I guess you could say it’s been a long time coming. With the latest Dec Channel release for Windows 11, Device Manager now defaults to the user’s current default drive. That’s instead of the mostly-absent A: drive (usually a Floppy disk) to which it has defaulted since time immemorial. See the new scheme as the lead-in graphic for this story, see the previous default from my Windows 10 production desktop below. Thus, we see that DevMgr now checks Windows drive for updates by default. Woo-hoo!

The old method goes back to earliest Windows, and defaults to drive A:. How quaint!

If DevMgr Now Checks Windows Drive for Updates, Life Gets Easier

As long as you deposit driver files of interest in the same directory as shown in the lead-in graphic on Build 22000 or higher, Device Manager will find them “automagically.” (See this WindowsLatest story for more info, with a shout-out from yours truly.) It’s a minor, minor change but one that could make life easier for admins and power users everywhere. Floppy disks are so … twentieth century. I still have a USB-attachable floppy drive in my “antiques closet” but I can’t remember the last time I used (at least 3 years ago).

From what I can see, the default directory specification may come from MS Office. On my Dev Channel PC it comes up as:

C:\Users\etitt\OneDrive\Documents

But that directory spec doesn’t show up anywhere in my environment variables, so I’m a little curious as to where and whence it originates. From experience, I know that particular Documents folder (the one inside OneDrive) is a default save folder for Office apps. Otherwise, I’m at a loss to explain it. I’ll poke around and see if I can come with a good explanation. Stay tuned for that administrivia and other burning Windows 11 details. Cheers!

OK, then, the word is out. Yes, Microsoft is permitting out-of spec PCs to install Windows 11, but that doesn’t mean a lot. In fact, they won’t promise that such PCs will keep getting upgrades — even of the security sort — once the RTM version goes live later this year. This has been widely reported in the trade press.  I found Windows Latest and Thurrott.com coverage most noteworthy on this topic. That said, MS hasn’t issued an official proclamation on this topic. So far, everything’s been communicated in press encounters. Bottom line: Yes, a Windows 11 Update allowed on Out-of-Spec PCs is true, but that doesn’t mean it will keep working indefinitely.

If Windows 11 Update Allowed on Out-of-Spec PCs, But…

Frankly, as Paul Thurrott noted, the situation is kind of a mess. Yes, users can update out-of-spec PCs to Windows 11. If that doesn’t work they can use the Media Creation Tool or a Windows 11 ISO to do a clean install instead. Thing is, there’s no telling right now how long that install will keep working. Nor can I think of a “back-to-working” path for such PCs except for a clean install of Windows 10 sometime in the future, either.

To me, this sounds like a recipe for extra work and heartache, with the bill coming due later this year. I’m still going to upgrade the hardware on the only other PC I have on which I plan to run Windows 11 that currently fails to meet its system requirements. IMO, anything less — especially taking a chance on older hardware — is simply unacceptable.

You, dear readers, can do as you see fit. Personally, I think installing Windows 11 on systems that don’t meet the system requirements is a recipe for disaster. It may work now, but MS won’t say it will keep working. Not good!

It was an interesting Saturday. My son and I started working on the rebuild of our oldest desktop PC around 10 AM that morning. He’d never built a PC before, so I had him doing most of the driving. It was an educational experience for both of us. But happily, this 5800X rebuild boots right up on the first try. In fact, we got Windows 10 clean installed with just one minor hiccup. Total time invested so far: around 4.5 hours (but plenty of software still to install).

5800X Rebuild Boots Right Up, But…

On the first go-round from my Ventoy boot disk, Windows 10 refused to allow the brand-new Sabrent Rocket 2TB NVMe to act as the boot/system drive. A quick once-over using DISKPART showed it was NOT formatted for GPT. Once I cleaned the drive then converted it to GPT, the installer was able to take it from there. First time to use an unallocated drive teaches me that GPT is now mandatory. Live and learn.

Other lessons learned during this install adventure included:
1. Always good to have a grabbing tool or clamps to use for handling small screws in tight places.
2. It’s good to have ample wiring room in which to route power and control cables.
3. The Antec 900 still makes a great PC case, but it shows its age with no front-panel USB 3 ports.
4. The CoolerMaster Hyper 212 is a TALL cooler. I had to remove the case fan from the side panel to button the case back up (fortunately it has plenty of ventilation anyway).
5. I’m missing a couple of SATA drives, because of lane conflicts from the M.2 NVMe in use. I see an easy fix in the mobo manual, tho…

Worthwhile Investment?

