It’s alive! With the Windows 11 cat out of the bag, many of our burning questions have been answered regarding the new operating system. Others, continue to be.
Microsoft has already announced that Windows 11 will be offered as a free upgrade to certain eligible Windows 10 computers. This eligibility bit is something that has cased quite a bit of confusion lately, with the Redmond based company clearing the air at regular occasions.
But while Microsoft is still trying to figure out how the new OS will run on old processors, it continues to answer other queries that users have.
Queries like will the free upgrade to Windows 11 will be available regardless of the version of the operating system they are running? You know, folks that are rocking hardware that runs on Windows 10 in S mode.
Weird naming quirks aside, there is a substantial amount of folks running this variant of the OS. And their minds are filled with doubts.
Microsoft has tried to calm these fears in a recently updated section on the Windows 11 website, letting these folks know that they should rest easy as there is an upgrade path for them:
“If your PC meets the minimum hardware specifications, the Windows 10 Home edition in S mode can upgrade to the Windows 11 Home edition in S mode. If your Windows 10 PC is running the Pro edition in S mode, you will need to switch out of S mode to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro. Windows 11 Pro edition is not available in S mode.”
We already had hints that S mode was a thing on Windows 11, and this confirms it.
The new OS will come with this dedicated mode from the very beginning, and as is the case with the full version of Windows, computers running the S mode will get a notification in Windows Update when the new operating system becomes available for download.
For the uninitiated, Windows running in S mode restricts users to apps published in the Microsoft Store, therefor blocking the installation of Win32 software. This, in turn, provides an extra layer of security by closing the door to perhaps the most popular malware distribution channels.
It is this reason why S mode has become a hit with a subsection of users, particularly in the education and enterprise sectors.
