Microsoft has rolled out the final version of its upcoming big update 22H2 for Windows 11 to Release Preview Channel testers, marking another step towards the general availability of Windows 11 22H2 slated for release later this year.
But this version arrived on some computers that are not officially supported due to a bug. It appears from reports that users who use unsupported devices are also offered to upgrade, even those running Windows 10.
Notably, there is also a Windows 10 Release Preview channel that receives cumulative updates before the public release of Windows 10. But supported devices see an ad saying: Windows 11 version 22H2 is ready.
The problem here is that it appears to be served across unsupported devices as well. Users were quick to spot the bug, as hundreds of Windows Insider users were able to upgrade their Windows 10 devices over old CPUs.
Microsoft has strict minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, leaving millions of PCs behind. As a result, the error may once again shed light on the company's controversial promotion policy.
Windows 11 officially requires 8th generation Intel Coffee Lake or AMD Zen 2 CPUs and above, with very few exceptions.
Unsupported computers get Windows 11
There are easy ways to install the system via unsupported CPUs. But the company doesn't even allow Windows Insider subscribers to install officially beta versions of a system across unsupported devices. As a result this error version is somewhat unusual.
Microsoft is clearly aware of the error and has investigated it. The official Windows Insider account says: An error has occurred and the team is investigating it.
And if you were expecting Windows 10 Release Preview Channel updates and instead got Windows 11 via an unsupported computer, you are able to undo the unexpected upgrade in the Settings section of the operating system.
It is advised to undo the upgrade because unsupported devices will not get security updates. And if you don't back out during that time, you'll have to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch.