Windows 10 halts support for older PCs

Microsoft cuts off future Windows 10 updates for some older PCs.

windows 10
Reuters

"Windows 10 is no longer supported on this PC." This prompt should come out in a number of older PCs when updated to the Windows 10 March Creators Update.

Microsoft, apparently, is cutting its Windows 10 support for devices of the first two-in-one PCs announced in 2012 and first released in 2013. The latest software upgrade it received was the Summer 2016 Anniversary Update, or Windows 10 version 1607, without compatibility issues.

So far, known devices that have been affected by the cutoff are those built around Intel's Atom Clover Trail series of processors, including Atom Z2520, Atom Z2560, Atom Z2580, and Atom Z2760. These chips were usually used in entry-level Windows 8 computers sold around 2012 and 2013.

In an attempt of ZDNet to confirm the block upgrade using the HP Envy X2 with Clover Trail Atom Z2760 processor, the Windows 10 March 2017 Creators Update failed to install; hence, the device was stuck in version 1607. Microsoft has not announced anything official as of now with regards to the cutoff of support.

On Acer's website, however, it confirmed that Intel Clover Trail processors are no longer support in current Windows 10 Creators Update.

In a TechNet forum for Windows 10, a Microsoft staff confirmed that it is working on compatible drivers to address the incompatibility. Windows 10 Creators Update can still be downloaded but it in most cases, it did not work properly. Thus, it is recommended to use Windows 10 recovery options to restore the system to its previous build.

In the meantime, the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is expected to start rolling out in September towards November. Microsoft is giving Cortana as a huge buff with the ability to listen to a user's instruction to pick up a certain task to another device. Timeline lets users travel back in time to access files, apps, and sites. Microsoft is also banking on One Drive Files On-Demand to streamline data storage.

This article was first published on July 18, 2017
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