Intel Atom ‘Clover Trail’ PCs Blocked From Receiving Windows 10 Creators Update
In fact, customers running this particular hardware combination can’t even install the Windows 10 Creators Update, which was released to the public back in April. According to ZDNet, owners of notebooks, convertibles, and SFF desktops with the following Atom processors are being blocked from updating to the latest publicly released version of Windows 10:
- Atom Z2760
- Atom Z2520
- Atom Z2560
- Atom Z2580
Clover Trail-based Atom processors have been around since 2012, when we took a look at the Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T1C tablet, which featured an Atom Z2760. Systems based around these processors are receiving the following message when they attempt to install the Creators Update:
It is unknown what hardware incompatibility has caused Microsoft to shut out these Atom systems, but there doesn’t yet appear to be a current workaround or proposed fix to resolve the issue. Although Microsoft hasn’t given any further guidance on what is preventing these Atom systems from being compatible with the Windows 10 Creators Update, Acer has providing the following commentary:
Microsoft is working with us to help provide compatible drivers to address this incompatibility. If you install the Windows 10 creators update, icons and text may not appear at all, or may show up as solid color blocks or bars. If you have already installed Creators Update and are experiencing problems, you can use Windows 10 recovery options to restore your system to the previous build.
Systems based on Clover Trail Atom processors were originally sold with either Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. As such, they were eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 10 when it launched. Even though Microsoft had promised to deliver updates to these Windows 10 systems long term, as we’re not seeing, this isn’t always the case.
Microsoft states that “Each Windows 10 feature update will be serviced with quality updates for 18 months from the date of the feature update release.” Since these systems are stuck with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (for now), they will be cut off from future security updates starting early next year.
