News Windows 11 will reportedly display a watermark if your PC does not support AI requirements

[Admin]

In an attempt to make its users aware, Microsoft will be overlaying a watermark on PCs with Windows 11 24H2 which will not have compatible CPUs using SSE 4.2 instructions as its native apps use it for AI.

Windows 11 will reportedly display a watermark if your PC does not support AI requirements : Read more

 

[hotaru251]

Realllly want Linux to pop off loads more so MS starts to respect users again...
"don't fix what isnt broken" is a saying for a reason.

 

[ezst036]

Well that didn't last long: New Windows Insider build gets rid of annoying watermark

Check comes during time of criticism​

Yes, but it doesn't come at a time of people mass switching. So people can criticize all they want. Talk is cheap.

We are still left with the same old Microsoft customer base that Microsoft knows they can abuse because they've taken so much abuse up to this point and haven't left yet. If people can handle the spyware and data collection, and adware, then a little old watermark is a pittance for people used to the larger events.

 

[bigdragon]

I wonder if the proliferation of AI garbage in Windows will motivate large corporations with significant proprietary information to migrate to a different OS. Can you really take the risk of Microsoft sucking up your IP, throwing it at their AI, and then regurgitating your own content back at you while retaining anonymized/unattributed proprietary data in their AI cloud?

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Issue: Microsoft displays ads in the start menu!!!
Solution: Untick display suggestions and ads in Settings.

Issue: Microsoft displays watermarks on insider builds if you can't use those AI features!!!
Solution: Don't use an insider build.


I swear there are so few tech sites that aren't trying to sensationalize what are either minor annoyances others already do or are not actual problems people who aren't voluntarily opting into testing aren't affected by, though most of those sites are owned by Future PLC so they're probably being told to. If they, including TH, made this big of a stink about things which are actual issues, like automatically store opening ads in mobile apps or ads with 1x1 pixel sized close buttons or Windows computers shipping with 8GB or under RAM or quad core 2+2 core CPUs or tiny amounts of storage or phones with 128GB storage or any other thing that's ACTUALLY A PROBLEM maybe actual issues would be fixed.

Bet you in short time one of THs "deal writers" posts a "deal" on a low spec computer and frames it as a can't miss by the end of the week, and one of their "freelance writers" posts something else bashing Microsoft for something else that's a non issue, like the Windows Store failing to update apps for some reason, or Microsoft removing Teams Classic support in a couple of months and putting prompts for users who can't use the new Teams to upgrade their system.

Oh, here's one, post an article about Microsoft SwiftKey insisting autocorrect use "thr" instead of "the", or why the Microsoft 365 app tells me I have notifications when I have none, or why Microsoft Outlook says I have 20 unread emails in the notification sorn counter but I have none. But don't by all means mention anything positive, like Microsoft adding a 50GB per month VPN to Microsoft 365, or Microsoft and Google making it easier to use Microsoft 365 on Chromebooks.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Windows Central, another Future brand, doesn't bash Microsoft as much as TomsHardware does!

 

[coromonadalix]

hell o I'm Synet

 

[cryoburner]

I swear there are so few tech sites that aren't trying to sensationalize what are either minor annoyances others already do or are not actual problems people who aren't voluntarily opting into testing aren't affected by, though most of those sites are owned by Future PLC so they're probably being told to.

Yeah, "insider builds" are beta test versions of the software, so they likely wanted it to be clear whether the new features were enabled or not for testers. I can't imagine them adding a watermark onto existing systems that previously met the requirements for Windows 11 without the AI features. People need to understand that these builds are intended for testing, not for daily use, and that certain features in them will behave different from the actual release versions of the software.

 

[vanadiel007]

I will ask an online AI on how to get rid of the watermark, and problem solved!

 

[Giroro]

Issue: Microsoft displays ads in the start menu!!!
Solution: Untick display suggestions and ads in Settings.

Issue: Microsoft displays watermarks on insider builds if you can't use those AI features!!!
Solution: Don't use an insider build.


I swear there are so few tech sites that aren't trying to sensationalize what are either minor annoyances others already do or are not actual problems people who aren't voluntarily opting into testing aren't affected by, though most of those sites are owned by Future PLC so they're probably being told to. If they, including TH, made this big of a stink about things which are actual issues, like automatically store opening ads in mobile apps or ads with 1x1 pixel sized close buttons or Windows computers shipping with 8GB or under RAM or quad core 2+2 core CPUs or tiny amounts of storage or phones with 128GB storage or any other thing that's ACTUALLY A PROBLEM maybe actual issues would be fixed.

Bet you in short time one of THs "deal writers" posts a "deal" on a low spec computer and frames it as a can't miss by the end of the week, and one of their "freelance writers" posts something else bashing Microsoft for something else that's a non issue, like the Windows Store failing to update apps for some reason, or Microsoft removing Teams Classic support in a couple of months and putting prompts for users who can't use the new Teams to upgrade their system.

