HomeWinBuzzer NewsMicrosoft Halts Incompatible Windows 11 Installations with Virtual Machines

Microsoft Halts Incompatible Windows 11 Installations with Virtual Machines

Users with incompatible hardware running Windows 11 on virtual machines can no longer access the platform.

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Microsoft is sticking to its guns regarding the hardware requirements needed to run Windows 11. The company insists all PCs running Windows 11 must has TPM 2.0. In recent weeks, Microsoft has been enforcing this requirement on previews ahead of Windows 11’s Oct. 5 launch. That now includes blocking users from running Virtual Machines on preview builds if they do not have TPM 2.0 and other requirements.

Microsoft has said Windows 11 will only be available for laptops with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 or higher chips. Admittedly, that is most modern-era laptops, but hundreds of millions use Windows 10. That means there will be millions of users running hardware that cannot upgrade to Windows 11.

With the release of Windows 11 Preview build 22458, Microsoft is now preventing VM installations. You may remember the company initially allowed users to use VMs for installing the platform, even on incompatible hardware.

Requirements

If you are already running Windows 11 on a VM, Microsoft will now be shutting you down.

This build includes a change that aligns the enforcement of Windows 11 system requirements on Virtual Machines (VMs) to be same as it is for Physical PCs. Previously created VMs running under insider preview builds may not update to the latest preview builds. In Hyper-V, VMs need to be created as Generation 2 VM. ”

“Running Windows 11 in VMs in other virtualization products from vendors such as VMWare and Oracle will continue to work as long as the hardware requirements are met,” Microsoft says.

Last month, Microsoft warned users they will not get security or feature updates if they install Windows 11 via ISO file on an incompatible PC. The company now says it could withhold Windows 11 updates for users who take advantage of this technicality. Furthermore, Microsoft points out if may also withhold security and driver updates.

If you are unfamiliar with TPM, it stands for Trusted Platform Module and sits as an additional chip on the computer motherboard.

It provides full disk encryption unlocking by sending a code (cryptographic key) when you power up a PC. This will unlock the drive allowing the computer to start. If there is a security threat, the code is not sent and the PC won’t start.

TPM 2.0 is the newest version of the standard, and Microsoft says it is necessary for Windows 11.

Tip of the day: Fast startup (a.k.a hiberboot, hybrid boot, hybrid shutdown) is a power setting that adjusts the OS’ behavior when it starts up and shuts down. Though it is unlikely fast startup will seriously harm your computer, there are a few reasons you might want to disable it following our tutorial.

Last Updated on February 14, 2022 8:19 pm CET

Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about Microsoft and the wider tech industry for over 10 years. With a degree in creative and professional writing, Luke looks for the interesting spin when covering AI, Windows, Xbox, and more.

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