Windows 11 Will Display Watermark If Your PC Does Not Support AI Requirements (tomshardware.com) 94
An anonymous reader shares a report: With Windows 11 24H2 all geared up to have AI-intensive applications, Microsoft has added a code that will warn you if your PC does not meet the hardware requirements, according to code dug up by Twitter/X sleuth Albacore. The warning will be displayed as a watermark so you know that you cannot use certain AI-powered built-in apps because of an unsupported CPU.
As always, the first question (Score:5, Insightful)
for any new "feature" MS comes up with: How can we switch it off?
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for any new "feature" MS comes up with: How can we switch it off?
Install another operating system and acquainted with Wine?
Use GRC's InControl... (Score:3)
InControl controls Windows automatic updating/upgrading system by targeting it to a specific major version and feature update release. By default, the current release will be used. So if you âoeTake Controlâ with the major version and feature release shown in the boxes in the lower left, Windows will remain right where it is â" only installing monthly security updates â" until you âoeRelease controlâ.
https://www.grc.com/incontrol.... [grc.com]
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Just grabbed this, thanks for the tip!
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Re: As always, the first question (Score:2)
I donâ(TM)t know what Iâ(TM)ll do when windows 10 support ends.
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I was relieved when the Windows 11 Checker came back and said one of my special-purpose PCs "couldn't upgrade to Win 11" because of the hardware.
Me: Excellent, thank you.
Re: As always, the first question (Score:2)
I just turn off the TPM in the BIOS on modern machines to stop the automatic upgrade to Win11.
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My i7-4790K system started out as a Hackintosh. Now it runs Devuan. As noted elsewhere in these comments, I run the games I want to run via Lutris and Steam.
I've replaced disks and the video card in the nearly ten years I've used it. Otherwise it's as it was, and works fine.
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Devuan doesn't force me to accept Snap, Flatpak, or systemd.
I run the games I want to run via Lutris and Steam, the latter two installed from maintained .deb repos.
I use Cinnamon for my desktop environment. It's not fancy, and mostly just works.
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Exactly. I left Windows for Linux 10-ish years ago when W8 was released, thinking "this is going nowhere". I actually thought Windows 7 was bad enough. :)))
Now I install Windows here and there for fun, usually some superlite or compact version, just out of curiosity, and when you think "this is going nowhere" Microsoft finds a way to surprise you again with even worse things. I recently installed W10 compact version for a friend, version 22H2 with '23 updates and saw ads being served in the system tray! Yes
I don't want any AI (Score:5, Insightful)
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Treat the watermark as a badge of pride.
Oh for crying out loud. (Score:5, Interesting)
This warning serves no purpose other than creating more tech-junk. If someone wants to use install or use an AI feature, that would be the time to warn them their hardware doesn't support said feature. Putting a display notice, from a software update that will be shoved out to anybody running Windows 11, is only going to make the panic-monkeys that think they need every last ounce of power throw away perfectly usable systems in order to get "support" for features they probably aren't using anyway.
I know PC sales have slowed down since we hit a point where new generations aren't really giving us that much more than previous generations. That said, I don't think the "solution" to that is to force-feed yet more hardware to the scrapyards.
Microsoft could make a killing at this point if they decided to release a somewhat more expensive version of Windows without all the crippleware, full-screen ads, and tracking enabled. Why can't the OS just be an OS? Stay out of the way and let us do what we need to do with the system. Stop telling us we aren't compliant with Microsoft's "we own your soul" vision. We don't care. We just want to use our god damned computer to get our work done, play a game, or surf the web.
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Unfortunately this is the logical conclusion of letting Microsoft dominate desktop computing for a generation and investing too much in software that relies on proprietary data formats. There isn't much effective competition for many of the users who are still using a Windows desktop, because they're locked in by whatever Windows-only software they still rely on. Those who could jump ship to mobile devices, games consoles, Apple desktop or Linux probably already have.
