2024-02-24 18:51:00
A few weeks ago, Microsoft surprised people with the decision to change the system requirements for Windows 11 again. It was said that only CPUs that support the “PopCnt” (Popcount or Population Count) function would be permitted.
PopCnt duty should come
PopCnt is an SSE 4.2-based instruction that will probably be made mandatory with Windows 11 version 24H2. As a result, older processors could no longer boot Windows 11 Canary Build 25905.
But there are other problems that have arisen with PopCnt. It seems that there are compatibility problems. Users reported Microsoft Store apps malfunctioning on Windows 10, causing old processors to be unable to boot on these systems, resulting in a “File System Error (-2147219196).”
Microsoft is working on user reports
Microsoft developer Mahmoud G Saleh confirmed that the issue was related to a faulty Visual C++ Libraries (VCLibs) package. It said:
- “Hello, the Visual C++ team has identified the issue as a regression in the VClibs framework package on which the Photos app and other apps depend. The issue affects computers with older hardware (that do not support SSE 4.2 instructions). Microsoft “We are currently working on validating a solution that should be available to affected customers shortly.”
‘)/*]]>*/ This PopCnt error first appeared in November last year. The problem appears to have been introduced with the Visual Studio Update version 17.8.0. The latest version of Visual Studio 2022, version 17.9.1, fixes this issue among several other bugs. While this should fix the Visual Studio Code issue and the problem of applications not working on older processors, it still seems unlikely that older chips will work on Windows 11 24H2.
Error message for unsupported systems
The setup file for the Windows 11 version displays the message “This PC’s processor does not support a critical feature (PopCnt)” when users try to install version 24H2 on such systems. Summary
- Microsoft tightens Windows 11 requirements with PopCnt
- CPU support for PopCnt is required for Windows 11
- Old processors fail to boot Windows 11 Canary Build 25905
- PopCnt error causes problems with Microsoft Store apps on Windows 10
- Microsoft is working on a solution to the file system error
- Visual Studio Update 17.9.1 fixes PopCnt errors and other issues
- Older CPUs are likely to be left out of Windows 11 24H2
See also:
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