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[Bowdon]

Intel's Skylake CPU (and future CPU's) are going to be locked to only be allowed to use Windows 10 Operating system by July 17th, 2017.

Anyone using a Skylake CPU with no Win10 installed will be forced to upgrade to Win10.

Also support for operating systems using non-Skylake machines will end on January 14th 2020 for Windows 7 and January 10th 2023 for Windows 8.1

http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2016/01/skylake-users-given-18-months-to-upgrade-to-windows-10/

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/16/10780876/microsoft-windows-support-policy-new-processors-skylake

I read about these kind of moves happening a few years ago when there was debate in technical circles how Microsft and Intel were locking down the motherboards to only work with devices that they approved of. This latest move, along with the Win10 1151 update removing incompatible software shows where we are heading.

[ejs]

I recently built myself an i5 Skylake system. It's running Linux (Fedora).

[Ronski]

Sounds unlikely to me, what about all the Apple Macs which use Intel CPUs, also Linux servers although they will probably be using Xeons. If they do go ahead with this then I'm sure AMD will be rubbing their hands together.

[ejs]

I looked at the article, it's about Win 7 / 8.1 support (updates) stopping, what already happens is that they won't make drivers for new hardware for old operating systems. Yes I've also got Intel Wireless 8260, it works fine in Linux.

[roseway]

Surely this can only apply to Windows systems? It would be pretty mad for Intel to agree to make their processors unusable by other OSs.

[AArdvark]

It is MS attempting to move in the same direction Apple.
Control the Hardware you run on and then control the Software by forcing all MS users running Win7/8/8.x to 'upgrade' to Win 10.

I did say some time ago that MS would be moving towards 'Win10' Compatible hardware that gives a 'certified exclusive Win10 Experience  ' , this is the first step.
It does not exclude any other 'None-MS' OS but it clearly builds a big wall excluding Win7/8/8.x from the new hardware.
Very clever way of doing it but it does confirm that win10 is all that MS is concerned about and old customers are being forced to walk the plank if they do not 'accept' the free offer to move to Win10.

Still cannot believe that this is getting so little press.

Still say that MS will start producing Win10 Hardware to run Win10.
(Probably by licensing someone to produce the hardware for them with the official 'MS Win10 Inside' Badge or whatever!!)

Any similarity to a well known 'Fruit' company is still pure random chance !! 

[kitz]

 

[Dray]

According to http://gizmodo.com/only-the-latest-version-of-windows-will-run-on-some-fut-1753545825

Windows 10 will be the only supported Windows platform on Intel’s upcoming “Kaby Lake” silicon, Qualcomm’s upcoming “8996” silicon, and AMD’s upcoming “Bristol Ridge” silicon.

[Chrysalis]

Article seems a bit misleading, perhaps on microsoft's approval.

Cpu's dont really have software drivers, they adhere to a x84 or x64 spec.  Meaning they are like lego, drop in compatible.

Worse case scenario is likely that older windows wont support newer cpu extensions, which sort of happens now anyway.  Unless microsoft code in a hard block into the windows bootloader or something then they will work.

[AArdvark]

Article seems a bit misleading, perhaps on microsoft's approval.

Cpu's dont really have software drivers, they adhere to a x84 or x64 spec.  Meaning they are like lego, drop in compatible.

Worse case scenario is likely that older windows wont support newer cpu extensions, which sort of happens now anyway.  Unless microsoft code in a hard block into the windows bootloader or something then they will work.

That is exactly what I would expect from MS.

MS have been rolling out lots of changes to Win 7/8/8.x as well as Win10.
You put into the OS a check for disallowed CPU's.
I would bet that there is a nice full screen message for anyone who runs the latest Win 7/8/8.x on the new CPU's.   

[NewtronStar]

Worse case scenario is likely that older windows wont support newer cpu extensions, which sort of happens now anyway. 

MY goodness that reminds me to update this Dual core E6700 Desktop running at 3.4GHZ runs fine on Vista Win7 Win8.0 Win8.1 and Win10

[Chrysalis]

aardvark it would be funny if they did just that because unless the media are a corrupt set of goons then they should be able to work out it would be an artificial block.

I think windows 2000 and older have an issue on modern cpu's when not enabling a option in the bios to reduce the reported number of extensions, but I believe even with that option disabled the OS would still function. 

Windows 95 would probably work fine on my haswell.  The issue would be lack of drivers for the chipset, graphics etc.

Which brings me up to windows 10 again, the new chipsets will have drivers required for the sata bus etc.  Of course intel and co alongside microsoft can be dicks and deliberately not provide drivers for older operating systems. Then that would possibly cause an issue although the OS would have fallback, so if no sata drivers, it would likely be the msahci drivers as an example.  There is also consumer feedback, if sales plummet for new hardware due to the lack of support then the hardware vendors would back down.

[AArdvark]

aardvark it would be funny if they did just that because unless the media are a corrupt set of goons then they should be able to work out it would be an artificial block.
...

We know it is an artificial block!!
The new CPU's will support a superset of the x86 / x64 Instruction set.
The only reason you will get a problem will be because MS make one.

I would bet that MS have been ensuring that all the new CPU's return a known response when queried by Win10.
Win10 will use some of the new Instruction set extensions to speed up the code on the new CPU's.
It also is a handy excuse for why the new hardware is needed for the full 'Win10' Experience.
I expect that the Win10 that has been rolled out as a free upgrade is NOT the same as the latest version for the new CPU's.
The objective of the Free roll-out is to lock-in Win10 Users, so CPU lockouts are NOT there.
At some point further down the road I expect the updates will be 'limited' because you are not on the latest hardware.
The pitch will be that you are losing out because you are not on the best hardware for Win10.
[That will be the 'ying' for the Hardware Vendors to balance out the 'yang' of complying with the 'request' from MS.]

The idea of a multi-tiered experience is already there as the difference between the Domestic user and the Enterprise user.
The rest is just an extension for the time being until the older hardware disappears due to natural wastage, so to speak.

The new improved MS seems to be on a roll and I am waiting for 'OS on a subscription' following the huge success of Adobe 'renting' their software. [Wait a year or two.]
The driver behind all this is pure and simply money, they are trying to claw back not only the cost of Win10 but the cost of the failure of Win8.x as well.
At the current rate they will succeed !!

[Chrysalis]

We dont know anything yet until these new cpu's are released.  I think they will work fine, the chipset drivers may be lacking tho.

Microsoft arent alone sadly, they switching to the model already used by google and apple.  I dont like it but its where the industry has moved to.

I am keeping my systems either on win 8.1 or win7 (upgrading some to 8.1 currently), when the day comes I use hardware that doesnt work on either of these OS's then I will decide either to use a newer windows or move to linux for my desktop use.

[Bowdon]

I wish at some point another company would make a machine that was run on non-intel/IBM motherboards and had its own chips. I think if the platform was built around creating programs from peoples bedrooms, like the older computers were, then it would eventually make profit. The biggest stumbling block would be the initial cash boost at the start and getting the device to take off. But there is a good example of a successful launch with Raspberry Pi.

I do have to wonder if at some point microsoft will attempt to block out Linux on the new processors. Motherboards are being used to activate windows these days too. So it would make getting around checks more difficult if using a modern motherboard.