It's a give-a-way to OEMs (Score:1)
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I'm waiting to see if a company comes out with a USB powered AI device to convince Windows that the computer has AI capabilities.
They already did, and Intel already killed theirs [intel.com]. But there are some that are still used in things like Raspberry PI projects [hackster.io].
Re: Oh for crying out loud. (Score:1)
You want to own your computer?
Use Linux. It is the only option left.
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No, Linux does not require Snap or Flatpak. (Score:2)
You must have chosen a distro that was wrong for you. I've been on Fedora since RedHat spun it off, but that's mainly an inertial choice and may not be right for others. But Linux is certainly not restrictive in that way.
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is only going to make the panic-monkeys that think they need every last ounce of power throw away perfectly usable systems in order to get "support" for features they probably aren't using anyway.
DING DING DING! By George, I think they've got folks! /s
Of course it will, that's the entire point of the watermark. To make the user feel uncomfortable, so they'll go shovel out some more money to Microsoft's Partners.
This kind of practice should be illegal, as it's a border line racketeering scam, but of course it's Microsoft's computer, you just use it under a perpetual lease agreement, so you have no rights to assert here. We should be glad we don't have to drink a verification can just to watch th
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A couple of weeks from now some pissed off coder will release a Windows widget that removes the watermark.
Re: Oh for crying out loud. (Score:2)
The reason is they want people on copilot. Never mind that the previous assistant was supposed to be ai already but the ai department burnt so much money they try to get users on it.
The #FF2400 Letter (Score:2)
Re:The #FF2400 Letter (Score:5, Funny)
More like a giant animated Clippy shaking a finger at you and exclaiming "How dare you run our Winders on an AI uninfected machine."
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"Uh uh uh uh, you didn't install the magic chip."
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My laptop is waterproof (Score:2)
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ThinkPad used to put drain holes in the keyboard in case you spilled drinks.
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used to
Damnit you're right, I just checked both my T14's and no drain holes.
It's too bad, on my older units that system really worked. The liquid hosed the keyboard but the rest of it was fine.
badge of honor (Score:4, Insightful)
I dont want AI bullshit shoved down my throat
Re:badge of honor (Score:5, Funny)
I dont want AI bullshit shoved down my throat
Don't worry - there is every chance that Microsoft is already working on also delivering it as a suppository...
Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
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And why would a 'normal' CPU not be able to do all of these things anyway, just a little slower?
Re:Why? (Score:5, Informative)
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Maybe I'm just getting too old for this sht, but why would I need AI features in my windows environment?
That's because we are all peasants in the eyes of Microsoft. You don't need AI for anything really. MS needs AI to gather data on everything you are doing so they can sell that data. Remember, Windows is not the product and you are the customer. Your data is the product and MS partners are the customers.
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Indeed. Microsoft needs to die. The sooner, the better.
Re: Why? (Score:2)
Killing Microsoft is a difficult task, as they are so huge and wealthy and established. Fortunately, there is a company that is demonstrating that it is willing to spend the huge sums and put in the massive effort to destroy microsoft. Ironically, that company is also microsoft.
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Indeed. Very much so.
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MS doesn't need AI for telemetry. My take is they saw the AI/ML thing and decided that could put a hole in their alleged software. They probably could not explain how it would do that, but the paranoid have everything to fear.
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If you need to ask... oh, wait.
Yep, same here. Do not need, do not want, keep that crap away from me.
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Realistically, I don't see on-machine AI being used to help the average person much. Instead, it will be used to help sift through metadata and telemetry to save bandwidth, and better profile who is on the machine. There may be some things like better search tools, but those were coming anyway, and really don't need hardware assisted AI to be able to do that.
Most likely it will be used to scan people's picture stashes, and if it thinks a picture is "illegal", it will tattle on the user, similar to Apple's
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Re:Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
Data centers cost money.
Tricking the consumer into running these language models on their PC reduces the electricity bills in the cloud.
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Tricking the consumer into running these language models on their PC
2024 people. The idea that doing something locally without a cloud is suddenly a nefariously "tricking the consumer".
