SHave you already switched from Windows 10 to Windows 11? Many PC users shy away from a major update because you don’t know what can go wrong. Word has also got around: the new Windows is very similar to the old one. At first glance, there is no revolution, and one should not expect major improvements. But many who want to update are forced to continue using their old Windows 10 because the computer does not meet the essential requirements for switching to the young Windows. Keywords: TPM module, secure boot and outdated processor. From October 2025, anyone who cannot update may no longer leave their device on the Internet because Microsoft will no longer provide security updates for private users from this point in time.
It will be some time before then, but politicians, environmental groups and front-line organizations are already beginning to cry: millions of computers that are not even that old have to be retired, a huge wave of electronic scrap is rolling towards Europe. Politicians want to “definitely prevent” the end of support, as the SPD parliamentary group says. The Greens speak of planned “device obsolescence” and are again demanding a “right to repair”. Other voices speak of Microsoft creating its own economic stimulus program with arbitrarily set requirements. This is how conspiracy theories start. If the PC is no longer updated, the user must buy a new one. With the PC integrity check for Windows 10, anyone can check their computer to see if the switch works.
Pure arbitrariness?
But what are the high hurdles that Microsoft has set up for its new operating system? Critics point out that, for example, a PC bought six years ago with seventh generation Core i5 processors will not be updated, but the eighth generation Core i5 available in the same year run without any problems under Windows 11. Pure arbitrariness? Yes, that may be the case, especially since the requirements of Windows in terms of computing power, RAM and mass storage in versions 10 and 11 have one thing in common: They are downright ridiculously low.
Microsoft only requires a 64-bit processor with at least 1 gigahertz clock frequency and two CPU cores, 4 GB RAM and a hard disk or SSD with at least 64 GB capacity. Even a 15-year-old computer can easily keep up. So Microsoft could have saved itself the CPU limit. However, it should be noted that Apple’s Mac OS also sets similar hard limits for newer operating systems and no longer supports old computers, although the new software also works with them without any problems.
Concerns about security
The most important requirements of Windows 11 concern security. There is no mistake here: The mandatory Trusted Platform Module according to version 2.0 of the TPM specification is a security chip that contains a root of trust independent of the processor, working memory, mass storage and operating system. The secret never leaves the TPM and serves as the foundation of a cryptographic certificate chain. The TPM can sign and verify other digital certificates, generate secure keys, and provide secure storage for further requests. A TPM chip resides in computers sold since 2016, and many processors include a chipset for a firmware TPM. Sometimes the TPM is not turned on.
The second Windows 11 requirement for a mandatory computer start in UEFI boot mode also eliminates security flaws that have been known since the 1990s. As early as 2006, Microsoft stipulated that computers that wanted to participate in the “Windows Logo Program” had to boot with UEFI. Many hardware manufacturers still used old and insecure firmware tinkering for their PCs. That will be the end of it in the future. A computer’s UEFI boot process includes numerous security checks, one of which is the firmware checking its own digital signature. This significantly reduces many risks. Overall, Microsoft strengthens PC security with the mandatory start in UEFI mode and makes it more difficult to insert malware.
Both steps consistently point in the right direction. Experts assume that a Windows computer will be replaced after five years, at least in business use. According to current estimates, around 80 percent of existing devices can be updated to Windows 11. Anyone who primarily points to the emerging e-waste overlooks the huge problem of insecure old computers, which cannot be protected against malware either with a naively postulated “right to repair” or with loud political measures.