At the beginning of February, we learned that Ryzen processors will only have official support under Windows 10. That’s just a simple extension of the agreement between Microsoft and major hardware manufacturers, which established the latest version of Windows as the only compatible one for seventh-generation chips. A recent entry in the support section reveals an error message that Windows 7 and 8.1 users will probably find on PCs with new processors when trying to use Windows Update, and which also suggests a general block for those platforms.
With the first Ryzen processors on the market and the discovery of some bugs in Windows 10 that affect performance, users were quick to carry out their own experiments installing previous versions of the operating system. The main challenge seems to be the correct configuration of USB support (detection of keyboards and mice, recognition of pendrives, etc.), but from a technical point of view, it’s not impossible. The TechEpiphany channel on YouTube has several game comparisons on Ryzen in Windows 7 and Windows 10. In all cases, the feeling is that Microsoft should release a couple of patches as soon as possible, but as we already know, they will only come to Windows 10.
If this needed any extra confirmation, we already received it through entry KB4012982. The document presents information about the error “Your PC uses a processor that isn’t supported by this version of Windows and won’t receive updates”, which can also be identified under code 80240037 (unknown error) in Windows Update. The problem affects users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 on computers with Intel seventh-generation processors (Kaby Lake) or later, AMD Bristol Ridge processors (Excavator on AM4 socket) or higher, and Qualcomm 8996 (Snapdragon 820-821).
And the solution is… that there is no solution, or at least not the one the user wants. The document simply recommends updating those computers to Windows 10 to receive full support in Windows Update. Now, the same text doesn’t indicate any kind of restriction on manual download of hotfixes, unless Redmond decides to introduce a sort of CPUID-level block. Personally, I don’t think artificially limiting access to patches (including security ones) by processor type is a good idea. The case of Windows 8.1 is the most striking, since it’s still in mainstream support, and will remain so until October 2018.
Access the document: KB4012982
Source: Ars Technica