The parts I purchased for the rebuild cost about US$1,200. It’s still too early to tell if the upgrade is worth that price. But time will tell pretty shortly. In the meantime, stay tuned, and I’ll keep you posted.

The Windows user community is abuzz with reactions and concerns about what it takes, PC-wise, to upgrade to Windows 11. This has many people — myself included — pondering Windows 11 hardware requirements.  For the record, Microsoft Docs states those things clearly on the Windows 11 requirements page. (Indeed, the bulleted list below is cut’n’pasted from that source) :

• • Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (SoC).
  • RAM: 4 gigabytes (GB) or greater.
  • Storage: 64 GB* or greater available storage is required to install Windows 11.
    • Additional storage space might be required to download updates and enable specific features.
  • Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver.
  • System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable.
  • TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
  • Display: High definition (720p) display, 9″ or greater monitor, 8 bits per color channel.
  • Internet connection: Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates, and to download and use some features.
    • Windows 11 Home edition requires an Internet connection and a Microsoft Account to complete device setup on first use.

Pondering Windows 11 Hardware Requirements Leads to Upgrade Plans

Of the 10 systems currently on the premises here at Chez Tittel, only 3 of them fail to meet the afore-stated stipulations. Those 3 systems are:

1. My production desktop PC, whose i7-6700 misses the CPU cut-off by one Intel generation. It also lacks TPM 2.0.
2. My son’s desktop PC, whose i7-4770K (built in 2014) is pretty long in the tooth. It’s overdue for an upgrade anyway. It too, lacks TPM 2.0 support.
3. My 2014 Surface Pro 3 sports another 4th-gen Intel processor, an i7-4650U. No TPM 2.0 here, either.

I will upgrade both desktops (systems #1 and #2 above). The parts for #2 arrived this weekend and I’ll be upgrading that system sometime this week. It’s going to be a Ryzen 5800X. Its B550 mobo offers TPM 2.0 emulation as part of a broad range of capabilities. I plan to upgrade my production desktop next month, or the month after, to be ready for an October Windows 11 production release date.

Keeping an Eye on Windows 10

Usually when a new OS version comes out, I abandon the previous one completely and move wholesale to the new version. I won’t be able to do that with the Surface Pro 3 (#3 above) so I’ll keep it running Windows 10 as long as it can.

EOL for Windows 10 is October 2025, so that’s going to be a while yet. In fact, if all goes to plan I may be retiring that year myself assuming my son also manages to graduate from college in 4 years. (Alas, that’s not always a safe assumption: both of my step-kids took 5 or more years to earn their bachelor’s degrees, and my sister’s 2 are on the same course. I’m resigned to the notion that it may take him 5 years to finish a bachelor’s, because that’s become such a norm.)

Why I’m Basically OK with MS Requirements

I’m not as bent out of shape by Microsoft’s requirements cut-offs as many people seem to be. I understand one must draw the line somewhere, and that hardware-level security has made dramatic strides in the past half-decade. I’m assuming that’s why MS drew the line at 8th generation Intel (Coffee Lake) CPUs and AMD and ARM processors of similar vintage.

These cut-offs take us back to 2017, nearly 5 years back from the upcoming Windows 11 release date (more or less expected for October). Because TPM (via emulation) is part and parcel of all such systems, by and large, it’s not really an additional hurdle unless users bought older motherboards for newer processors in the 2017-2018 timeframe.

For some fascinating viewpoints and issues on this topic, check out the ElevenForum thread “Update on Windows 11 minimum requirements.” As I write about this conversation, it already boasts numerous items (including my own at #212). There are sure to be many, many more before all is said and done. That said, it’s worth a read-through. Lots of good opinions and ideas, pro and con, and good reflection of the state of the user community.

When you think about it, here’s a sensible move. Windows Server is the kind of platform that organizations want to stand up, get right, and leave alone. There’s little need for personalization, and it doesn’t need desktop tweaks. In fact, Server is really a background thing. It  holds up the “you ask, I answer” side of client/server. architecture. Then, too, MS put containers and microservices under the Azure umbrella. That’s why, I think, that MS makes LTSC sole Windows Server Release channel.

Why MS Makes LTSC Sole Windows Server Release Channel

A July 26 Microsoft Docs item spells things out. It’s entitled Windows Server release information. This quote explains things (emphasis mine):

The Semi-Annual Channel in previous versions of Windows Server focused on containers and microservices, and that innovation will continue with Azure Stack HCI. With the Long-Term Servicing Channel, a new major version of Windows Server is released every 2-3 years. Users are entitled to 5 years of mainstream support and 5 years of extended support. This channel provides systems with a long servicing option and functional stability, and can be installed with Server Core or Server with Desktop Experience installation options. The Long-Term Servicing Channel will continue to receive security and non-security updates, but it will not receive the new features and functionality.

