Windows 10: Your PC is not compatible with Windows 11? Here are your options!

Microsoft's new Windows 11 operating system will be released later this year; the system will be a free upgrade for devices running Windows 10, provided that they have a genuine activated license and meet the system requirements.

Microsoft revealed earlier that there won't be a direct upgrade path to Windows 11 from Windows 7 or 8.1 systems. These devices would need two major upgrades, first to Windows 10 and then to Windows 11, or a fresh install of Windows 11. The latter would mean that all data that is on the devices won't carry over to the new system.

Windows 11's system requirements differ from those of previous versions of Windows. Microsoft admitted that some of the requirements are not set in stone, especially the processor restrictions may be lifted before the operating system is released officially.

Some requirements, including the need for Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0, are set in stone already. These limit compatibility and a number of devices that run Windows 10 perfectly won't be compatible with Windows 11 because of that.

If you own a PC that is not compatible with Windows 11, you may wonder about your options.

Tip: you may use Windows 11 test tools to find out if your device is compatible with the new operating system. Just run these to find out if the device can be upgraded to Windows 11.



Here are your options:

Stay on the current Windows version



Windows 10 will be supported until 2025, and all devices that run Windows 7 or 8.1 will also run Windows 10. You may also continue to use Windows 8.1, which is supported until 2023. Windows 7 is not supported anymore officially, but businesses may have access to ESU, which extends support for three years starting with the operating system's end of support date, January 2020.

It is possible that someone will find a way to bypass some of the system requirements, but this could interfere with operating system features, e.g. those that rely on TPM.

The advantage of this method is that you don't need to run the upgrade to Windows 11. If the device is on Windows 10, you can continue using it until at least 2025, as it will be supported with security updates until then,.

The downside is that you will have to make a decision in 2025.

Switch to Linux



The second option that you have is to switch to Linux. It requires more work on your part, as you have to find a suitable Linux distribution, alternatives to programs that are not available on Linux, and get to know a new operating system.

Depending on the distribution, Linux may look and feel similar to Windows, or it may be a totally different experience.

Most Linux distributions support Live operating systems, which means that you may run them without installing them. Instructions are provided on the websites, e.g. Linux Mint.

Gamers find that most PC games work on Linux nowadays either directly or through applications such as Wine. Valve and its Steam service have pushed Linux compatibility significantly in recent time, and there are options to play games from other stores as well under Linux.

The advantage of this method is that you will have no trouble finding a suitable distribution, and that most programs and games will either run or have suitable alternatives.

Downside is that no programs or apps can be carried over, that it takes time to find a suitable distribution and get used to it. Some programs and apps are not available on Linux, and won't run using Wine or other methods.

Upgrade the PC / Buy a new PC



Upgrading an incompatible system may be an option, but it may not be possible all the time. Since processor and TPM are usually not compatible, it may mean that you need to buy a new motherboard and processor at the very least to make the device compatible; this is not an option for notebooks and other devices with fixed hardware components.

Buying a new PC is another option. Unless you start building it yourself, you should look out for devices that are compatible with Windows 11.

Advantage of this method is that you may get a faster better device thanks to new hardware components.

Downside to upgrading is that you need to replace hardware. Downside to buying a new PC is that you need to transfer data from the old to the new device.

Now You: do you plan to upgrade to Windows 11?

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3DMark 11 v1.0.4 Released, Now Fully Compatible with Windows 8

Futuremark updated 3DMark 11 to version 1.0.4, which makes the benchmark fully compatible with Windows 8. The update also addresses other compatibility issues and a few uncommon bugs. Benchmark scores are not affected and scores from this new version can be compared with scores from the previous version 3DMark 11 v1.0.3.





DOWNLOAD: 3DMark 11 v1.0.4
Improvements:

• Keyboard focus is no longer checked during the demo or when running the benchmark in a loop. Note that if the display switches to the desktop due to a popup window during the benchmark, the run will still be aborted as the display mode is no longer the same.
• 3DMark 11 now remembers the last custom resolution used.
• GPU count detection for multi-GPU systems is now correct even when SystemInfo is explicitly disabled.
• 3DMark 11 will now prevent Windows from entering Sleep during the test.
• The license key is now reset when the benchmark is reinstalled, allowing removal of invalid keys.

Compatibility:

• SystemInfo updated to version 4.15 for full Windows 8 compatibility.
• Updated DirectX redistributable.
• Now using static Visual C++ 2010 runtime libraries to fix rare installation issues on some systems.
• Removed dependency on EvaDotNet.dll and EvaDotNet.DirectX.dll for GPU enumeration to fix compatibility issues with some systems.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed display initialization code that caused "SetFullscreenState failed: DXGI_ERROR_NOT_CURRENTLY_AVAILABLE" errors on some systems.
• Fixed several memory and texture leaks, improving stability during very long looping runs.
• The HUD timer no longer rolls over if a single test takes more than ten minutes. (Yes, this could happen during the Combined Test on some low end DirectX 11 cards.)

Professional Edition Only:

• Fixed submitting saved files to 3dmark.com from the command line.
• Image Quality Tool no longer gives a cryptic error if the output directory does not exist.

 

Adobe Flash message in IE 11

Hi Sandra,

To help you out with your concern, we suggest that you disable the add-ons in Internet Explorer 11. For step by step instructions, go to this

link, then look for the title Turning off and removing add-ons.

We also suggest that you reset Internet Explorer 11 through these steps:

• Go to Internet Explorer then click the Gear icon.
• Choose Internet options > Advanced.
• Click Reset.

(Note: If you have added Favorites, back up them first before resetting the browser. )

Should you need further assistance, let us know.

Regards.

 

IE 11 not working

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

I understand your concern and will assist you to resolve this issue.



I suggest you to follow the steps below and check if it helps.

Windows 10 has a built-in troubleshooter to check and fix issues with Internet Explorer. I would suggest you to run this troubleshooter to check if the issue is with your Explorer.

Refer these steps:

• Press Windows key +X, select Control panel

• Change the view by option on the top right to Large icons
• Click on troubleshooting and click on the view all option on the left panel
• Run the Internet Explorer performance troubleshooter

And also refer the link below and check if it helps.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/internet-explorer/ie-crashes-stops-working#ie=ie-11

Hope this helps. If the issue remains unresolved, please get back to us and we would be happy to help.