8 ms·

My story is simpler. Microsoft dropped the support for Windows 10 and gave me no upgrade path to Windows 11 because my CPU was 5 years too old apparently. So I

• stackghost 9mo ago
  >no upgrade path to Windows 11 because my CPU was 5 years too old apparently. Let's be real. It's because new systems support DRM and Microsoft has been captured by the media company lobby.
  • realusername 9mo ago
    Of course it is, there's no real requirement to have a TPM, plenty of people made a version with that requirement patched out and the system works fine.
  • badc0ffee 9mo ago
    If they didn't, people might start capturing copyrighted streaming content and sharing torrents of it. We cannot allow that to happen.
    • stackghost 9mo ago
      The scary part of HN these days is that I can't tell if you're being serious or sarcastic
  • donmcronald 9mo ago
    It’s way worse than that. It’s for verified identity and attestation.
  • WD-42 9mo ago
    We had that announcement of a new "Verifiable" Linux project from Pottering, other kernel devs, and a bunch of ex-microsoft employees yesterday. Gives me the heebie jeebies.
    • stackghost 9mo ago
      Yeah I caught a lot of downvotes for coming out early against it.
      • jofla_net 9mo ago
        How dare you think for yourself in 2026! Remote Attestation of Immutable Operating Systems built on systemd Its the "remote" thing that has no place in personal computing, or rather, computing that is to extend one's own autonomy, or agency. Its no one's damn business whether my system is attested or not! I mean, sure theres certainly benefits for me knowing if its attested, but the other road is one of ruin, and will basically be the chains of the future.
        • hparadiz 9mo ago
          Remote attestation is just generating a random blob on the remote side and then making the tpm 2.0 module on a computer sign the blob with a private key. You then provide the signature and the public key to the remote for verification. That enrolls that device. After that you can "verify" with a new binary blob and validate a new signature came back with the same key. That full loop is remote attestation. The idea is your disk didn't get moved to another computer. It's a security thing that Linux does need and is capable of being fully open source. It has nothing to do with drm.
          • jiggawatts 9mo ago
            It has everything to do with DRM. It’s not “dual use” technology. It has one use, and this is it.
            • 9mo ago
• billfor 9mo ago
  .\setup.exe /product server /auto upgrade /EULA accept /migratedrivers all /ShowOOBE none /Compat IgnoreWarning /Telemetry Disable
  • hackeman300 9mo ago
    What's this?
    • epistasis 9mo ago
      Whenever I see an unexplained command I don't understand from a random internet forum, I hop onto the production server and run it, just in case it might boost performance. Wouldn't want to miss out on that. Been doing it since I was 12. It taught me all about the ins and outs of `rm`.
      • jimt1234 9mo ago
        Sounds like me back in the early 80s when I used to war dial, and people used to share "active" prefixes. I learned all about the 911 prefix when I set my dialer and went to sleep. About 20 minutes later the cops were banging on my front door. True story; I was in 6th grade, got arrested for it.
        • deepriverfish 9mo ago
          wow did you get a record? this is some Hackers(1995) vibe stuff
          • jimt1234 9mo ago
            I got taken to juvenile hall, put in a holding area with kids that had stolen cars and stabbed other kids in fights. The funny thing is all these "bad kids" were really cool; we talked about video games (Donkey Kong!). I remember one kid got into a fight with his football coach and broke both the coach's legs. He was a big kid, looked like a grown man. He was pretty much in charge of the holding area. But he was cool as hell, cracked jokes with me. I actually kinda enjoyed the holding area. Anyway, the officials thought I had just called 911 over and over, like to play a prank. They wouldn't hear anything about my computer or whatever (it was the early 80s). They were pissed. I was kept in the holding area for a few hours, then they let me go home. I was ordered to a bunch of community service, cleaning the parking lots of local parks, stuff like that.
• bjt12345 9mo ago
  It's a really bad time for Microsoft to force consumers to upgrade - even computer parts from 5 years ago are price hiking.
  • bunderbunder 9mo ago
    Which Microsoft really should have been able to see coming, since it’s largely their money that’s being used to soak up all the supply of computing hardware.
    • thewebguyd 9mo ago
      Someone inside Microsoft probably did see it coming. That comic of their org chart being individual bubbles, all pointing guns at each other really does explain that company's behavior. Microsoft doesn't seem to be one unified entity, but a bunch of smaller competing companies under the same umbrella, each trying to destroy the other.