Organizations can migrate if and when compelling new features emerge. It’s arguable this change makes a virtue of necessity. Why say that? Most organizations upgrade servers no more often than once every 2-3 years (or longer) anyway.

On balance, I think this is a good move. For developers, it means building, testing and maintaining fewer releases . That is good news for everybody. Developers can build more cool new stuff. Admins face less busy work. This means shorter, simpler scheduled updates. And because updates often happen over long weekends, it means more holiday time with family and friends. That’s a real win-win!

Although I think MS calls it Update Tuesday now, Patch Tuesday is the second Tuesday of each month. It’s the usual time when MS releases monthly updates, including security patches and fixes. This latest batch, released yesterday, includes some important stuff. These Patch Tuesday Updates include 3 critical TCP/IP fixes, according to BleepingComputer among other sources. They join MS In urging organizations to update them sooner rather than later.

Patch Tuesday Updates Include 3 Critical TCP/IP Fixes: Relevant CVEs

These vulnerabilities affect all Windows client and server versions starting at Windows 7/Server 2008 and up to present-day, current versions. The relevant CVEs are: CVE-2021-24074, CVE-2021-24094, and CVE-2021-24086. Each one may be exploited remotely. Two of them could lead to remote code execution (RCE) attacks. The third offers a means to crash an exposed Windows PC, offering a potential denial-of-service attack vector.

All three show February 9 release dates, which also makes them zero-day exploits as well. They also pose low attack complexity, which makes them easy for malefactors to foist. All require no privileges to launch which only increases their danger levels.

Who’s Covered By Patch Tuesday Updates?

Only older versions of Windows client and server OSes need to download and install their corresponding  Monthly Security Rollups (Server 2008, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 SP1). Check the afore-linked Security Bulletins (shown above as CVE links) for Microsoft Catalog download links. Other client and server versions can get their updates through normal channels, including Windows Update.

Don’t delay, dear readers. These updates are better installed than not, especially for any Windows PCs directly exposed to the Internet.

On February 3, an interesting note appeared in the latest Windows 10 Status bulletin. To truly make sense of its import requires understanding what 2004 broad deployment means. Here’s a key snippet:

Current status as of February 3, 2021

Windows 10, version 2004 is designated for broad deployment. The recommended servicing status is Semi-Annual Channel.

Again: Understanding What 2004 Broad Deployment Means

The phrase “broad deployment” is addressed in code in the phrase “servicing status is Semi-Annual Channel.” I’d translate it as “ready for nearly everybody and anybody .” Microsoft displays a more specific view of this in a DOCs article. It’s entitled Assign devices to servicing channels for Windows 10 update. In fact, that article supplies the table shown as the lead-in graphic above.

Another quote that heads the foregoing table is pretty explicit about who should get which release channel:

The Semi-Annual Channel is the default servicing channel for all Windows 10 devices except those with the LTSB edition installed

What does this mean? It means anybody who depends on Windows 10 should run the Semi-Annual Channel release.  To be more specific, that means users at work, at home and at school. Thus,  if you’re not an insider or using an LTSB license, you should be running Windows 10 2004 . That’s the May 2020 release, currently at build 19041.xxx.

2 Releases Back Reflects Conventional Wisdom

For the longest time, businesses have long followed a pattern of hanging one or two releases back from the leading edge. This goes as far back as I can remember taking Windows seriously. More explicitly, I’d call it “the Windows 3.1/Windows for Workgroups era” (1992-1993).

On the ground, most businesses I visit run 1909 or 2004 these days. With 1909 not coming up on EOL until May 2022, this info from Microsoft is interesting.  Between the lines, read it as a gentle nudge to businesses to start thinking about an upgrade. For sure, that’s sooner than they’d upgrade, if impending EOL were the driving force.

For ordinary users I also read this as sage advice for those who don’t work at Windows leading or bleeding edge. For leading edge, think current release (20H2). That makes the bleeding edge Insider Previews (21H1 and beyond).

Could It Be a Wake-Up for True Laggards?

The true laggards, of course, are those running 1904 or some earlier Windows release. This includes my optometrist, who  I noticed is still on Windows 7 when I had my eyes checked two weeks back. Thus, if you’re not close to the Semi-Annual Channel level on your Windows desktops, it’s time to start planning that transition. I think MS has just given fair warning!