Oh, here's one, post an article about Microsoft SwiftKey insisting autocorrect use "thr" instead of "the", or why the Microsoft 365 app tells me I have notifications when I have none, or why Microsoft Outlook says I have 20 unread emails in the notification sorn counter but I have none. But don't by all means mention anything positive, like Microsoft adding a 50GB per month VPN to Microsoft 365, or Microsoft and Google making it easier to use Microsoft 365 on Chromebooks.

Nobody willingly uses Microsoft 365 nor SwiftKey, so why waste a writer's time on it?

If you're going to do a writeup on phone keyboards, I'd rather see a writeup about how Swype no longer works, because of Android 14.
10 years without support, but Swype was still 2x faster, with less bloat and better predictions than the next best knockoff ( which puts it about 3-4x faster than SwiftKey).
Because SwiftKey does that thing will it will randomly decide to combine 2 words into a single long word, without any way to revert the word back to what you actually typed.
Also, SwiftKey constantly tries to force it's useless copilot garbage down your throat.
Well if the AI is so good, why do I have to spend so much time actively fighting the awful keyboard from destroying what I typed?

 

[Giroro]

So many mass layoffs in tech, yet we are in our 4th straight year of every Windows version being a noticably inferior downgrade to the previous version?
When is the leadership in charge of Windows going to be the ones held accountable for this pattern of bad decisions?

 

[JoBalz]

Too bad there's not a way to build all these new "features" as modular so that the end user could add them if desired, or leave them out and continue on with the OS that works with the software and hardware they currently have. I've just finished upgrading my Ryzen 9 5000X series system and am happy with it. Barring MS and Intel/AMD pushing new hardware and features that essentially "break" it, it should have many years ahead of it. I don't want to see ads popping up and watermarks stating the system can't run AI, or anything else that MS in their "infinite wisdom" determines we need and make it their responsibility to drive the end users crazy until they upgrade their system.

 

[g-unit1111]

I feel like people are jumping the gun wayyyyyyyyyy too ahead of themselves here. AI is just in its' infancy. It's not a proven technology yet. It's far from perfect. It should be an optional feature on new PCs for the time being, not a mandatory one. This is getting a bit ridiculous here.

 

[USAFRet]

I feel like people are jumping the gun wayyyyyyyyyy too ahead of themselves here. AI is just in its' infancy. It's not a proven technology yet. It's far from perfect. It should be an optional feature on new PCs for the time being, not a mandatory one. This is getting a bit ridiculous here.

And this is just a test bubble in the Insider releases.

NOT mainstream Win 11.

 

[svan71]

Has Microsoft done anything the last 10 years that users have actually asked for? More bloat more TikTok and Spotify app shortcuts a horrific start menu a browser that collects everything but urine and stool samples the almost mandatory use of a Microsoft account for an OS you actually are asked to pay for. Nothing that makes anyone actually want to use the damn thing. Block the use of customization MS and by transition to Arch will be complete.

 

[PEnns]

Issue: Microsoft displays ads in the start menu!!!
Solution: Untick display suggestions and ads in Settings.

Issue: Microsoft displays watermarks on insider builds if you can't use those AI features!!!
Solution: Don't use an insider build.


I swear there are so few tech sites that aren't trying to sensationalize what are either minor annoyances others already do or are not actual problems people who aren't voluntarily opting into testing aren't affected by, though most of those sites are owned by Future PLC so they're probably being told to. If they, including TH, made this big of a stink about things which are actual issues, like automatically store opening ads in mobile apps or ads with 1x1 pixel sized close buttons or Windows computers shipping with 8GB or under RAM or quad core 2+2 core CPUs or tiny amounts of storage or phones with 128GB storage or any other thing that's ACTUALLY A PROBLEM maybe actual issues would be fixed.

Bet you in short time one of THs "deal writers" posts a "deal" on a low spec computer and frames it as a can't miss by the end of the week, and one of their "freelance writers" posts something else bashing Microsoft for something else that's a non issue, like the Windows Store failing to update apps for some reason, or Microsoft removing Teams Classic support in a couple of months and putting prompts for users who can't use the new Teams to upgrade their system.

Oh, here's one, post an article about Microsoft SwiftKey insisting autocorrect use "thr" instead of "the", or why the Microsoft 365 app tells me I have notifications when I have none, or why Microsoft Outlook says I have 20 unread emails in the notification sorn counter but I have none. But don't by all means mention anything positive, like Microsoft adding a 50GB per month VPN to Microsoft 365, or Microsoft and Google making it easier to use Microsoft 365 on Chromebooks.

Indeed.