    • fullstop 9mo ago
      Allegedly Sony saw the writing on the wall and secured a good amount of GDDR supply for their consoles. Microsoft did not, and has had to raise the price of the Xbox Series X as a result. I don't think that Microsoft knows what Microsoft is doing.
  • sieabahlpark 9mo ago
    [dead]
• ufmace 9mo ago
  I'm in the exact same boat. I was a little unhappy with the ads etc in Windows, but perfectly willing to give Windows 11 a try. But Microsoft decreed that my admittedly a bit old but perfectly workable CPU was incompatible, due to not having a feature I wasn't interested in. I'd need to replace most of my existing hardware to switch. So why not try Linux? It certainly seems reasonable when Windows apparently needs more command-line hackery to maybe work for a while than Linux. So to Fedora I went! So far, I've been pleasantly surprised. All of the software I want to use installed easily and works, via Flatpak. All of my hardware works fine, and there are actually fewer weird hardware quirks than under Windows. I also appreciate that there are options to turn off behaviors I found annoying in Windows. It's a bit sad to have to switch due to Microsoft trashing their own OS rather than Linux becoming superlatively awesome, but what can you do.
  • jama211 9mo ago
    You can bypass the warning really easily, I googled it the moment I saw it and it was very easy. A keyboard shortcut to open the command window during the install and one cheeky command. I agree though that it’s silly they don’t offer it officially. But I get the feeling you were on the edge of transitioning anyway, which is fine! Sounds more like the straw that broke the camels back.
    • avgDev 9mo ago
      I can confirm this. Honestly, I am really surprised this is a top comment here. This was an extremely easy work around. We are all mostly curious nerds here. All this work because one couldn't google a easy work around? Last time I tried Linux it sucked for gaming and I've spent hours trying to install a printer. Not to excuse Microsoft in this situation, Linux is obviously more open.
      • basch 9mo ago
        Which still leaves you in a state that at any time your OS stops updating because they decide to close the "loophole" or remove the "feature"
• jama211 9mo ago
  You can bypass the warning really easily, I googled it the moment I saw it and it was very easy. A keyboard shortcut to open the command window during the install and one cheeky command.
  • debugnik 9mo ago
    Microsoft is removing these bypasses over time though.
  • deathsentience 9mo ago
    A future update may restrict access to your windows or break its ability to get further updates. It’s a matter of time. They just haven’t gotten around to it. And if you’re thinking you’ll just Google another solution then you might as well spend that time googling efforts for Linux. Windows shouldn’t require constant hacking or tinkering to function.
    • jama211 9mo ago
      There is no chance they break it. That’s just scaremongering. This also isn’t “constant hacking” it’s bypassing one warning during setup and that’s it.
• browningstreet 9mo ago
  I've been using Linux for 20+ years, but I was fairly happy with Windows 11. At its core it did exactly what I needed it to do, and it allowed me to run some commercial software that is harder to install and run on Linux (Davinci Resolve). But my Dell hardware drivers were flaky in Windows. My bluetooth had extremely variable availability. And then Windows rebooted itself, against my wishes, 3x in one week. And then there was the promise of Recall. That's when I wiped Windows and installed Ubuntu. All my hardware issues went away (yes, I had to fiddle the sound driver a little so it didn't crack when it woke up from sleep, and I had to make one small change so suspend worked properly.. but both were easily solvable). My bluetooth has been flawless since and I was able to use my Logitech wireless mouse again. I'm never going back. I do a bit of napkin math on Apple Silicon single-threaded performance, GPU performance, and battery management against non-Macbook Air/Pro specs for same price. I follow DHH (who I otherwise object to) on his adventures with the Asus G14 machines.. but I'm not sure its GPU performance still matches the similarly priced Apple offering. Less integrated OS, worse battery management, and weaker performance for more money? I'm not sure. But I'll probably still go that way. The Intel/AMD laptop manufacturers need to get out from under Nvidia's hardware GPU thumb.
  • Trufa 9mo ago
    Say what you will about Macs, I ain't no fanboy, but from this side of the fence, I had forgotten that drivers were a thing.
    • browningstreet 9mo ago
      Agreed. Given my expectation of travel, it's probably the sanest choice. Esp with the Stores for service.
