Some people who ask if their PC can run Windows 11 are told it can't, but decide to upgrade anyway. Now Microsoft is experimenting with new ways to inform such users that their newly upgraded PC really shouldn't be running the OS.
As Windows Latest reports, the newest build of Windows 11 includes a watermark on the desktop wallpaper and a warning in the Systems app. If a PC is deemed unfit to run Windows 11, the message "System requirements not met" will appear in the app and in the bottom right-hand corner of the wallpaper. In the Systems app, the warning will be followed by a clickable "Learn more" link. (This was first spotted by a Twitter user known as Albacore earlier this month.)
Whether these warnings make it out of testing is unclear. A persistent warning is sure to annoy users while at the same time not really achieving anything positive. Does Microsoft expect users to take the time to downgrade to Windows 10? It's unlikely, and would only work if Microsoft also implemented a quick and painless way to carry out such a downgrade.
As The Verge notes, Microsoft has done this in the past and even restricted access to features until devices were in compliance, though it doesn't seem to be restricting anything right now.
The hardware requirements for Windows 11 include 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage space, a GPU with support for DirectX 12 and Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 2.0, and a supported CPU from Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm. It's a short-term problem for Microsoft as we all continue to upgrade our hardware in the coming years, and likely to disappear along with these warnings relatively quickly.