Tech Tips, Windows

Upgrading to Windows 11

Windows 11 was released to the public early October 2021. It is a free upgrade for users running Windows 10, but do you need to upgrade?

The short answer is no. If you are running Windows 10 you can expect security patches from Microsoft until October 14th, 2025. You can safely run Windows 10 until this date.

To see if your device can run Windows 11 you can run and download the Windows PC Health Check from Microsoft.

The system requirement for Windows 11 are reasonable low, requiring a dual Core 1GHz CPU, 4GB Memory, and 64GB of storage. Windows 11 does however require a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). This might not be available on all devices meaning a device without a TPM will have to stay on Windows 10.

A TPM is hardware that handles security functions within your device. One function is ensuring that the booting operating system is trusted. This helps to prevent an attacker from tampering with your device in order to install a rootkit. A rootkit is normally not detected by your antivirus software and could allow an attacker to steal private information such as credit cards details or passwords.

A TPM is also used to enable biometrics for logging in to your PC. Windows Hello is a feature available to Windows users to allow them to log into their device with facial recognition or fingerprint. Without a TPM this functionality cannot be used. All the features of a TPM happen in the background and are going to go unnoticed by most PC users.

The only noticeable change for the average Windows user will be the new Start Menu. The Start Menu has always been down the bottom left of the screen, but with Windows 11 it has moved to centre screen. This change is to cater for wider screens that are in use these days, making it easier to navigate on those devices. There are also some cosmetic differences in the icons and menu items.

If, like many people, you don’t like changes to the look of your device, it is perfectly safe to stay on Windows 10 until October 2025. But if you like to experience the latest and greatest why not download Windows 11 today.