This issue results in users encountering an error message titled “AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition Warning” that reads, “A Windows update may have automatically overwritten your AMD graphics driver. Therefore, the version of AMD software you are running is not compatible with the currently installed AMD graphics driver.”

In a support document, AMD confirmed that Windows Update has installed a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) driver for Radeon GPU hardware that is incompatible with the currently installed version of AMD Software.

Here’s how you can prevent Windows Updates from installing drivers for your AMD Radeon graphics system using System Properties:

Press Windows + S keys together to open Search.
Enter Device Installation Settings.
Click Change Device installation settings, and then select the No option (Your device may not work as expected).
Click Save Changes.
Alternatively, users can reinstall the AMD software using the latest package available from AMD.com.

For users who prefer to use UWP drivers for their AMD Graphics – uninstall AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition via Windows Settings | Apps & features and continue to use the OEM’s custom driver software.

Personal computers running Windows 10 that meet Microsoft’s stricter-than-usual hardware requirements were immediately eligible for the free Windows 11 download. New devices with Windows 11 factory-installed also went on sale. Panos Panay, chief product officer of the Windows + Devices group, wrote in a post to a company blog Monday:

“We’re pumped to be launching Windows 11. The entire user experience brings you closer to what you love, empowers you to produce and inspires you to create.”

Enterprises can use the same tools to manage upgrades to Windows 11 that they currently rely on to service Windows 10, including Intune and Configuration Manager, tools from the Microsoft Endpoint suite; Windows Server Update Services (WSUS); and Windows Update for Business (WUfB). Windows 11 was also released to the bevvy of second-tier sources, including Visual Studio Subscriptions, the Software Download Center and the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).

Managed machines will, of course, continue to run Windows 10 for as long as the organization’s IT personnel want. Windows 10 will be supported, Microsoft has pledged, until October 2025. Microsoft said in an online support document:

“Upgrading managed devices to Windows 11 requires explicit approval from an administrator and will not upgrade without this approval when scanning for updates from Windows Update. Enterprise and Education editions will not show Windows 11 as an optional update in Windows settings either, so end users won’t be offered the option to upgrade on their own.”

For commercial customers, Microsoft has posted a wealth of blog posts, guides, and documentation for planning and deploying Windows 11, and has stressed, not surprisingly, that current servicing and maintenance tools will work with the new OS.

Knowing full well that enterprises will initially almost certainly press pause on Windows 11, Microsoft also made a point to tell admins that they could use one set of tools to manage both Windows 10 and 11. David Guyer, a principal program manager, in a post to the Endpoint Manager blog:

“You don’t have to break them out and manage them separately. The experience is mostly the same as any other Windows 10 feature update.”

Likewise, Microsoft extended its app compatibility promise — dubbed “App Assure” — to Windows 11 and said that as of Oct. 5 Windows 11 was available for building virtual machines using the Windows 365 Enterprise service.

A good place for admins to start with Windows 11, even if only for informational purposes and not for actual deployment, is this Windows IT Pro blog post, which summarizes the appropriate servicing tools and also provides links to more in-depth documentation, such as this section of the operating system’s documentation.

Since the Insider build was released, there’s been many more updates for the dev channel, where it brings back the search bar to the start menu, more refinements to the new design across the menus, alongside better multi-monitor support for the taskbar, alongside many fixes.

So, while we wait for its October release, here’s everything we know about Windows 11 so far.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Windows 11 is the successor to Windows 10
• When is it out? October 5
• How much does it cost? Free

Windows 11 release date 

Microsoft confirmed that Windows 11 is launching on October 5 as a free upgrade, with eligible devices being notified from them on. There will be also a PC Health Check tool will be updated closer to the launch of Windows 11, so you can see whether your own device is eligible to upgrade.

When will be release date though?

— Jure Zajc (@JureZAJC1) June 24, 2021

There is going to be a yearly update of the new operating system, similar to Apple’s efforts with macOS. While Microsoft released a tool that allowed you to see if your desktop PC or laptop will be able to run Windows 11, it was confirmed to be buggy, giving erroneous results for machines that would have no problem in running the update.

How to download Windows 11

Microsoft has updated the Insider build named 22000.132 on the developer channel. The build is now widely available on the beta channel, showcasing more refinements across the board, including the Microsoft Store. The best point of call would be to make sure that your PC is enrolled for Microsoft’s Insider Program first, as long as it meets the requirements. In the meantime, vendors such as Lenovo have released some guidance to other users who have machines running Windows 7 and above, that it may be a free upgrade, but with a caveat.

