Windows 11 (or whatever version of Windows it is that Microsoft plans to unveil soon) could be coming to a lot more PCs than we know of, even really old ones.
Tom's Hardware reports that Windows 7 users could be getting a free upgrade to Windows 11 soon. According to reports, a leaked build of Windows 11 currently in the works suggests this due to certain config keys found in the build. These keys were found in the still-unreleased operating system's product key configuration package (Pkeyconfig), where Windows 7 (and even Windows 8.1 users) will be able to upgrade to the new OS for free.
However, there seems to be a small caveat: Windows 8 isn't on the list, and you should know that this is very different from 8.1. According to a report by Slash Gear, this might mean that W8 users will need to upgrade to 8.1 first before they're eligible for the "free" upgrade.
Looking at this news a bit deeper, it looks like the supposed free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 11 makes a bit of sense. Windows 7, despite its relative age, still has the second-most number of active users next to Windows 10, as reported by Gadgets360. And if Windows 11 is offered as a free upgrade for Windows 7, then Windows 10 users will likely get a crack at it, too.
This information comes after numerous leaks concerning Windows 11 have been surfacing, and also after Microsoft themselves have announced that they're ending official Windows 10 support by 2025.
Windows 11: Should You Be Excited?
Microsoft has been repeatedly teasing Windows 11 ahead of its official reveal on June 24. They've even released a so-called "slo-fi" mix of the startup sounds of the still-unreleased OS. If they're going through this much marketing trouble, then they might be planning to announce a lot of big news.
So far, though, almost all rumors concerning Windows 11 seem to be focusing on visuals. It looks almost identical to Windows 10 according to several leaked screenshots, though with a few visual changes. People noticed that the windows now have rounded corners, the Start menu looks a little different, and that the program icons on the taskbar seem to be laid out the same way as those on MacOS.
Aside from that, some eagle-eyed sleuths also identified a lot of visual choices that resemble those from the cancelled Windows 10X, which was supposed to be a "lighter" version of Windows 10.
As for the operating system's overall performance, however, there's not much information about it yet. However, the popular tech YouTuber Linus Sebastian did post a video of him playing (or trying to play) games on a supposedly leaked version of Windows 11, which he had to install on a virtual machine to make it work well enough. The OS itself performed well enough, barring a few bugs that result from it being a leaked and unofficial build--all hands on deck for the June 24 presentation by Microsoft, when all shall be revealed.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by RJ Pierce
