Windows 11 keeps on confusing people, it seems. And this project is also likely to leave even more people scratching their heads.
According to a report by TechRadar, the current preview build of Windows 11 can actually run on a tiny Raspberry Pi 4 computer, even if some systems are far more powerful. There have been multiple projects like this all over the internet, like this Youtube video which details how to make the OS run on the Pi 4.
(Photo : Gavin Roberts/PC Plus Magazine via Getty Images)
A Raspberry Pi Model B single-board computer photographed on white, taken on June 14, 2012.
However, the amazing thing is that Windows 11 isn't really supposed to run on the Raspberry Pi 4 in the first place. Originally, Microsoft designated the Windows 10 IoT core for the device, which is a very light OS designed to run on and power low-cost, low-power appliances.
Tom's Hardware is one of the multiple tech news outlets who did their own version of the project, and they actually have a tutorial on how to do it yourself. But since installing Windows 11 on the Raspberry Pi 4 is not as straightforward, it's a topic for another time.
However, in simpler terms, people have made Windows 11 run on the Pi 4 by getting an image of the Arm64-bit copy of the OS. Then, they write it onto a microSD card or an SSD using the Windows on Raspberry utility. And once you get it to run, the OS actually runs quite well. Most projects barely reported any performance issues or experience-breaking bugs.
Read also: Windows 11: Free Update for Windows 10 Users, New Features Users Can Expect
Windows 11 Confusion Galore
When Microsoft revealed the system requirements for Windows 11, a lot of users were met with this error message while using a compatibility checker tool: "this PC can't run Windows 11."
(Photo : Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
UKRAINE - 2021/06/24: In this photo illustration a Windows 11 logo is seen on a smartphone screen with a Microsoft website in the background. Microsoft has presented Windows 11, new generation of Windows operating system (OS), during an event on June 24, 2021.
They were confused because even though their PCs are pretty powerful and way above the recommended hardware, the checker still says they couldn't run Microsoft's upcoming OS. It then turned out that they lacked something that used to be overlooked: a TPM module, which Microsoft says is essential for security's sake.
Not only that, but they changed the system requirements a few days after the initial announcement. There, they added two categories: a "soft floor" and a "hard floor," which denotes the absolute minimum and recommended specs that a system must have to run the new OS. Even worse, they changed it again: this time claiming that CPUs older than AMD's first-generation Ryzen and Intel's 7th-gen Kaby Lake are incompatible.
So, how can Windows 11 run on a tiny, low-powered computer when it's not compatible even on a much more powerful Microsoft Surface laptop, for one?
Perhaps the main reason is that Windows 11, despite having already been announced, is still a work in progress. There wasn't even a reveal of the exact launch date at the presentation live stream last June 24. So far, all that's known is that it will be released on Holiday 2021, which starts around late November. By then, here's hoping that Microsoft will finally get things straight.
Related: Windows 11 Might Be A Free Upgrade for Windows 7 Users
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by RJ Pierce
