Microsoft tries pushing Windows 11 upgrade to ineligible Windows 10 machines

Microsoft doesn’t have the best image when it comes to ads. Windows users always have a bad experience to tell about the company’s pushy ad tactics, from OS upgrades to other product and service offers. However, there is one thing worse than this: a misleading ad that is not applicable to you.

Microsoft is still in the process of persuading Windows customers to embrace the company’s latest OS version. Currently, the difference between the market share of Windows 10 vs Windows 11 is incredibly significant. According to the latest data from web traffic analysis website StatCounter, Windows 10 comprises 68.75% of the total desktop Windows version market share worldwide, while Windows 11 only holds 18.13%. With this, it is not surprising that Microsoft is persistent in promoting the latter, in which it is investing a lot by continuously rolling out new features and improvements.

Its advertisement of the said system, however, doesn’t end on blogs and announcements. Recently, users reported seeing prompts on their own devices pushing Windows 11 upgrade, making the process more of a headache than a relief. In the latest story shared by Windows enthusiast PhantomOcean3 (@PhantomOfEarth) on Twitter, Microsoft can be seen offering Windows 11 on the screen of a Windows 10 device.

As usual, the software giant implemented confusing controls in the prompt, with the two huge main buttons only allowing users to upgrade instantly or later. Meanwhile, the “Keep Windows 10” button is situated below in small letters. Interestingly, turning it down will result in another screen that reads, “Microsoft recommends Windows 11 for your PC.” This, nonetheless, is not the biggest issue about the experience: it’s the incompatibility of the upgrade to the PC specifications.

As shared by PhantomOcean3, the upgrade was pushed on “a Windows 10 22H2 VM that does not meet the Windows 11 system requirements, big ones being TPM (none) and RAM (2 GB).” However, attempting to install Windows 11 upgrade to the said system only led to failure, making the prompt an unnecessary ad for unsupported Windows 10 users. Other users confirmed the same ad regarding the upgrade.

This is not the first time Microsoft pushed Windows 11 upgrade to unsupported devices despite the company being clear about its negative effects.

“Installing Windows 11 on a device that does not meet Windows 11 minimum system requirements is not recommended. If you choose to install Windows 11 on ineligible hardware, you should be comfortable assuming the risk of running into compatibility issues,” Microsoft explains in its support document. “Your device might malfunction due to these compatibility or other issues. Devices that do not meet these system requirements will no longer be guaranteed to receive updates, including but not limited to security updates.”