  • slashdave 9mo ago
    I get the intent, but moving to linux for better bluetooth support is... an interesting take
    • browningstreet 9mo ago
• brightball 9mo ago
  Yep. Similar thing forced me off of Apple. They stopped making 17 inch laptops. They started soldering parts into place. Made it so you couldn’t open your own laptop to replace the HD. Switched to Linux 8 years ago and haven't looked back.
• ryandrake 9mo ago
  Apple does this all the time, though, and seems to get a free pass here. I have four Macs in my home, and they are cut off at Ventura (for the 2017 iMac), Monterey (for the 2014 Mac Mini and the 2015 MacBook Air), and El Capitan (for the 2014 iMac). They are all stuck at 3, 4, and 5 major OS versions back. Nobody really seems to complain about this, though.
  • basch 9mo ago
    I would say its part of the promise/agreement of buying into the ecosystem, and a known caveat. Might be overly optimistic viewpoint.
  • b00ty4breakfast 9mo ago
    because desktop Apple users have been domesticated for decades now and just accept whatever shows up in the feeding trough.
  • radium3d 9mo ago
    They don't get a free pass, I think people have spoken with their wallets and it shows with the user base counts: Windows 66–73%, macOS 14–16%, Linux 3–4%. Apple seems to support their previous generation OS on older macs for ~8-9 years or so from what I've seen. You just don't get the latest generation features, they cut it off and move on similar to how Microsoft did.
  • everdrive 9mo ago
    I think Apple gets a pass because they're a luxury product. For the record, even though Apple has some really impressive hardware, this is one of the reasons I'm not very big on Apple. People praise their phone's longevity all the time, but I think this is crazy. I could be running a 13 year old computer right now and it would work fine if I had Linux. Smartphones don't really have options for this due to the market capture. Apple's PC could be supported longer, but Apple isn't interested in doing it. (and apparently they change architectures every 15 years anyhow.)
    • firesteelrain 9mo ago
• javier_e06 9mo ago
  I am in the same boat. Running Windows 10 on a Ryzen 5 until the cows come home. I run Rocky Linux in my laptop but I am a gamer so I'll hold to Windows 10. Some Linux Distros are bringing AI. Not ready for that.
• CamouflagedKiwi 9mo ago
  I have a similar issue with Windows. The machine already dual-boots Linux, but it is simultaneously demanding Windows 11 and telling me that it doesn't support it. It's a three year old Ryzen, it plays every game I've thrown at it flawlessly - which admittedly is only just so many things, but if it could manage Oblivion Remastered at launch it should manage a bloody operating system surely. I hear it might be some TPM thing. If so, it still seems like a bad decision to require this thing, and it's telling that I'm working on speculation here - it doesn't _tell_ me that's what it is.
  • sedatk 9mo ago
    I had an issue with TPM too, enabling PTT (Intel's on-chip TPM) on BIOS fixed that one.
  • dist-epoch 9mo ago
    Something is disabled in your BIOS. Ask an LLM to guide you.
    • CamouflagedKiwi 9mo ago
      I can solve this problem if I have to. Right now, I don't. But I think you miss my core point. If "Ask an LLM" is the answer to this, Microsoft are doing an unforgivably shit job of maintaining Windows. Why on earth should that be necessary? Surely they can provide the minimum of information about why they think the upgrade isn't possible.
• gregors 9mo ago
  I saw a vid where they installed a recent version of linux on a Pentium 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DiK5FDpBTg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DiK5FDpBTg
• stagger87 9mo ago
  Why did you want to install windows 11 anyways? I also have a PC stuck on Windows 10 and it makes me happy that it's now stable and not part of the forced rolling releases in Win11. Im going to run it on Win10 as long as I can.
  • sedatk 9mo ago
    Lack of security updates is a problem for a computer that's connected to internet.
• forty 9mo ago
  Microsoft asking to upgrade hardware reminds me of that old joke (from memory so excuse the bad story telling) User: hello, my PC smokes and I would like to purchase an anti smoke software Computer service: sorry it's not possible, you have to replace the hardware User: no I really want an anti smoke software (Later) User: hello I would like to purchase a new computer Service: see, I told you that an anti smoke software is not possible User: wrong! I have purchased one from Microsoft. But apparently it's not compatible with my current hardware
• xnx 9mo ago
  This was very useful for me. Force install Windows 11: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45853012 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45853012
• Snild 9mo ago
  > “you can’t install unless you upgrade your CPU” To be fair, I recently had to switch distros for my little Atom-based server because of a similar deal: https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:X86-64-Architecture-Levels#Decisions https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:X86-64-Architecture-Levels#... Granted, I only had to convert to Tumbleweed (not trivial, but easier than reinstalling), and the open source nature means there will always be lots of other alternatives, too.
