For novice digital technology enthusiasts, whether it’s a computer or a smartphone, seeing a system (or a certain hardware driver) update notification often brings excitement.
This is because “updates” usually mean bug fixes, improved stability, and possibly the addition of several new features, enhanced performance, and better battery life, which novices will install without hesitation at the first opportunity.
However, experienced users understand that things may not be as optimistic or ideal as expected. Installing a system update or hardware driver update might bring more negative issues, including but not limited to performance degradation, lag, or shorter battery life, meaning the experience might worsen instead of improve.
Both computers and smartphones objectively experience these situations, which has led to a popular joke in the digital community: an update “fixes the bug of excessive performance (or longer battery life)” as a sarcastic remark about manufacturers.
The reasons for such scenarios are complex, including some cases where manufacturers unintentionally introduce bugs or imperfect patches.
However, there are also situations where manufacturers intentionally reduce performance (or block certain features) under the guise of “safety and stability considerations.”
With this background set, let’s move to the main topic of this article.
On April 12, Microsoft announced that it had completely fixed a major bug in the Intel platform, allowing users who were previously ineligible to upgrade to the Windows 11 operating system to do so through normal procedures.
So, what exactly did Microsoft fix? The issue is long-standing and complex. In essence, there was an incompatibility issue between Intel’s 11th generation Core processors and certain versions of Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers on Windows 11, which could cause a blue screen error.
Computers likely to have this issue would show an “Intel® Smart Sound Technology (Intel® SST) Audio Controller” under “System Devices” in Windows 11 Device Manager, with a file named “IntcAudioBus.sys” in the driver files.
If a user has an Intel 11th generation Core processor and has installed Intel SST drivers with versions 10.29.0.5152 or 10.30.0.5152, there is a high likelihood of encountering the blue screen issue.
This problem was initially identified in November 2021, and Microsoft took some measures to fix it, but these were only partially effective and did not completely resolve the issue. As a result, Microsoft bluntly prevented users with the aforementioned characteristics from upgrading to Windows 11.
On April 12, Microsoft announced that it had fully resolved the issue. Affected users can now upgrade their drivers through Windows Automatic Update or directly from Intel’s official website, and then smoothly upgrade to Windows 11 without any further upgrade blocks.
Additionally, there is more good news: rumors suggest that in the second half of this year, with the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update, Microsoft will relax and remove more restrictions preventing older devices from upgrading to Windows 11, allowing more devices to upgrade. This is indeed good news and Microsoft deserves commendation.
If you are currently using an Intel 11th-generation Core processor and are unable to upgrade to Windows 11, you should refer to this article to check and verify your situation. If your computer is affected, it is advisable to immediately upgrade the relevant Intel drivers, after which you can enjoy the experience of Windows 11.
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