The strangest thing happened. Someone on the Redmond campus forgot to turn on a switch or something before rolling out the RTM build of Windows 11 22H2 in the Release Preview channel.
This honest oversight made this upcoming version available to older, unsupported PCs.
For some users, this was a joyous sight; for others, a horrifying one.
After all, Microsoft has been on record saying that installing its latest operating system is not recommended for folks running older computers. And if they are feeling adventurous, then they must do so at their own risk.
I mean, there’s a frigging loophole in place still for this very reason.
And while some took this rollout on devices with older, unsupported processors as a sign that the software titan was willing to remove the strict hardware requirements in place for Windows 11, the company clarified that it accidentally released the OS for ineligible devices.
We are investigating an issue for Insiders where the banner for Windows 11, version 22H2 is showing for PCs not eligible and working to fix. Choosing to install will result in an error.
— Jen Gentleman 🌺 (@JenMsft) June 8, 2022
Even though the update was quickly removed, it continued to appear for those with ineligible CPUs, and users could download and install it without any issue.
Of course, this is not the first time Microsoft has advised against installing Windows 11 on old devices.
If you are being offered Windows 11 22H2 and you know that your device is rocking an unsupported processor or does not meet the rest of the system requirements in place, the company says that it is a good idea to avoid the update for now.
Or, better yet, upgrade your system to one that is eligible for Windows 11.
Just be aware that the upgrade notification may pop up on your system even though Microsoft has canceled this specific rollout on unsupported hardware.
That’s just how things are these days!