  • sedatk 9mo ago
    How old is the Atom? My CPU was about 10 years old at the time.
    • Snild 9mo ago
      I bought it in late 2013, so 12 years from purchase. Intel lists the launch date of the CPU (Atom D2500) as Q3'11, making it 14 years old when OpenSUSE Leap 16 was released. It looks like Intel was releasing Atom CPUs without SSE4.1/4.2 up until 2013, e.g. Atom Z2420.
• canibal 9mo ago
  I'm sure there's a million reasons not to, but they could even just open-source Windows 10. Leave you alone with the hardware that you rightfully purchased, and let the community police the security gaps that arise. It's beyond me how planned obsolescence especially on perfectly sufficient hardware is even legal.
  • loloquwowndueo 9mo ago
    That’s not what open source means / how it works. It's likely a large percentage of that code is also used in win 10 - it’s not like 11 was a complete rewrite.
• themafia 9mo ago
  > because my CPU was 5 years too old apparently. And yet Nadella writes this: "For AI to have societal permission it must have real world eval impact. The choices we make about where we apply our scarce energy, compute, and talent resources will matter." Apparently resources are only "scarce" when Microsoft needs them. When it comes to your consumer outcomes you have to throw away working equipment and buy new.
• vee-kay 9mo ago
  > There is a marketing lesson there somewhere. Microsoft once had the IT world at its feet, because not only was its Windows 9x OSes ubiquitous everywhere, but it had many millions of programmers who had become experts at Visual Basic and Visual C++, so almost all corporates used programs written in these easy to learn, not too difficult to master, fun to program in (yay for Intellisense and Drag-n-drop ActiveX controls), and versatile despite some limitations. This was also the era where many corporates had complicated databases set up in MS Access or MS SQL Server, because they were easily accessible and usable from front-end applications written in VC or VC++. Microsoft even evolved it all to adapt to and compete with new ideas from rivals, such as COM+ as alternative to CORBA, ASP.Net as alternative to JSP, etc. Then Microsoft did the unthinkable. It inexplicably threw away all these IT dependencies away, that it had spent decades to build across the worlr. Microsoft unleashed .Net on an unsuspecting IT world. And M$ arrogantly expected the world to also throw all their years of efforts of building applications and databases revolving around VB/VC++. To save their careers, millions of VB/VC++ programmers tried hard to scramble and learn these new technologies, but Microsoft just kept updating and upgrading the .Net landscape with increasing frequency and leading to more chaos and confusions. And as the learning curve steeper and the .Net scope became too hard for sane people to master in a short time, it became apparent that to the entire IT world (except Microsoft) that it had become too difficult and cumbersome to build applications for corporations using Microsoft's new-age tools. Thus, the interest and ambitions of the programmers and corporations quickly waned towards Microsoft tools, especially when they realised that .Net was a mess for installations, and it called expensive licenses to build and ship. So programmers and SOHO/medium-scale companies, pivoted to alternatives to Microsoft imposed nightmares. Python, PHP, MySQL, Linux, Perl, Ruby, JavaScript, JSP, etc. took centre stage, even as the IT world moved away from .Net. The worldwide chaos caused by Windows Vista and Windows 8, did nothing to improve upon IT people's disdain for all things Microsoft. And Microsoft's rivals pounced at such golden opportunities, and they slowly ate away at Microsoft's dominance in corporate world. Yes, there is indeed some lessons for Micro$oft to be learnt from these debacles. "Hubris calls for nemesis, and in one form or another it's going to get it, not as a punishment from outside but as the completion of a pattern already started." ~ Mary Midgley "And on the pedestal these words appear: 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away." ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias
• caycep 9mo ago
  is there a good windows rdp client for Linux? I went looking for one a few months back but didn't find anything definitely
  • vladvasiliu 9mo ago
    I use remmina, which uses xfreerdp under the hood. It works well, but I haven't managed to get smartcard authentication working, if that matters for your environment.
• saturnite 9mo ago
  My story is even simpler. I have a friend who wanted to upgrade to Windows 11 because 10 is losing support. I wrote the Windows 11 installer to my flash drive using Rufus. It worked perfectly. I'm not expecting a man who has no interest in learning Linux to change.