It is safe to assume that Microsoft wants people to upgrade to Windows 11 and it explained via a recent advertisement why and how 11 is a great OS. The latest market share numbers by Statcounter show Windows 11 having around a fourth of the desktop market.
However, the stern system requirements for Windows 11 are what has prevented many from upgrading to the latest OS. As such, when the tech giant reminds users about the end of servicing for Windows versions, it also points to upgrading ineligible PCs too. The same was the case for Windows 8.1 as well.
Interestingly, those on Windows 8 who do not wish to upgrade their hardware or may not have the budget to do so, have a legitimate way to experience Windows 11.
Twitter (now X) and tech enthusiast Bob Pony found that Windows 8 users who do not have a PC compatible with Windows 11 can upgrade by selecting the Windows 11 version 24H2 IoT Enterprise Edition during the OS setup.
Bizarre trivia about Windows 11 Setup, it"s possible to upgrade from Windows 8.0 WITHOUT losing data and apps will be kept during the upgrade.
— Bob Pony ✨ (@TheBobPony) April 28, 2024
But there"s a catch, the Windows 8 system needs to meet Windows 11"s system requirements unless it"s IoT Enterprise Edition Version 24H2. pic.twitter.com/eWqSzRAWct
Unfortunately, this trick is unlikely to work with those who sport some really old processors that lack PopCnt or SSE4.2 instructions. In case you have not been following, the company is experimenting this block on 24H2 Insider builds.
This happens to be one of the several ways that the system requirements on Windows 11 can be bypassed. Earlier last month, in April, another way to bypass the block was discovered which involves selecting the Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC edition and it works on non-LTSC machines as well.
As the Windows 11 24H2 slowly approaches RTM, Insider testing for hardware compatibility is currently underway.