Back in the DOS and Windows 3.1 days, they tried to lock it down with whatever software they had. We found a way around it. Even the DOS based menu system, we managed to copy the menu software out with its configuration file. Then we experimented with the “encrypted” password in the configuration file and found out that if we removed it, the system would allow you to do anything but that also meant we could create our own password and look at the “encrypted” password. We quickly found out that it was just shifting the ASCII table. We then “decrypted” the school password. Such 12 your old hackers 😆
I think you underestimate how many computers that are in use today that can’t be updated to Windows 11.
I, and many others, have run Windows 10 on unsupported hardware. Difference is that Windows 10 didn’t care and Windows 11 actively try to stop you from doing so. So, what is this if not Microsoft now forcing people to buy new hardware, if they have unsupported hardware?
Edit: What where the CPUs on the 2015 computers you upgraded?