Minimum Specifications

There’s been a lot of discussion as to which devices are eligible for Windows 11. Regardless of the TPM requirement, others are simply wondering if they need to look to upgrade their PC or laptop soon. Microsoft has published the requirements for the update, but they are subject to change as we near release and the company take feedback on board.

• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with at least two cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or SoC
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB
• System Firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable
• TPM: Trusted Platform Module 2.0
• Graphics Card: DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
• Display: 720p, 8-bit per colour channel, at least 9-inch diagonal
• Internet Connection and Microsoft Account: Windows 11 Home requires an active internet connection and a Microsoft Account to complete the initial, first-use setup of the operating system, or when switching a device out of Windows 11 Home in S-mode.

How much is Windows 11?

Windows 11 will be a free update for existing Windows users – you’ll need to be online to download, install and activate Home versions, and you’ll need to have a Microsoft account when installing it.

So far Microsoft has released the hardware requirements for Windows 11, but there’s confusion over TPM and whether the company are pushing hard over the minimum threshold for which devices are eligible to be updated to the new version. Windows 11 features.

There are improvements across the board in Windows 11, with Microsoft promising that updates will be 40% smaller, and touting Windows 11 as “the most secure release yet”. The taskbar is optimized for touch as well as mouse peripherals and is now renamed the dock.

New multitasking features are also on offer thanks to a feature called Snap Layouts, which enables you to arrange multiple windows across the screen, not just side by side, but in columns, sections and more. There’s now a much-improved health check app found in Settings, where Windows 11 will recommend you to turn down the brightness, for example, change the power saving mode of the battery and much more.

Another feature is Snap Groups, where you can go back to previously snapped windows from the dock, so for example you can go to your email app, Edge browser windows or anything else without having to snap them back to the previous view again. There’s also improved multi-monitor support, so when you reconnect an external monitor, Windows 11 remembers the previous positions of the windows that were on that monitor.

There’s even an estimated installation time for Windows Update, so you can see whether you need to hold off from updating your PC until later in the day.

Teams are also integrated into the dock, so you can easily join in with meetings and family calls. This looks like the first inkling of Skype disappearing from Windows, especially with the Skype sounds being heard in the demo when a call was incoming.

The Microsoft Store is finally seeing a redesign, with better-curated content, and better options for managing your purchased shows, such as mirroring them to your television. Apps such as Disney+, Adobe Creative Cloud, Pinterest and more are already in this redesigned store for Windows 11, ready to go. WPA, EWP and Win32 apps are now all in the Microsoft Store as well. If a developer has a commerce engine, they can keep 100% of the revenue brought from the Microsoft Store.

Android apps are also ready for Windows 11, discoverable from the Microsoft Store, via the Amazon App Store. We suspect that the reason why Amazon is allowing their version of the store instead of Google may be to do with the. APK filename being replaced from August.

A new look for 11

Fluent Design is the new name for the look of Windows 11. Across the board, everything looks more modern and fresh, with rounded windows and apps such as Snipping Tool seeing huge improvements in years.

One of the biggest changes users will notice is that the Start menu has been moved to the centre of the screen, so it dynamically changes depending on the time of day, and the content you’re working with. If you’re using the Insider Build, there are already ways of customizing the taskbar and the start menu, including moving the icons back to the left. Light Mode and Dark Mode are here too, with a unified design across the operating system.

Windows Widgets are back in Windows 11 with Microsoft touting AI-powered dynamic features that enable widgets, as with the Start menu, to change depending on the apps you’re using and the time of day. There are plenty to choose from, such as the weather, Bing maps, news, and more. These will be available for third parties as well, so you may see as many widgets available to pick as there are on Apple’s iOS and iPadOS operating systems.

Gaming on Windows 11

Gaming will be a much bigger focus in Windows 11, with the sluggish and frustrating-to-use Windows 10 Xbox app replaced by a new Game Pass app that enables you to buy, manage and remove games, making it easier for you to access and download games, from Doom Eternal to Halo Infinite.

HDR will also be supported on compatible machines, offering improved lighting and contrast for gaming and viewing media. Direct Storage is also here, with the main game assets able to be downloaded and installed, enabling you to play your games even faster than before.

Touch improvements

Tablet mode has been one of Windows’ weaker points ever since Windows 8, and the new tablet features that Microsoft showed off for Windows 11 could be key to the operating system’s fortunes, especially with future Surface products in the pipeline from Microsoft – to have a new, numbered operating system for its upcoming tablets could be a big selling point for new users.