And yet so many alleged techies fall for this clickbait and get triggered and reply with insane answers.

And mind you, not just insane but totally impractical answers (like huge corporations switching en masse - maybe overnight - to one of the 100s Linux flavors!

 

[Rexer]

And this is just a test bubble in the Insider releases.

NOT mainstream Win 1

I've been listening to a lot of comments about Windows 11, Windows 11+ and AI. And I surprise myself as being in the class that hasn't been paying attention. I'm still a big box PC user with Window 10 pro and very happy with it. But I've been studying Windows 11 and I can't say I'm optimistic about upgrading. I'm a retired Vet like you. I join the Army and served in Vietnam so that gives away my age. I'm old. Making changes as fast as they a come isn't as easy as it was 40 or 50 years ago, heh. Here's something I noticed about the AI factor heading our way.
I went to see my Veteran Service Officer at the VFW and when I sat down in front of him. I noticed he was on a Windows XP machine. ? And he said that's what they gave him. ? My curiousity got me so when I went to see my doctor, I notice it was Windows 7machine. I looked over the shoulder of the hospital receptionist where I go to from time to time and they were running Windows 7. Woe.
Wow. Wus where what? I'm beginning to wonder in a bad way Microsoft has a poor way of introducing new products and showing users the need to upgrade. I talked to my friend back in 2019, (who is the TI at a big architectural firm in SoCal back in 2019) and he said they just upgraded to Windows 10. I'm wondering if Microsoft isn't selling themselves short by not visiting firms and companies to give them incentives and encoragement to move up to a new OS.
Windows should take a hint from car dealerships like Toyota on how to sell a product. Car people have huge fanfare conventions in every major city not like once a year at CES or that other tech show just in Taiwan.
Car people go after customers in every field of business. Newpapers, fashion magazines on shelf and internet you name it. I have more car ads Email me than computer companies selling cpus, motherboards, mice or gpu cards. Are not computers just as popular as cars? The only computer related companies really making making aggressive sales are game companies. But what are they? They're toy companies. They know like cars and guns, most homes have one computer.
Sort of laughable but scary at the same time.
It's hard to say what's going to happen in the future now that there's a possible 'so called' global war coming. We enter an era where computers can't communicate sorta intrigues me. Microsoft wants to make a big deal out of upgrading just might not fly. Maybe l'm wrong. Maybe It's turns into a big nothing burger. The world reminds me of all those Bob Dyaln song we use to listen to.

 

[Amdlova]

Microsoft IA need to be called symbian. Just saying.

 

[Colif]

Title is misleading

It makes it seem Every PC without an NPU will have that watermark, not just the ones missing the instructions.

Much bigger number of people who don't have an NPU yet... One way to drive up sales for new PC.

 

[watzupken]

I do hope they don't introduce more annoyance to their user. AI is NOT the priority for most PC users. There is absolutely no reason to try and make it obvious to Windows as well. I know this is just in some beta stage, but I won't be surprised someone there will think this is a great idea.

 

[einheriar]

I will ask an online AI on how to get rid of the watermark, and problem solved!

It will answer: "I'm sorry Dave I'm afraid I can't do that."

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mme2Aya_6Bc

 

[usertests]

Yes, but it doesn't come at a time of people mass switching. So people can criticize all they want. Talk is cheap.

I just tried to switch a Windows 11 OEM desktop to Linux (yeah, DIY would be easier but it was a cheap clearance deal). There are roadblocks every step of the way, such as UEFI which was correctly identified as evil back when it was introduced, "fast boot", and proprietary storage controllers that don't allow Linux installers to detect the SSD. It could take normies a very long time to figure it out. Linux is hardly the problem, it's shady behavior from Microsoft and OEMs.

I can tolerate Windows 10 Pro, but I will eradicate Windows 11 Home on these machines if it takes my last dying breath. The off ramp is in sight and I'm taking it.

 

[edzieba]

Windows Insider builds will display a watermark in all cases (unless you go registry-fiddling to disable it). That's the norm for Insider builds. The only change here is that, like with the previous "System Requirements Not Met" addition to the watermark - indicating, you guessed it, that the build was installed on a system that did not meet the system requirements - there will be an additional note that the AI accelerator requirements are not met.

The watermark sits on the desktop background, once you open a window it is no longer visible.

 

[gdmaclew]

Way to go Microsoft!
Another reason NOT to upgrade from Windows 10.

 

[Order 66]

Title is misleading

It makes it seem Every PC without an NPU will have that watermark, not just the ones missing the instructions.

Much bigger number of people who don't have an NPU yet... One way to drive up sales for new PC.

I sure hope that doesn’t happen. My 7700x (which is plenty fast for my needs) doesn’t have an NPU. I honestly don’t care about AI in its current state. I just have no use for it.