In May 2024, Microsoft manager Brett Ostrum unveiled a notebook and a tablet from the company's own Surface brand. In addition to the AI assistant, they also rely on chips with ARM technology. — Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
BERLIN: Windows 11 computers that use ARM chips have now arrived. One consequence is that some software that ran successfully on Intel or AMD chips may no longer work.
An emulator built into Windows 11 should keep the number of such programs down but Microsoft has said that this won’t work in every case.
For example, hardware drivers, driver software for games and special apps such as antivirus software will only work if they were developed for a computer with Windows 11 and ARM.
If not, there could be an impact on external drives, assistance devices for the disabled, and other peripheral devices such as printers and scanners. Microsoft advises contacting the relevant manufacturers and software developers if in doubt.
Some games also won’t work if they rely on anti-cheat drivers that haven't been made for Windows 11 Arm-based PCs, Microsoft says. Older games in particular are more like to be affected. To find out if a game is compatible with Windows 11 with ARM you can check on www.worksonwoa.com.
According to Microsoft, some third-party antivirus programs won’t run on Windows 11 with ARM. This could change with future updates to those programs. Until then you can use Microsoft’s built-in solution Windows Security.
Last but not least, another Windows feature has fallen victim to the switch to the ARM architecture – Windows Fax and Scan is no longer available.
Microsoft hasn’t mentioned a replacement for this rather outdated app so far. Users should check with the manufacturer of their scanner or printer for suitable software that will work with Windows 11 on ARM. – dpa
