In February, Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel received a preview edition of Microsoft Windows 11 that included a new “feature” that displayed a watermark on any computer that did not satisfy Microsoft’s stated requirements of the system. To be explicit, this covers virtual machines as well.
At the time, it appeared like this was merely another A/B test for something which could or could not make it into a finalized, stable version. But, the most recent releases published to the Beta and Release Preview channels indicate that Microsoft that known for products like Microsoft Teams is going through with its intentions to make it perfectly clear to Windows 11 users that they should not download it on an incompatible system.
Microsoft, known for products such as Office 365, went back and forth on its stated hardware specifications when it released Windows 11, and it even seemed to have some difficulty synchronizing its messaging on the subject with OEM partners. In brief, if your device does not have an Intel 8th Gen Coffee Lake or Zen+ and Zen 2 CPU, you are not eligible for Windows 11.
There is a rationale for this insanity, and it can only be defined as dividing the user base in order to advance the default security measures of Windows PCs. This project is predicated on TPM 2.0, which may be deployed as a specific hardware solution or as a firmware-based TPM for a specific Central processing unit. In any case, having an active TPM in your system is required for security features such as Virtualization-based Security and Hypervisor-Enforced Code Integrity.
According to the company, this method was selected in response to a significant surge in cyber security issues prompted by ransomware and complex malware attacks. Moreover, producers of multiplayer online games are beginning to include TPM in their anti-cheat systems.
It’s worth noting that it’s extremely simple to avoid Windows 11’s system specifications and disable VBS for those who wish to trade the extra security for a modest speed improvement in some games. You’ll still receive upgrades to an incompatible system; however, this might change at any time. For the current term, it appears that a little watermark in the lower right-hand corner will shortly welcome users who’ve already downloaded Windows 11 on less powerful machines. To know further, the watermark advises heading to the Settings application.
This little annoyance won’t be quite as noticeable as the well-known alert that shows when you’ve not validated your copy of Windows, and it doesn’t seem to hinder your capability to use Windows 11. If it is only a visual alteration, you should be able to resolve it with certain secret Windows 11 modifications.
