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New Intel and AMD Chips Will Only Support Windows 10 (pcworld.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the console-exclusives dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Buried in the announcement of the new Kaby Lake (seventh-generation) processors and a rash of incoming notebooks set to use them is the confirmation that they will have a Windows 10 future. Microsoft has been warning people for ages that Kaby Lake will not run on anything older than Windows 10, and it looks like AMD's upcoming Zen chip will be going the same way. Microsoft said, "As new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support. 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." "We are committed to working with Microsoft and our ecosystem partners to help ensure a smooth transition given these changes to Microsoft's Windows support policy," an Intel spokesperson said. "No, Intel will not be updating Win 7/8 drivers for 7th Gen Intel Core [Kaby Lake] per Microsoft's support policy change." An AMD representative was equally neutral. "AMD's processor roadmap is fully aligned with Microsoft's software strategy," AMD chief technical officer Mark Papermaster said, via a company spokeswoman. Slashdot reader MojoKid via HotHardware has some more details on Intel's Kaby Lake 7th Gen Core Series Processors for those yearning to learn more.

2 of 585 comments (clear)

  1. In time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It will be illegal to run any other version than Windows 10.

  2. Re:Collusion is illegal by sexconker · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Intel already tried to break the Windows 10 installer with their latest chipsets.

    They forced the USB controller into XHCI mode for no reason, so when you get to the point in the Windows 7 installer where you need to interact with it, you're fucked if you're using USB installation media or a USB keyboard. Using an optical drive and an unattended setup answers file or an optical drive and a PS/2 keyboard works. Guess which things modern Intel platforms tend not to have.

    Of course, the Taiwanese mobo manufacturers all released the workarounds (use a DVD and a PS/2 keyboard, use USB ports 7 and 8 which are powered by the non-Intel controller, etc.) and even published tools to patch the Windows 7 installer to just make it work. Intel and MS responded after much outcry by releasing official versions of those same tools.

    Fuck both Intel and MS. If AMD goes the same way, fuck them too. Windows 10 is the worst thing to happen in computing this decade.