Monday 27 February 2023

Registry Hack Removes Windows 11 Watermark on Unsupported PCs

Microsoft is reportedly ramping up its efforts to annoy people running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. The company is adding a watermark to users’ desktops, admonishing them for not meeting Windows 11 requirements. This has long been a huge roadblock for Windows 11 adoption, as it’s only supported on newer PCs. The biggest sticking point is the requirement of a Trusted Platform Module 2.0, which only comes on CPUs made in the past few years. It also has to be enabled in the BIOS, so a newer motherboard is needed too. However, there’s always been workarounds for older PC running Windows 11. Now Microsoft is upping the stakes by trying to bug users of these machines via desktop messages. You can turn it off if you’re comfortable editing the Windows Registry.

It seems Microsoft recently began pushing this message to users that are deploying TPM bypass or another workaround. A user on Twitter flagged it recently as appearing unexpectedly. That user was indeed using the TPM bypass, as their laptop is 15 years old. The blunt message states, “System requirements not met. Go to Settings to learn more.” To be fair to Microsoft, if a system doesn’t support Windows 11, a user might want to know how to get rid of this message. However, according to HotHardware, there’s not much to be gleaned from learning more in Settings. Instead, it says you “might want to consider purchasing a new PC.” Gee, thanks for the advice Microsoft.

If you’re seeing this message and have decided not to buy a new PC, here’s how to get rid of the message. We have to insert the usual disclaimer here about the dangers of editing the registry. This is the underbelly of the entire operating system, so proceed with caution. It’s also a good idea to create a System Restore Point before you do it. That will save a copy of the current registry in case things go sideways. With that in mind, here’s what you need to do:

  • Click on the Start menu and type Registry Editor and open it
  • Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER
  • Navigate to and expand Control Panel
  • Click the UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache folder
  • In the accompanying window pane, right-click the SV2 entry and select Modify
  • Change the value to “0” then click OK
  • Reboot your PC

To recap, the official requirements for Windows 11 are as follows: You’ll need an 8th Gen Intel CPU or second-gen AMD Ryzen CPU, at least 4GB of memory, 64GB of storage, and a motherboard that supports UEFI and Secure Boot. Your graphics card has to support DirectX 12. Finally, you’ll need a 9-inch display that supports 720p resolution.

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