Next-Gen CPUs Will Only Support Windows 10

Microsoft and industry partners are taking significant steps to ensure users upgrade to Windows 10.

Windows 10 Bug ArtAll next-generation processors built by Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, or others, will only support Windows 10, Microsoft confirmed in a recent blog post. That means if you buy a PC with these upgraded chips—Intel's "Kaby Lake," Qualcomm's "8996," and AMD's "Bristol Ridge"—they will only run Windows 10; you can't downgrade to Windows 7 or 8.1.

"Going forward, as new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support," wrote Microsoft's executive vice president of the Windows and Devices Group, Terry Myerson. "This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon, while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon."

If you have a PC running Intel's Skylake chips, meanwhile, Microsoft would also like you to upgrade to Windows 10 immediately. If that's not possible—perhaps your employer is not quite ready to upgrade the office—Microsoft said it will "deliver a list of specific new Skylake devices" that will support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1—but only until July 17, 2017.

Once we hit that date, "the most critical Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 security updates will be addressed for these configurations, and will be released if the update does not risk the reliability or compatibility of the Windows 7/8.1 platform on other devices."

:story: PC Magazine