At the event, Microsoft touted bigger touch targets and easier ways to move windows around, and better rotate optimizations, for example in how windows are rearranged, so you don’t lose track of the applications you were using. Gestures used with the trackpad of the Surface models are also coming to the touchscreen, bringing in some familiarity here. Haptics is also coming to Windows 11 when you use a stylus for better feedback when drawing or sketching.

The touch keyboard has also been redesigned, with a smaller keyboard just for your thumb, and emojis ready to be used. Microsoft says dictation will also be improved, alongside voice commands, with ‘delete that’ options and more.

The news of a new vulnerability in the Windows operating system is not good for Microsoft, coming just weeks after warnings about the PrintNightmare vulnerability in Windows Print Spooler. Microsoft says this new vulnerability is a result of inadequate protection of access control lists on several system files, which include the SAM database. They further note that an unauthorized person could use the vulnerability to run custom code that takes advantage of higher system privileges and could add, change or delete user data. They conclude by noting that unauthorized users would need to have the ability to run code on such systems to be able to take advantage of the vulnerability.

Others on Twitter and elsewhere have noted the vulnerability exists only for systems running build 1809 of Windows 10 and some versions of Windows 11. They note also that in addition to allowing access to SAM data, the vulnerability also allows access to certain system and security files. For a nefarious person to take advantage of the vulnerability, the system must have a VSS shadow copy of the system drive. This copy may exist on user systems due to inadvertent actions they may have taken, such as installing a hard drive that holds more than 128GB and then conducting a Windows update. Adding an installer package file format called MSI will do so, as well. Users who want to know if their system has the vulnerability can run the system command vssadmin.

Microsoft notes that they will update customers as they learn more. No timeline for a patch has yet been announced.

There’s an old myth that says “you can tell the quality of a good Windows update by whether it falls on an odd or even number”. However, it looks as though Microsoft wants to bring back Windows Vista for a new audience, and it seems like it could be on the right track, as long as communication with users is clear.

The good cop, bad cop routine

If you were following news of Windows almost twenty years ago, there’s a good chance you would have heard about Longhorn. This was the sequel to Windows XP, released in 2001, which would bring a whole load of next-generation features, such as:

• A new look called Slate
• A new file system to replace Explorer codenamed WinFS (Windows Future Storage)
• 3D effects across the user interface

However, development was reset in 2005, with many features, including WinFS, scrapped. What we got was, unfortunately, a bloated release in late 2006 in the form of Windows Vista, with widgets (called Gadgets in Vista) that were barely useful for the desktop, with a huge installation size for its time as well as an Aero interface that demanded a lot from many graphics cards than what was needed – and that’s not even the whole list of complaints.

This was known as the sixth version of Windows, so some users weren’t holding out much hope for this update anyway, and their doubts were only proven when Vista was not well received. It wasn’t long until Windows 7 arrived in 2009 to a more positive reception.

However, while Vista brought a lot of baggage, it did have potential at the time. For all of its troubled development and bloated features, it hinted at something more. While Windows 8 was the true fork in the road with its huge start screen and the desktop relegated to a tile, Vista was a trier.

Windows Vista 2.0

Most of the reception to Windows 11 has been positive, especially as Microsoft were adamant in 2015 that there would not be a Windows 11 or 12. While the upcoming update of Windows 10, called ‘Sun Valley’ was showcasing some redesigned icons and explorer windows, Windows 11 looks to be a substantial update, justifying the name.

If Windows 11 proves anything, it’s that the last few months have shown me that the reception of Windows Vista could have been so much better if the development went smoother, and the communication was once again clearer. Both Vista and 11 are two sides of the same coin to me – both with similar aims, but with muddled communication from Microsoft.

The company should clear up the confusion of the processor requirements and TPM fast. Even almost two weeks since the announcement, we’re not crystal clear on just which PCs are eligible for an update.

Windows Vista showed promise but faltered at the last hurdle with a bungled rollout, high system requirements and a bloated operating system. Windows 11 shows even more promise, but risks tripping up if Microsoft still isn’t clear as to whether TPM will really matter once it’s released later this year.

As Star Trek’s Mister Spock once said, in a twist to his catchphrase: ‘The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many.” And it seems like Microsoft may be relying on its high-end users here to update to Windows 11, even at the expense of more casual users who don’t update their machines every year and may miss out on a useful update such as Windows 11.

Microsoft has been known to learn from their past mistakes, such as Windows 8 and the announcement of the Xbox One. But with the release of Windows 11 already looming, users will be looking to see if the company will release clearer information on how to upgrade their machines, and avoid the repeat of Windows Vista.