Microsoft blocks some PCs from Windows 11 24H2 — CPU must support SSE4.2 or the OS will not boot
This is the second system requirement added to Windows 11 since it first came out.
Windows 11 24H2 has received yet another hardware requirement for users with modded Windows 11 installs to watch out for. Bob Pony on X (Twitter) discovered that the SSE 4.2 instruction set is now required to run Windows 11 24H2, starting with build 26080. If the instruction is lacking, the OS won't boot.
If this sounds familiar to you, this new requirement is very similar to the POPCNT instruction requirement that we reported on several months ago. The only difference is that this new instruction set requires the actual SSE 4.2 instruction set. Previously only the POPCNT instruction inside of the SSE 4.2 instruction set was actually required.
⚠️ UPDATE: Since Windows 11 Build 26080, a CPU with the SSE4.2 instruction is ALSO REQUIRED TO BOOT Windows 11 Version 24H2!!Attempting to boot Build 26080+ on systems without the SSE4.2 instruction present will trigger an automatic reboot once it reaches the boot screen phase. https://t.co/iLkYuqQojZ pic.twitter.com/5RCxzoFexQApril 21, 2024
If you want to confirm that Windows 11 Version 24H2 (Build 26080 and newer) will work on your old system, I've recently updated the Windows 11 Version 24H2 Tester, it's based off Windows PE of Build 26100.If it boots, it means your system works with 24H2!https://t.co/WlbLHOmD6yApril 21, 2024
This minute change won't make any difference to Windows 11 users today. All modern systems that support Windows 11 already have SSE 4.2. In fact, SSE4.2 has been around for nearly 20 years, and almost every processor has supported it for just as long. The only users potentially affected are tinkerers and enthusiasts who are trying to mod Windows 11 to run on incompatible hardware.
For one reason or another, Microsoft has decided to increase Windows 11's system requirements starting with version 24H2 which will debut later this year. These new requirements go beyond the original Windows 11 system requirements, consisting of Secure Boot, TPM support, and a Kaby Lake or newer CPU. POPCNT and the SSE 4.2 requirements are new and have been added specifically to 24H2 and will be applied to future iterations of Windows 11 going forward.
Bob Pony re-affirms that SSE4.2 specifically is required, this means that any older CPUs such as AMD's Barcelona chips that only go up to SSE4a won't work (through Windows 11 modding). Bob Pony has even made a Windows 11 24H2 tester that will verify if the latest Windows 11 24H2 builds with the new SSE 4.2 requirement works on your system. But again, this will only apply to an extremely niche subset of Windows 11 users who are customizing Windows 11 to run on incompatible hardware. Systems that can run Windows 11 today or come with Windows 11 will be able to run 24H2 without any problems.
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Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.
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Notton AMD Barcelona? K10 from 2007-2012?Reply
People still use those and they have mobos that haven't failed? -
Dementoss
Not exactly problem of the century then...Admin said:The good news is that this requirement only affects users who are trying to run Windows 11 on already unsupported hardware. -
edzieba These new requirements go beyond the original Windows 11 system requirements, consisting of Secure Boot, TPM support, and a Kaby Lake or newer CPU. POPCNT and the SSE 4.2 requirements are new and have been added specifically to 24H2 and will be applied to future iterations of Windows 11 going forward.
Since "Secure Boot, TPM support, and a Kaby Lake or newer CPU" already means SSE 4.2 is available, these are not 'new' requirements, just a more explicit description of a subset of the existing requirements. If you met the requirements before, you meet the 'new' requirements by default.
And since any CPU old enough to not feature SSE 4.2 would also be lacking support for TPMs (predating TPMs) or Secure Boot (predating UEFI), you would be well outside of the old requirements already, let alone the 'new' ones. -
hannibal Notton said:AMD Barcelona? K10 from 2007-2012?
People still use those and they have mobos that haven't failed?
People still use those. I did see one less than half year ago... -
palladin9479 edzieba said:Since "Secure Boot, TPM support, and a Kaby Lake or newer CPU" already means SSE 4.2 is available, these are not 'new' requirements, just a more explicit description of a subset of the existing requirements. If you met the requirements before, you meet the 'new' requirements by default.
And since any CPU old enough to not feature SSE 4.2 would also be lacking support for TPMs (predating TPMs) or Secure Boot (predating UEFI), you would be well outside of the old requirements already, let alone the 'new' ones.
It is "new" in the sense that it worked before and will not work now. This is likely just a result of compiling optimizations and MS simply not wanting to deal with supporting older code paths anymore. -
mitch074
Actually, yes - an Athlon II X4 620 was a cheap quad core that could overclock like mad, and can still do stuff somewhat today. I retired mine as a media center last year, and it was still working, and even overclocking.Notton said:AMD Barcelona? K10 from 2007-2012?
People still use those and they have mobos that haven't failed? -
TerryLaze
So anything that doesn't run (the newest) windows is e-waste?!logainofhades said:Microsoft doing its part to increase E-Waste.
Servers would like a word with you. (and apple and android and so on)