Microsoft had warned that the latest generation processors would only be able to run on Windows 10. As it turns out, the company's warnings became reality, forcing users of older operating systems to upgrade their computers.
This essentially means that only Windows 10 will support new processors from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm, while Windows 7 or 8.1 will not.
This does not mean that Windows 7 or 8.1 operating systems cannot be installed on computers that have these new processors, but that Microsoft (and the manufacturer) will not provide any form of support for these devices.
A new support page on Microsoft's website shows that users running an unsupported processor on an older version of Windows will no longer be able to detect or download Windows updates.
According to the company, anyone who tries to upgrade their system will receive the following message when searching for new updates:
Unsupported Hardware
Your computer uses a processor that is not supported in this version of Windows and you will not receive updates.
Microsoft notes that users may also see other messages when using Windows Update:
Windows could not check for new updates
An error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer.
Errors found:
Windows Update code 80240037 encountered an unknown error.
The reason, according to Microsoft, is that “the new generations of processors require the latest version of Windows”. Microsoft states that seventh‑generation processors from Intel, the “Bristol Ridge” from AMD and the “8996” series from Qualcomm will not be supported.
Naturally, the company also mentions the solution for users affected by the issue: Upgrade to Windows 10:
We recommend that you upgrade Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 to Windows 10 ..
Is there any other option besides upgrading to Windows 10? Updates released for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 are also available on the Microsoft Update Catalog.
I don't use Windows, but it is very likely that from there the updates for Windows 7 or 8.1 will continue to work. This naturally means more work for the user, as they will have to search for and download one of the updates from Microsoft's Update Catalog when they are released, so they can continue using an older version of Windows.
Microsoft does not state it explicitly on the support page, but it does not deny it either:
“Devices with Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 that use seventh‑generation or newer processors will no longer be able to detect or download updates via Windows Update or Microsoft Update.”
For those who didn't understand, the above move by the company aims at a coercive upgrade to Windows 10. Surely the above aggressive product promotion by blocking consumers from Windows Update cannot be considered a friendly move by the company, which continues to decide for its customers.
