Windows 10 Creators Update might leave Intel's Atom 'Clover Trail' CPUs behind

Windows 10 Cloud Wallpaper
Windows 10 Cloud Wallpaper (Image credit: Microsoft)

As things currently, the latest feature update for Windows 10 is poised to leave some users behind. According to ZDNet, PCs running on Intel's Atom Clover Trail processors are currently unsupported by the Windows 10 Creators Update.

According to the report, users trying to install the update on Atom Clover Trail PCs are met with an error message that confusingly states "Windows 10 is no longer supported on this PC." Microsoft itself hasn't confirmed the compatibility issues in its support documents. Acer, however, has, stating that the Atom Z2760, Atom Z2520, Atom Z2560, and Atom Z2580 are all unsupported by the Creators Update. From Acer:

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.

A post on Microsoft's TechNet forums provides a similar answer.

It's not clear from the information provided just what the compatibility issue is. However, if it isn't resolved, incompatibility could cause a large number of 2-in-1 PCs initially sold throughout 2013 and 2014 to be stuck on the Anniversary Update. That's potentially a problem as far as security is concerned, as Microsoft is set to drop official support (meaning updates) for the Anniversary Update in early 2018. That's an effect of the new Windows as a Service model, which only allows for servicing major feature updates for 18 months after their release.

Fortunately, it sounds as though Microsoft is actively working with its partners to remedy the issue. However, there will be no moving to the Creators Update for the foreseeable future.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl