Windows 11 is Now Ready for Broad Deployment, Microsoft Says

Windows 11 is now reliable enough for everyone according to Microsoft. Yesterday, the company quietly announced on its Windows Health Dashboard (via Neowin) that Windows 11 was now “designated for broad deployment,” which means that all Windows 10 users with eligible hardware can now install it.

To install Windows 11 from Windows Update, you’ll need to be running Windows 10 version 2004 or newer and have no safeguard hold applied to your PC. As of today, the only remaining hardware block is a compatibility issue with an Intel SST driver, but it can be easily resolved by installing an updated driver.

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Windows 11 is still being offered as an optional update for Windows 10 users, who can also install the latest version of Windows 10 (21H2) if they haven’t done it yet. Windows 10 will be supported until 2025, though it’s probably not going to receive big new features as Microsoft is now focusing its resources on Windows 11.

There are a lot of things to like on Windows 11 including a more coherent design and new power-user features like Snap Assist. However, some changes like the new taskbar and Start Menu that lost its Live Tiles have received a polarized reception. The OS is still a work in progress, but Microsoft has already confirmed that it’s working on much-requested features such as File Explorer Tabs.

Even though Windows 11 is now ready for broad deployment, the minimum hardware requirements for the OS have left many Windows 10 PCs on the sidelines. While it’s still possible to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, Microsoft doesn’t guarantee that these devices will continue to receive updates forever, and you’ll be on your own if you encounter any issues.

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Conversation 22 comments

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    18 May, 2022 - 3:03 pm

    <p>Translation: <strong><em>PLEASE</em></strong>, enterprise customers, upgrade to Windows 11 before the end of 2023, <strong><em>PLEASE</em></strong> don’t let Windows 11 become as shunned as Windows 8.</p><p><br></p><p>Companies with lots of deployed, in-lease PCs which 7th gen or older Intel processors or AMD equivalents OR which don’t use GPT because they use 3rd party whole disk encryption (e.g., Symantec’s) rather than BitLocker, they’re not upgrading until late 2023 or into 2024. Home users with older PCs aren’t upgrading in large numbers either.</p><p><br></p><p>Did MSFT people convince themselves that either so many people bought new PCs during the pandemic or will buy new PCs now that most PCs can handle Windows 11?</p><p><br></p><p>Also, since MSFT no longer provides free support at a meaningful level, they’ve collectively forgotten just how many people there are in the Windows user base who can’t find <em>the ANY key</em>. Those people WILL call in-house help lines about why the Start menu looks different OR where the Start menu is if centered taskbar icons are new to them. Dunno about the rest of you, but my co-workers with tower PCs rather than laptops only use PCs at work, phones outside work. They ain’t <em>seekers</em>.</p><p><br></p><p>&gt; <em>new power-user feature</em><strong><em>S</em></strong><em> like Snap Assist</em> [emphasis added]</p><p><br></p><p>Are there any other functional features (rather than aesthetic features) in Windows 11 which aren’t Windows 10 options or couldn’t be added to it?</p>

    • SherlockHolmes

      Premium Member
      19 May, 2022 - 5:45 am

      <p>Nope. None. Enough said. </p>

    • ruivo

      21 May, 2022 - 6:44 am

      <p>I believe the Android subsystem is exclusive to Win11. If not for that, I would run back to 10 in a second :-)</p>

  • martinusv2

    Premium Member
    18 May, 2022 - 3:09 pm

    <p>I cannot anyway on my work PC, the CPU is too old. Prety sure it will be the same anywhere else. So far, the TI at where I work said no to people that can upgrade to Windows 11.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      19 May, 2022 - 2:22 am

      <p>We have 3 test machines running 11. We have compatibility issues with Microsoft Outlook 365, which is a show-stopper, but other than that, everything we use seems to work. But until Outlook works properly, we won’t be rolling 11 out to anyone.</p>

  • wbhite

    Premium Member
    18 May, 2022 - 3:15 pm

    <p>There is no way in hell I’m allowing Windows 11 into my environment at this point. They’ve broken/removed so many things that the Help Desk tickets alone would overwhelm my staff. In my testing, Windows 11 seems fine for your random, "I only check my email and browse the web" person at home, but it has no business in Enterprise. I’ll get dragged into that kicking and screaming until serious changes are made.</p>

    • rob_segal

      Premium Member
      18 May, 2022 - 6:37 pm

      <p>The users we migrated to Windows 11 haven’t submitted more help tickets or logged more calls. </p>

      • hrlngrv

        Premium Member
        18 May, 2022 - 7:15 pm

        <p>How many of those users have college degrees? How many of them still use PCs at home?</p><p><br></p><p>I work in financial services. There are 3 groups of users. 1st are those who’ve been using PCs for decades and are comfortable installing their own software at home. 2nd are those who’ve been using PCs <em>at work</em> for decades but never really got into computers beyond web browsing outside work. 3rd are those who only ever used PCs at work. Only the 1st group would be reasonable candidates for Windows 11, and they’d likely be the ones who’d complain most because they’re more likely to use Windows 10 &amp; prior taskbar features which Windows 11 fails to provide. Actually, the 3rd group would be the ideal candidates for Windows 11 as long as there were DESKTOP icons to launch the half dozen programs they use. For them, aside from the clock, the taskbar and Start menu are wastes of screen space.</p>

