hope, with even gen 7 Intel processors being left behind, that security is the major focus.