The next version of Windows 11 will not boot on some older PCs

Microsoft is expected to release the Windows 11 version 24H2 update in the fall of 2024. The update will introduce new features and improvements, including enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities. However, it will also come with a new hardware requirement that will make many PCs with older CPUs incompatible with Windows 11 version 24H2.

The new requirement is the support for the POPCNT, which stands for “population count” instruction, and PCs over 15 years old would not be able to boot Windows 11 version 24H2. Previously, there were some ways to bypass limitations on older PCs, but the POPCNT instruction is mandatory and cannot be skipped. Therefore, older PCs that do not support the POPCNT instruction will definitely not be able to run Windows 11 24H2.

This development was first shared by an X (formerly Twitter) user, Bob Pony.

For the unaware, the POPCNT instruction is a CPU instruction that was introduced by AMD in 2006-07 and by Intel in 2008-09. It is available in modern processors but not in some older ones, especially those released more than 15 years ago. Users running Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion II based PCs will not be able to boot Windows 11 version 24H2.

Users can use the Windows 11 PC Health Check app to check if their PC meets the minimum requirements for Windows 11, including the POPCNT instruction. If the CPU does not support the POPCNT instruction, users will not be able to run Windows 11 24H2 on their PC.