  • StagyarZilDoggo

    Premium Member
    18 May, 2022 - 3:16 pm

    <p>Thanks Microsoft, but no thanks. I think I’ll wait a year or two. Or three.</p>

  • mikegalos

    18 May, 2022 - 4:03 pm

    <p>Gee, Laurent, Microsoft "doesn’t guarantee these devices will receive updates on unsupported hardware forever". Really? You mean like every product from every vendor in history? That’s kind of the declared difference between a supported product and an unsupported one.</p><p><br></p><p>This is like you complaining that Apple isn’t providing a guarantee of support for the bootleg copy of macOS on your Hackintosh.</p>

    • Greg Green

      24 May, 2022 - 6:02 pm

      <p>Your complaint is nonsense. MS made an arbitrary decision to exclude millions of capable PCs.</p>

  • bluvg

    18 May, 2022 - 4:08 pm

    <p>Here’s something that gets me: Microsoft claims with <em>every Windows release</em> (except the 95/NT days) that existing applications should just work, that there are very few appcompat issues. Yet in their own post (https : //techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/insights-you-can-use-microsoft-s-internal-upgrade-to-windows-11/ba-p/3292621) about when they rolled 11 out at Microsoft itself, one reason it was "the smoothest we’ve ever had" was because it had "far fewer app compatibility challenges than in the past" (I’m nearly positive they said this about their own rollouts previously as well, but I’m not going to look right now).</p><p><br></p><p>So… the truth is past upgrades had <strong>far more</strong> appcompat challenges? But <em>this </em>time, we should really believe you?</p>

    • hrlngrv

      Premium Member
      18 May, 2022 - 7:21 pm

      <p>My own interpretation of <em>superlative ever</em> is as meaningless as saying Little Terry was taller at 3 than at 2, and taller at 4 than at 3, and taller at 5 than at 4, etc. IOW, more of a <em>Sun Rises in Morning</em> headline.</p>

    • chronocidal

      Premium Member
      18 May, 2022 - 8:59 pm

      <p><em>Of course</em> it was the smoothest upgrade possible. What else do you expect when you only use hardware and software that was explicitly vetted to support the upgrade?</p><p><br></p><p>It’s not like they’re going to show off and brag about the results for something that could have possibly failed.</p>

  • navarac

    18 May, 2022 - 4:15 pm

    <p>Pity last weeks Patch Tuesday wasn’t fit for broader rollout then.</p>

  • LT1 Z51

    Premium Member
    18 May, 2022 - 6:13 pm

    <p>I don’t think we are moving to Windows 11 at work. In fact one of our tools has in it’s release notes (&lt;Tool Name&gt; Does NOT Officially Support Windows 11. There is no plan to support Windows 11.), why? Who knows. This tool has worked on Windows 7-10 and it’s .NET based.</p>

  • dmitryko

    18 May, 2022 - 6:54 pm

    <p>I hate Windows 11 user interface with passion, and I will downgrade every Windows 11 computer I’d come across. So "broad deployment" over my dead body. I’m sure <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">many "enthusiast" users will do the same.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I’ve once made a mistake of upgrading dozens of Windows 7/8 computers to Windows 10, and it only resulted in convincing clueless Windows executives that desktop users will accept any bullshit "improvement" if pushed hard enough. Well, I will not repeat this mistake again. </span></p><p><br></p><p>Surely Microsoft would want to dump all the "old" user interface heritage coming from 1990s PCs and cater <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">their nonsense "improvements" </span>directly to herds of <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">clueless </span>"new" Android/ChromeOS users and their touch-based "devices". I say good luck with that, and good riddance too.<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Desktop Linux has never been in a better shape, and I’m perfectly fine with my desktop PC with non-touch 32" 4K display, thank you.</span></p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    19 May, 2022 - 2:18 am

    <p>Not here. We still can’t set out-of-office notices in Outlook on Windows 11 – same version of Office 365 on Windows 10 or Server 2019 Terminal services works fine, but as soon as Windows 11 comes into the mix, Outlook suddenly can’t connect to the Exchange server for OOO, it can get email, do searches, use the calendar etc. but not OOO…</p>

    • SherlockHolmes

      Premium Member
      19 May, 2022 - 5:48 am

      <p>The fact that Windows 11 needs two Teams versions is the show stopper for me. Als the stupid way you can (or cant) change default apps. Untill MSFT fixes those two problems, im back on Windows 10 Enterprise again. </p>

  • madthinus

    Premium Member
    19 May, 2022 - 5:30 am

    <p>It installed even after I selected I want to stay on Windows 10. Terrible experience. Rolled back to Windows 10 afterwards. The taskbar break my work flow. I work in Excel, and hate the combined setting in the Taskbar as it adds a delay in switching between sheets. </p>

  • Jogy

    Premium Member
    19 May, 2022 - 12:10 pm

    <p>In Windows 10, for example you can drag a text file from Explorer to a minimized Notepad++ window in the taskbar – and it will display and accept the file.</p><p><br></p><p>Same scenario does not work on Windows 11.</p><p><br></p><p>Also, no ability to customize the taskbar with folders with shortcuts for often used programs.</p><p><br></p><p>Until they fix the totally broken taskbar, I am staying on Windows 10, or waiting for Windows 12</p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    19 May, 2022 - 4:42 pm

    <p>Windows 11 now available for full deployment for some users.</p><p><br></p><p>They’re A/B testing the full deployment version.</p>

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