[OKDXA] Windows 11

[Jeff Martin]

Microsoft Releases Windows Version 11
10/05/2021
Today (October 5) is the official release date for the new Windows 11
operating system, Microsoft has announced, but it will be a slow reveal.
Radio amateurs may be eager to learn if it will run the station software
they're running under Windows 7 or Windows 10, and if they'll need new
device drivers.

"We are not too concerned," said Tom Wagner, N1MM, of the widely popular,
free logging software that bears his call sign - N1MM Logger+. "One member
of the team and one end user has tested with Win 11 and not reported issues.
We will fix them if they arise."

The WSJT-X Development Group is similarly unconcerned. "A few WSJT-X users
have been running on the beta Windows 11 releases without any issues," said
Bill Somerville, G4WJS. "This seems reasonable evidence that there should be
no serious problems."

Microsoft said that the free upgrade to Windows 11 has begun rolling out to
eligible Windows 10 PCs, and PCs that come pre-loaded with Windows 11 will
start to become available for purchase on October 5. A prompt to upgrade to
Windows 11 will come to newer devices first, with all eligible devices to
receive their updates by next summer, according to Gear Patrol.

Windows 11 has higher technical requirements than Windows 10, which will be
deprecated in 2025. Microsoft no longer supports Windows 7 or earlier
iterations. Machines will need to have a 64-bit CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB
of storage, and have Trusted Platform Module (TPM) v 1.2 or later enabled.

Aaron Woodman, General Manager of Windows Marketing at Microsoft, told The
Verge, "We expect all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to
Windows 11 by mid-2022."

The Verge recently reported that Microsoft not only clarified its minimum
system requirements for Windows 11 but revealed a workaround for computers
that don't meet them. You can install Windows 11 on any hardware using an
ISO method, as long as the PC has a 64-bit, 1 GHz processor with two or more
cores, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and at least TPM 1.2. If you use a
workaround to avoid the TPM requirement, however, your PC will be in an
unsupported state and might not be able to access Windows updates and
security patches.

Noting the TPM requirement to load Win 11, Wagner advised, "You need to turn
on security features on the motherboard that some older computers may not
have. We still have users who want to continue to run [Windows] XP."

On existing Windows 10 PCs, Windows Update will let people know when the
upgrade is available for Windows 11. You can also check to see if your
device is eligible for the Windows 11 upgrade through Windows Update.

Not all of Windows 11's announced features will be available on October 5.
Microsoft is bringing Android apps to Windows 11 in partnership with Amazon
and Intel, but this will happen down the road, possibly in 2022.

If your PC isn't fully compatible with Windows 11, Microsoft will continue
to support Windows 10 until October 14, 2025.