Microsoft punishes unsupported PCs that run Windows 11 with permanent watermark

3 years ago 1

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A recent Windows 11 update adds a permanent watermark on the desktops of users that “force-installed” the operating system without their machine meeting the minimum system requirements.

Windows Latest reports the watermark has appeared on some of its PCs that run Windows 11 despite having unsupported processors.

While Microsoft strongly advises against doing so, bypassing Windows 11’s system requirements is fairly easy by creating a bootable drive with a Windows 11 ISO.

But with the 10 January 2023 update, the software giant has taken its displeasure at having its latest OS on unsupported devices a step further.

The watermark, which states “System requirements not met” in white text, is shown at the bottom right of the user’s desktop, just above the time and date section of the taskbar.

Microsoft was experimenting with the watermark in early Insider version of Windows 11 last year.

Windows Latest said the watermark in stable Windows 11 only appeared for some users, suggesting Microsoft was still running an A/B test of the “feature”.

One Microsoft Insider Feedback Hub user said they had Windows 11 pre-installed on their device for over a year but started seeing the watermark on their desktop after the update.

In their case, the watermark also had a link that directed them to “Go to settings to learn more”.

A Microsoft Community Answers forum user was getting the same message, despite having a supported Intel Core i7-8700K processor with 48GB RAM.

Fortunately, it is possible to remove the watermark by changing a registry entry and restarting the computer to apply the new setting.

However, incorrectly modifying the registry could cause significant problems, so this likely won’t be an option for the less tech-savvy.

Microsoft has been heavily criticised for the seemingly excessive system requirements of Windows 11, which some have viewed as an attempt to push new PC sales.

A big point of contention has been the requirement to support the TPM 2.0 Module, which Microsoft argues is necessary for security mechanisms in its Windows Hello and BitLocker features.