Short Bytes: The confusion surrounding the supported lifetime of Windows 10 and devices seems to be in the limelight once more. According to reports, the devices running Intel Atom Clover Trail processors are failing to install the new Windows 10 Creators Update. Most probably, these devices will stop getting security and other updates after early 2018.
One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft’s new Windows as a Service model is its ability to bring new features to Windows 10 users from time to time and ensure timely updates. This had also turned out to be a headache for the users with a limited data connection. In the latest development related to Windows 10 updates, Microsoft is cutting off the support for some Windows 10 PCs.As reported by ZDNet’s Ed Bott, the first 2-in-1 PCs which were sold in 2013 and 2014 are showing an error message that reads “Windows 10 is no longer supported on this PC.” The accompanying text with this message is confusing. It states, “Uninstall this app now because it isn’t compatible with Windows 10.” This error is shown when someone tries to install the Windows 10 Creators Update, which was released in March 2017.
Are Intel Atom Clover Trail series CPUs now unsupported?
There’s no app to uninstall and there are no fixes that you can apply to perform the Windows 10 Creators Update on these PCs. This is due to the fact that you might be running a device powered by Intel Atom Clover Trail processors, which are about 4-5 years old.
As per Ed Bott, the Creators Update fails after downloading more than 3GB of setup files. The Intel Clover Trail processors affected by this issue are:
- Atom Z2760
- Atom Z2520
- Atom Z2560
- Atom Z2580
So, what are the consequences? Won’t you get Windows 10 security updates for your Atom Clover Trail machines? For the time being, the answer to this question is “No.” According to Microsoft’s service terms, the company supports major Windows 10 releases for at least 18 months. If we assume that a system is running August 2016’s Anniversary Update and it’s unable to upgrade to Creators Update, it won’t receive security and feature updates after early 2018.
However, there is a very thin hope that the issue might get resolved. This problem was highlighted in a Technet forum post where a Microsoft moderator answered with the following statement:
“Microsoft is working with our partners to provide compatible drivers for these processors. Until then, Windows Update will prevent devices containing one of the processors listed above from installing the Creators Update.”
The statement was also accompanied by the suggestion to avoid trying to install Creators Update on such devices.
What’s next?
If you take a look at Windows lifecycle support page, you’ll notice a policy clarification:
“A device may not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, lacking current drivers, or otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period.”
This policy explains how a device which is just 3-4 years old can be denied updates. This also underlines the confusion surrounding the Windows as a Service model as the user doesn’t have a concrete idea regarding the supported lifetime of devices. This is even more frustrating when he/she remembers Microsoft’s malware-like upgrade notifications that forced one to upgrade to Windows 10 in the first place.
Are you using a machine running Intel Atom Clover Trail CPU? Are you planning to ditch Windows 10 or going to buy a new device? Share your views with us and become a part of the discussion.
Also Read: How To Fix 100% Disk Usage In Windows 10?