God I miss the days I was tricked.
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Now the real trick is when they engineer it so that:
-Your local device is doing all the 'real' work
-Still needs to somehow 'check in' with a cloud service to keep it from actually working standalone, to preserve the cloud lockin.
But broadly, I agree that 'off cloud' is a fantastic direction, but I'm pessimistic enough to presume they'll still somehow lock it to a cloud service anyway.
Year of Linux on desktop? (Score:2)
I guess anyone who can afford will just buy a new, better, compliant computer... a computer compliant with the last MacOS.
WTF do I need AI for? (Score:2)
An operating system's primary function should be to run uaer applications with minimal overhead. Not a tech demo to glorify M$
Re:WTF do I need AI for? (Score:4, Funny)
An operating system's primary function should be to ruin user applications
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That is just the thing: You do not pay for the OS, you get the OS for free. You pay for all the other crap bundled with it and that crap cannot be removed.
Consumertardastic (Score:2)
So are these boosted minimum requirements the previous boosted minimum requirements, or did they just now pull a new set of minimum requirements out of their asses again? I lose track since they started changing shit mid-version. Might as well just buy a new computer and throw it directly in the trash these days.
So what exactly CPU features is it that this glorious AI shit needs? ... Right, there isn't any actual CPU feature.
And what does this AI shit give me anyway? ... Right nothing anyone wants or needs.
Why? Are they afraid they'll miss the boat? (Score:3)
For home users, using AI for little Johnny's term paper will just get him an F.
MS needs to release a non-AI version for just plain workloads.
Re:Why? Are they afraid they'll miss the boat? (Score:4, Funny)
Most office PC's used in business aren't going to be used for AI. They're for users running in house software, word processing, web browsing, accounting and other mundane business tasks. How is AI going to increase a worker's productivity typing out a memo?
Prompt: Please rewrite the following words and ideas into professional statements: attn all printer broke cuz some dipshit tried to print on plastic cards, don't b dumb and do that shit. go to kinkos till fixed.
Great, I can't use stupid features I didn't want! (Score:3)
I've been saying for years, to paraphrase: “Windows 11 is an ad delivery service, given away as shareware.”, this new Microsoft BS, takes that statement and doubles down on it. Windows 11, or Windows in general, is meant to be an Operating System, which means after installing it, I should only have enough tools and applications to get going. Anything else is my responsibility, including making sure I have the licenses I need to use the products.
Go and grab a professional Operating System like Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, Solaris, FreeBSD, or several others and install them, what do you notice? What you'll notice is that bloat, and the crap, are gone. When I open the application's selector in Gnome 46 on Fedora 40, what don't I see? I don't see Ads, I don't see links to download applications with privacy abuse records that make North Korea smile, I just don't see garbage. I might see LibreOffice installed, I'll see some default applications that range from good to “why, I guess.”, but I don't see useless, pointless, nonsense crap.
To paraphrase another quote I say often: “Windows is for people who pretend to do work, Linux / Unix are for people who have to get work done.” Microsoft keeps position Windows as the OS for laughs and to be discredited, and it's discredited, it's one step away from door knocking to explain it's a child predator (and it is a predator of children).
So Ads + AI = Two things that shouldn't be in an operating system by default! If I want to install all the flashy stupid nonsense AI crap, let me, but no one trying to get serious work done is ever going to use that shit. AI is a joke, it's in its infancy, and miles away from anything you might think of using in a professional setting for professional work.
Re:Great, I can't use stupid features I didn't wan (Score:4, Informative)
All experience the same situation [youtube.com].
TFA says it won't even boot (Score:2)
Oh thank God Microsoft (Score:2)
Yet another validation for my ditching Windows. Thank you Microsoft for affirming my path is divine.
