Millions of Windows 10 users face bill for new features and updates

A new study has revealed a huge chunk of Windows 10 users have been left unable to upgrade to Windows 11 and it could leave many facing a massive bill. IT asset management software provider Lansweeper, says it has analysed over 30 million Microsoft devices and found that a whopping 43 percent are unable to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

The main reason these devices aren’t eligible for a Windows 11 upgrade is their CPU not being up to scratch. These processors are what power the PC and anyone with an older desktop or laptop might find the chip inside simply can’t cope with Microsoft’s latest requirements.

The second biggest cause for Windows 10 devices not being able to run Windows 11 is failing to meet the TPM 2.0 requirement. TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module and is a security feature built into hardware that you’ll find on newer devices. Once again, many older PCs simply don’t have a TPM installed and without it, there’s no chance of an update.

Finally, the third biggest reason the Windows 10 devices that were analysed couldn’t upgrade to Windows 11 was not having enough RAM. Microsoft says that PCs need at least 4GB of this memory to run the latest version of its software and users will need at least 64GB of spare storage to install it.

When Windows 11 was first announced it sparked huge controversy among some users over the minimum specs Microsoft was asking for.

The Redmond-based tech giant said these higher-than-expected specs were needed for security reasons.

And while that may be the case, the Lansweeper data shows there are plenty of people who have been left without even having the choice to upgrade to Windows 11 due to their machines not meeting multiple minimum specs.

The study claimed at the current rate of adoption it could take four years before people using out-of-date machines catch up and upgrade to PCs that can run Windows 11.

Microsoft has confirmed that it will no longer push out updates to its Windows 10 operating system from 2025 and that means those with an incompatible laptop will need to splash out and buy something new if they want all the latest Windows 11 features and security updates.

HERE ARE THE FULL SPECS FOR RUNNING WINDOWS 11

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (SoC).

RAM: 4 gigabytes (GB) or greater.

Storage: 64 GB or greater available storage is required to install Windows 11.

Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver.

TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.

Speaking about the stats, Roel Decneut, the chief strategy officer at Lansweeper, said: “We know that those who can’t update to Windows 11 – which is most business devices right now – will continue to use Windows 10. But even if organisations were prepared to upgrade their PCs to meet the requirements of Windows 11, there are broader issues affecting adoption that are out of Microsoft’s control. Global supply chain disruption has created chip and processor shortages, while many are choosing to stick with what hardware they have at the moment due to global financial uncertainty.”

The research also found that out of all the machines analysed, versions of the OS which have reached their end of life are more widely used than Windows 11.

According to Lansweeper, 4.82 percent of devices which were scanned aren’t fully supported anymore – which is compared to 2.61 percent of devices analysed using Windows 11 and 81.87 percent on Windows 10.

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