News Microsoft updates Windows 11 24H2 requirements, CPU must support SSE4.2 or the OS will not boot

[Admin]

Microsoft has added a second system requirement to Windows 11 24H2, this time being full SSE 4.2 support. The good news is that this requirement only affects users who are trying to run Windows 11 on already unsupported hardware.

Microsoft updates Windows 11 24H2 requirements, CPU must support SSE4.2 or the OS will not boot : Read more

 

[Colif]

Depends if you running one of those systems if its good news or not.

 

[Notton]

AMD Barcelona? K10 from 2007-2012?
People still use those and they have mobos that haven't failed?

 

[Dementoss]

The good news is that this requirement only affects users who are trying to run Windows 11 on already unsupported hardware.

Not exactly problem of the century then...

 

[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]

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...

 

[logainofhades]

Microsoft doing its part to increase E-Waste.

 

[palladin9479]

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]

AMD Barcelona? K10 from 2007-2012?
People still use those and they have mobos that haven't failed?

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.

 

[TerryLaze]

Microsoft doing its part to increase E-Waste.

So anything that doesn't run (the newest) windows is e-waste?!
Servers would like a word with you. (and apple and android and so on)

 

[coromonadalix]

kudos Msoft to piss more users and augment E-waste ... kudos

 

[johnsmith9919]

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.

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, do you? Just parroting the article.
TPM and Secure boot have been there for years before SSE 4.2 has been added.

 

[logainofhades]

So anything that doesn't run (the newest) windows is e-waste?!
Servers would like a word with you. (and apple and android and so on)

If you care about security updates, yes.

 

[edzieba]

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, do you? Just parroting the article.
TPM and Secure boot have been there for years before SSE 4.2 has been added.

OK then: what motherboard platform supporting Secure Boot could host a CPU that does not support SSE 4.2?

Because if there aren't any, then the existing requirements (Secure Boot, TPM) would be a superset of the 'new' requirement of SSE 4.2.

 

[FunSurfer]

Still on 22H2 and "up to date". What happened to the 23H2?
Also second PC with Intel 10Gen CPU and Asus H410M MoBo with latest bios 2803 both "supposed" to support Win11 but "no TPM" error.
Oh, Microsoft and Windows 11...

 

[Colif]

Still on 22H2 and "up to date". What happened to the 23H2?

erm, its been out for 6 months. Have you tried running the update assistant?
Its first link here - https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

24H2 also introduces AI Explorer but it only works if you have an NPU.
Only the most recent CPU have those, but this isn't a necessity, it just stops you using AI Explorer if you don't. I don't have a new CPU and the thought of missing out on AI doesn't make me feel I need to rush out and get one.

https://www.techradar.com/computing...-11-but-can-your-pc-run-it-heres-how-to-check

What if I don't want co pilot integrated into my OS? (waits for the linux people to come out of slumber)

 

[SkyNetRising]

Also second PC with Intel 10Gen CPU and Asus H410M MoBo with latest bios 2803 both "supposed" to support Win11 but "no TPM" error.

Turn on Intel Platform Trust Technology (Intel PTT) in BIOS.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rFrgPT1O9s

 

[BFG-9000]

For Intel, nothing has changed as Nehalem supports both POPCNT and SSE4.2. What changed is now K10 Opteron or Phenom of 2007 which have POPCNT in SSE4a but no SSE4.2 will no longer get updates after Nov 11, 2025 just like Core 2.

This is only one month after the EOL of Windows 10 on Oct 14, 2025 so those platforms that can no longer run a current Windows should be migrated to linux for security.

Of course you know most people won't do that, and some version of Firefox will probably continue to work on either Windows 11 23H2 or Windows 10 22H2 for years. Notably, Chrome support for Windows 8.1 ended the month after the last of Microsoft support ended

 

[Colif]

This is only one month after the EOL of Windows 10 on Oct 14, 2025 so those platforms that can no longer run a current Windows should be migrated to linux for security.

just use a 3rd part AV if the lack of support bothers you. I used Vista for years after it stopped being supported.

could also pay for extended support it they really want to use the PC on 10: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/extended-security-updates

 

[BFG-9000]

Windows 7 still gets daily automatic definition updates for Microsoft Security Essentials today, and I expect the same will be true for its successor Windows Defender for a long time.

 

[noel_prg_la1979]

For Intel, nothing has changed as Nehalem supports both POPCNT and SSE4.2. What changed is now K10 Opteron or Phenom of 2007 which have POPCNT in SSE4a but no SSE4.2 will no longer get updates after Nov 11, 2025 just like Core 2.

This is only one month after the EOL of Windows 10 on Oct 14, 2025 so those platforms that can no longer run a current Windows should be migrated to linux for security.

Of course you know most people won't do that, and some version of Firefox will probably continue to work on either Windows 11 23H2 or Windows 10 22H2 for years. Notably, Chrome support for Windows 8.1 ended the month after the last of Microsoft support ended

AMD "Bulldozer" & "Piledriver" series of CPUs (aka AMD FX, the ones released after K10) have both POPCNT AND SSE4.2 support

 

[noel_prg_la1979]

just use a 3rd part AV if the lack of support bothers you. I used Vista for years after it stopped being supported.

could also pay for extended support it they really want to use the PC on 10: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/extended-security-updates

or run recent Win10 LTSC releases (either ltsc 2019 or ltsc 2021), which have much longer support


edit - btw, saw this story recently on Neowin

Unsupported Windows 11 24H2 PC users can legit upgrade from Windows 8 by this bypass trick

 

[noel_prg_la1979]

OK then: what motherboard platform supporting Secure Boot could host a CPU that does not support SSE 4.2?

there's none, so don't bother looking
plus Win11 requires TPM 2.0, not TPM 1.x
those with TPM 1.2 or older may still need to use a reg hack bypass to install Win11