Requirements (Score:5, Interesting)
Analysis by others seems to point out that the most fundamental requirement will be SSE 4.2 and the popcnt SSE instruction specifically, paired with the most fundamental requirement being TPM 2.0/Secure boot this is basically any CPU in the last six years or so (rough estimate there), but that's mostly the TPM requirement holding you back. SSE 4.2 is about 12 (? I think I didn't look up the age, I'm just guessing here) years old in CPUs, I think the standard is 15 years old. Anyway, the bare minimum requirement in this story is a nothing burger. More importantly is the fact that Microsoft is still going whole hog with AI integration which sucks. If you didn't have the bare minimum requirement, you weren't running Windows 11 to begin with (without hacking the OS to work). But clearly, they're gearing up to make cloud+AI in their OS an absolute requirement be it you like that or not. I think that's the bigger story.
Assholes, massive assholes, and then Microsoft (Score:2)
I will definitely do away with all windows systems I can when Win10 goes out of support. In addition, I do not need an artificial idiot in my systems. There are enough natural idiots around already.
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There are enough natural idiots around already.
Thank you.
It's too late for Windows 11 anyway. (Score:2)
Windows 11 is already a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside of a train wreck anyway. AI will damage it further and its quest to become more of an advertising platform rather than in operating system continues. It's only a matter of time before a windows emulation layer on top of Linux or BSD starts taking users away simply by doing the basics of what an operating system is supposed to do... well. (Which Windows doesn't actually do anymore.) Your "fancy auto-correct" copilot will eventually show it's
Watermark (Score:2)
Was best known as the album that included the hit track Orinoco Flow
Sail away, Sail away, Sail away
Shouldn't we skip Win 11 (Score:2)
Based on Microsoft's history it would be crap
Win XP = good
Vista = Crap
Win 7 = good
Win 8 = crap
Win 10 = good
So when is Win 12 coming out?
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So Windows Vista is better than Windows 8. Thus Windows 10 isn't as good as Windows 7, it's just better than Windows 8.
and at this point, I really feel Vista is better than 11.
On point (Score:1)
XP was the best Windows IMO.
2000 was good too, but not for games. Same for the NTs.
The DOS branch (9x and earlier) was iffy though.
Every Single One (Score:1)
Every colleague ridiculed me for switching to Linux.
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I guess it's a defense mechanism because they're afraid of change.
I'm caught between scorn and pity (Score:4, Interesting)
PEOPLE! Libre office is fucking bug compatible with MSO. Stop saying it isn't good enough. You never needed a dump truck to deliver a kleenex... but you've been convinced that you need that MS dumpster fire because you are a. Fearful, and b. LAZY.
I've converted and support several (smaller) offices to use 100% open source. It's fucking compatible. The differences are trivial. You're idiots. Keep paying thru the nose and complaining that there aren't alternatives. I haven't paid a license fee in close to 20 years. You don't have to either. Stop being so fucking stupid and lazy.
You completely deserve that.
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MS had the money to buy the parts it needed and create an office suite better integrated and more powerful than its competitors. It made Windows, so it was the first to market a multi-tasking version of its office-suite. That made it an industry standard so people had to go and learn how to navigate it's 4-menu (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) system. That created stickiness: Businesses asked for MS know-how because that's what they had and because that's what people already knew. While no-one teaches
Only applies to Insider builds (Score:2)
Translation (Score:2)
Let's add some turds to the dumpster fire, it's not like it matters anymore anyway.
Microsoft doesn't seem to care anymore (Score:1)
But did they ever?
why? (Score:2)
This AI hate seems weird to me (Score:2)
I mean, slashdot is supposed to be a website where nerds hang out. You'd think they would be a little more into AI, what it can and can't do, what it's good for, how to hack it, and so on. I personally find it quite useful. What kind of self-respecting tech nerd wouldn't find AI at least somewhat interesting?
FML (Score:2)
Thanks, Microsoft, for making my life even more frustrating. All I use my personal PC for is playing simulation games and writing my daily mental health journal. At least that "Microsoft Office 2010 is too old, you need to upgrade" banner went away.
Upgrade Your Ad Machine (Score:1)