Intel Atom Clover Trail systems cannot update to Windows 10 Creators Update and it’s unclear if a fix is coming.
Microsoft has been aggressive in pushing its users to Windows 10, and that makes good sense. Older Windows versions are losing support and Windows 10 offers a solid upgrade path that brings enhanced performance, features, and security. Now, there is another reason for some users to upgrade, as devices based on the relatively recent Intel Atom Clover Trail processors cannot update to Windows 10 Creators Update.
The news came via ZDNet, which reported on a number of cases where Atom Clover Trail systems failed to update and the Creators Update setup app generated the following error dialog:
“Windows 10 is no longer supported on this PC. Uninstall this app now because it isn’ t compatible with Windows 10.”
As ZDNet notes, the error is a bit confusing. There is no app that actually needs to be uninstalled, of course, and the installation just fails at that point even though the pre-installation compatibility report does not catch the error and the update downloads without issue.
Interestingly, Acer had already indicated that its systems do not support Creators Update. From the company’s support site:
“The following Intel Clover Trail processors are currently not supported on Windows 10 Creators Update:
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.”
That note, which also shows up in a Microsoft TechNet support thread, implies that a fix could be coming that would allow Creators Update to be installed. However, even if the systems do get the update, Microsoft only promises that a Windows feature update will receive updates for 18 months, meaning that a buyer of an Atom Clover Trail system could see it losing support after only three years.
This leaves the situation in a bit of a confused state at the moment. If you are the owner of one of these systems, then as of right now you will be stuck running Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Whether or not Microsoft provides a fix remains to be seen and for now, it raises the specter of the same kind of issue arising for owners of other relatively recent devices.
