Do not buy a new computer: Microsoft should make a Windows 11 variant that works on old computers

24 March 2025

I’m no longer (thankfully) in the Windows fold, so I’m not one-hundred percent sure, but it seems like some older computers might not be able to run Microsoft’s (MS) most recent operating system (OS), Windows 11. Accordingly, owners of such devices seem intent to hold onto their existing machines, and stay on Windows 10, at the same time.

After all, do you really need to buy a new computer? If their present device is sufficient, why bother replacing it? That’s not the way MS sees things though. They want everyone to migrate to Win 11, come what may. Your existing computer is not up to running Win 11? No problem, simply buy a new device, and see if you can get a trade-in on the old one.

This is a suggestion MS has emailed to some Win 10 users recently. Evidently MS is unaware of the cost of living pressures some people are facing. And what sort of trade-in deal does MS think anyone will get from a device that cannot run Win 11, anyway? What an absurd notion: buy a new computer so you can upgrade to MS’s new OS.

People can continue using Win 10 on their computers for as long as they want, but will eventually stop receiving security updates. And running Win 10 without crucial updates would not be wise. The only safe way forward is to try another OS, such as Linux, but that’s not an option for everyone.

It’s doable of course, but there is something of a learning curve involved. I think the ball is in MS’s court though. They could do more to help people on older machines migrate to Win 11. One suggestion is to roll out a “light weight” version of Win 11 for those unable to change computers. This light version of Win 11 wouldn’t of course have the same capabilities as the full version, but for some people that might be a small price to pay.

I’m thinking a little of XFCE, the Linux Mint OS variant, designed to run on “low-end” personal computers. It could hardly be an onerous task for a company with the resources MS has at its disposal. Don’t make people buy a computer that suits your OS Microsoft: make an OS that suits the computers people already have.

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