Computers that wish to update their systems to Windows 11 24H2 must be equipped with a processor that supports SSE 4.2 technology, according to an update to Microsoft’s minimum requirements.
Although this feature is not new nor does it pose a problem for most users, it has prevented some users from being able to update the operating system to the new version. Without this support, Windows 11 does not even begin the boot process.
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Software
19 Apr
Software
19 Apr
“SSE 4.2” is an acronym for Streaming SIMD Extensions. Essentially, it is a set of multimedia and math playback instructions that improve the performance of these operations. Originally, the feature was introduced by Intel in 2008, reaching AMD CPUs in 2011.
Previously, this feature set was not a requirement to run Windows 11 24H2. However, for undisclosed reasons, Microsoft decided to increase the volume of requirements for this purpose, as first pointed out by the informant “Bob Pony” on X (formerly Twitter).
As we said, in practical terms, this won’t make a difference to many people: any recent processor already comes with native support for SSE 4.2. However, some users, such as retro computing enthusiasts or anyone who uses a truly old computer will be left out of said update.
The 24H2 version of Windows 11 is a major systemic update, introducing several quality of life changes and new support for computers. The biggest highlight is the fact that this update is the first including Snapdragon X Series processorsfrom Qualcomm, in addition to bringing an expanded focus on artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
The expectation is that the new version will come sometime in the second half of 2024, but an LTSC version of it ended up leaking at the beginning of the month.
