Can Windows Insider break my PC? If so will Microsoft do anything about it?

Question

I use an HP Pavillion and I was wondering if I should get Windows Insider. I use my PC daily and I have always wanted access to the newer features. I don't know a better way to put this and it sounds rude but it's not meant to be, I like finding problems in computers and reporting them to the creator. I have the Pavilion 590-p0050 which is a bit old but I checked the minimum requirements and it should run insider. This is my only PC and I don't want it to break. So I was wondering if it does break will Microsoft replace it or if it's on me? Better safe than sorry.

Answer 1

Run this to make sure your PC is Windows 11 compatible:

https://aka.ms/GetPChealthcheckapp 

Make sure you make a backup of anything important.

No, Microsoft will not replace your PC if it breaks.

Read this before you join: https://insider.windows.com/en-us/about-windows-insider-program And if you are too worried, join the Beta Channel, not the Dev.

Answer 2

Thanks for the question!

As mentioned by CrazyKats, do run the HealthCheck app first to see if your computer would be supported to run Windows 11 builds. That's step one.

For your other question about "breaking" a PC, allow me to clarify further what I believe you may mean and reply that way. Hopefully it'll provide the insight(s) that you're looking for.

Preview builds of Windows can't "break" a computer so-to speak, at least not in the sense that if you install one your mouse is going to explode or your CD-ROM drive will experience a physical failure all the sudden. :)

I think you're asking about bugs, and yes, there are bugs in preview builds. We work hard to keep the OS code as clean as possible, but bugs are a part of the software world and they can cause unwanted side effects at times.

Is it possible that you'll have a driver conflict and your graphics may not appear like you'd expect? Yes, that's possible. Could there be a bug that may prevent you from using a specific application that you like? That has happened as well. The list goes on, but as you noted, part of the fun of running preview builds is finding the bugs and sharing your experience! That's why we have the Feedback Hub app.

One thing related to "breaking" that you may consider is hard drive usage. Especially on older hard drives that have seen a lot of read/write usage over time, the very nature of how hard drives work puts them in a state where they will physically fail at some point. Just the nature of mechanical devices. Is it possible that could happen while running a preview build of the Windows OS? Sure. Is the Windows OS itself going to cause that? No reason to believe such a thing has or would potentially occur. Drives wear out from cycles, not because of what is written to them.

To sum it all up in a shorter way: it is possible that bugs may cause unwanted/unexpected behavior of your computer, but I am not aware of anyone having a permanent "break" of physical hardware because of an OS build.

I realized I missed answering your final question: "So I was wondering if it does break will Microsoft replace it or if it's on me?"

Unless there is a problem with Microsoft hardware that is under warranty (which is separate from the Windows Insider program altogether), Microsoft does not provide file recovery, software replacement, or hardware replacement for program participants.

If you join up, please do be sure to read the program agreement / terms of use; lots of good information in there!

Answer 3

Thank you so much for the answer to my question. That clears it all up. I am now considering joining Insider.

Answer 4

Hello KBest00002,

Have you considered running Insider in a virtual machine. I run 8 versions of windows in VMware Workstation. They do have a free version called Player. This way if anything goes wrong, it is only in the vm. Small learning curve and it does require a separate windows license.

Another option is to dual boot your system, leaving your main system intact. There is lot of information on how to do this online.

I believe it was mentioned earlier, ensure you have an image backup of your system to resort to. Release Preview and Beta have the least risk, the Developer build usually come out once per week and is the most interesting of the three channels.

Regards,

Answer 5

I use my PC daily and I have always wanted access to the newer features.

Johnny gave you great advise but since you have only one PC, I'd suggest you also consider buying a cheap laptop to use as Insider's only device to play with it to your heart's content.

It doesn't have to be fancy, an i3 8th Gen CPU with 8GB of RAM and a 120GB SSD is enough to run W11 comfortably. They go for less than $200 on eBay and you might not need to buy a license if it has a valid copy of W11 or a valid copy of W10 that hasn't been upgraded to W11 yet. Good luck!