Years after Windows 11’s launch, and now with Windows 10’s looming end-of-support, there are still concerns on a large number of PCs becoming unsupported, as the adoption rate for Microsoft’s latest operating system remain relatively low. Despite that, the software giant is not changing its stance on the TPM 2.0 requirement – the one metric that kept many PCs from upgrading.
TPM 2.0 “A Necessity” For Windows 11
In a blog post titled “TPM 2.0 – a necessity for a secure and future-proof Windows 11,” Microsoft says the TPM 2.0 requirement is a “non-negotiable standard for the future of Windows.” In case you didn’t know, TPM – short for Trusted Platform Module – is a on-chip component that stores critical cryptographic keys and performs various encryption-related functions that ensures the device’s security.
While most systems today supports Windows 11 through supported processors, you won’t have to look back far enough to see that even relatively recent systems powered by AMD’s first-generation Ryzen or Intel’s 7th Gen Core are getting dropped by Microsoft for OS upgrades. That’s where a lot of systems in the commercial environment runs today, which means lots of expenses have to be made to upgrade to a PC that is still under Microsoft’s security update coverage.
Still, Microsoft offers a single-year, $30 fee for home users who want to keep their systems supported beyond October 14th, 2025, while enterprise users have the option to extend security updates for three more years, starting at $61 in the first year (with doubled annual fees in subsequent years). However, the company would much rather you go ahead and buy a new PC instead.
Pokdepinion: Not surprised that Microsoft would stick to its plans.
There isn’t a single cybersecurity expert who takes this seriously. You can install Windows 11 on non-TPM devices like those with Skylake CPUs just fine, and many enterprises and schools have already opted to. A CS friend of mine says it makes so little a difference so as to be negligible, and that the requirement is clearly a result of a hardware partnership with the software giant intended to sell more units. It’s planned obsolescence in practice, and ought to be illegal. There is absolutely no concern large enough to warrant buying entirely new hardware, 11 on this hardware is just as safe as 10 on this hardware. Ridiculous.