Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware


candialmo1979 said:
Hi, everybody.
I'm trying to install Windows 11 22H2, but I can't using Windows Update: Windows 11 processor is not supported.
My Laptop Model is: Toshiba Satellite Pro A50-D-14U
Could anybody help me, please? Thanks
Click to expand...
Welcome to Eleven Forum.

This will help you install or upgrade to Windows 11 on your unsupported laptop. It should run well with your 7th gen i5, I have 11 running on much older machines than yours, see System Two in 'My Computers' below this post for an example with a 1st gen i5.

www.elevenforum.com

Bypass Windows 11 System Requirements on Unsupported PC

This tutorial will show you how to bypass the Windows 11 CPU, RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0 system requirements allowing you to clean install or upgrade to Windows 11 on a unsupported PC that doesn't meet these requirements. Installing Windows 11 on a device that does not meet Windows 11...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, and 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
candialmo1979 said:
Can I block the 22h2 update for Windows 11 that continually tries to install but without success?
Click to expand...

Disable internet connection. Then upgrade using the "/product server" workaround. It also works without an internet connection.

setupprep.png

setupprep 2.png
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
aubergine said:
Disable internet connection. Then upgrade using the "/product server" workaround. It also works without an internet connection.

View attachment 108971
Click to expand...
I think he tries to block the relevant update... There are utilities such as Microsoft's Windows Update Show/Hide Tool (wushowhide.diagcab) or Windows Automatic Update Manager (WAU Manager) that search for updates and display a list with the available updates. To block an update, you just check the respective box to hide it from the list. That's how I block undesired driver updates in old computers. The official OEM drivers are way better than the basic drivers of Windows Update.

www.majorgeeks.com

Download Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter - MajorGeeks

Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter can assist you in uninstalling a problematic Windows Update and preventing that update from installing until the next Windows Update. Click on wushowhide.diagcab and then click on Next in the lower right corner. After scanning, you can Hide Updates...
www.majorgeeks.com
www.majorgeeks.com

Download WAU Manager - MajorGeeks

WAU Manager (Windows Automatic Updates Manager) is a free portable replacement for the default Windows Updating interface. WAU Manager is fully-featured providing you with full control over Windows Updates. This control includes when and how they are installed. It also has full uninstall and...
www.majorgeeks.com
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2894) main PC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2894)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
spapakons said:
I think he tries to block the relevant update... There are utilities such as Microsoft's Windows Update Show/Hide Tool (wushowhide.diagcab) or Windows Automatic Update Manager (WAU Manager) that search for updates and display a list with the available updates. To block an update, you just check the respective box to hide it from the list. That's how I block undesired driver updates in old computers. The official OEM drivers are way better than the basic drivers of Windows Update.

www.majorgeeks.com

Download Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter - MajorGeeks

Microsoft Show or Hide Updates Troubleshooter can assist you in uninstalling a problematic Windows Update and preventing that update from installing until the next Windows Update. Click on wushowhide.diagcab and then click on Next in the lower right corner. After scanning, you can Hide Updates...
www.majorgeeks.com
www.majorgeeks.com

Download WAU Manager - MajorGeeks

WAU Manager (Windows Automatic Updates Manager) is a free portable replacement for the default Windows Updating interface. WAU Manager is fully-featured providing you with full control over Windows Updates. This control includes when and how they are installed. It also has full uninstall and...
www.majorgeeks.com
Click to expand...
I'm just trying to block the Windows 11 update, because it continually tries to install without success and asks to fix errors. I disabled TPM in the BIOS and I hope the problem to be solved.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite Pro A50
spapakons said:
if you are upgrading a Legacy BIOS installation and you must replace the 24H2 bootloader with the 23H2 bootloader to make your system bootable again. I have read that the new 24H2 bootloader doesn't support Legacy BIOS mode boot, UEFI only.
Click to expand...
I thought it was about time I tested this. I've just clean installed 24H2 on an unsupported laptop that does have SSE4.2, but very little else - no TPM and Legacy BIOS/MBR only. I used an unmodified official MS ISO for 26100.560 (thought to be the build that was released to RTM for the OEMs to use).

The first hurdle was to bypass system checks. I have a batch file with all the registry tweaks that I know about (it's the same one I used for 23H2, nothing has changed here).
Code: 
reg add HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PCHC /v UpgradeEligibility /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup /v AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

pause
(I suspect this is overkill, some of these registry settings may not be strictly necessary, but I haven't worked out which yet :wink:)

The second hurdle is that the 24H2 bootloader only works for UEFI. Having a Legacy BIOS and an MBR install that meant that after the first restart it fails to find any OS to boot from. The fix is to replace the 24H2 bootloader with the 23H2 one. To do that, boot from a 23H2 install USB to a command prompt. Type the command bootrec /fixmbr then restart the PC. It will now boot successfully and complete the install.

The final hurdle was to use a local account, for that OOBE\BypassNRO still works.

Screenshot 2024-09-18 010855.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, and 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
FYI:

Bree said:
The first hurdle was to bypass system checks. I have a batch file with all the registry tweaks that I know about (it's the same one I used for 23H2, nothing has changed here).
reg add HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PCHC /v UpgradeEligibility /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup /v AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
Click to expand...
These don't apply to a clean install. For an in-place upgrade, they're applied to the live host.

Bree said:
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
Click to expand...
These two are proven to be bogus settings. Harmless, but don't do anything.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, and 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Bree said:
... boot from a 23H2 install USB to a command prompt. Type the command bootrec /fixmbr then restart the PC. It will now boot successfully and complete the install.
Click to expand...
Actually it would probably work just as well with the 24H2 install USB. I've just tried it and it still boots.

Microsoft said:
/FixMbr

This option writes a Windows 7 or Windows Vista-compatible MBR to the system partition. It does not overwrite the existing partition table. Use this option when you must resolve MBR corruption issues, or when you have to remove nonstandard code from the MBR.
Click to expand...
Use Bootrec.exe in the Windows RE to troubleshoot startup issues - Microsoft Support
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, and 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Bree said:
The second hurdle is that the 24H2 bootloader only works for UEFI.
Click to expand...

No, that's not true.

How to bypass Windows 11 23H2/24H2 system requirements to perform a clean install?

Windows 11 24H2 requires a CPU with PopCnt support (2008 or newer CPU). This is a hardware requirement that cannot be bypassed.

Option 1.

Rufus settings to create UEFI bootable USB.

"Partition scheme" - "GPT"
- Installing Windows on a GPT disk (UEFI/GPT installation).
- If you are trying to boot it in BIOS mode, you get an error message created by Rufus: "ERROR: BIOS/LEGACY BOOT OF UEFI-ONLY MEDIA."

Check the "Remove requirement for 4GB RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0" option.

Option 2.

Rufus settings to create BIOS bootable USB.

"Partition scheme" - "MBR"
- Installing Windows on an MBR disk (BIOS/MBR installation).

Check the "Remove requirement for 4GB RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0" option.

aubergine said:
- If you are trying to boot it in BIOS mode, you get an error message created by Rufus: "ERROR: BIOS/LEGACY BOOT OF UEFI-ONLY MEDIA."
Click to expand...

USB stick created by Rufus.png
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
Assuming we create the USB flash drive in Rufus choosing MBR for Legacy BIOS mode, does it boot in Windows 11 Setup? Have you actually done it? If the bootloader is UEFI only, you should get an error. I will try it after I download the ISO of the general release.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2894) main PC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2894)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
I don't know what this nonsense is that I keep reading saying that 24H2 won't install on a legacy BIOS based system without jumping through hoops. All I had to do was to use the workarounds for no TPM, etc. and Windows installed flawlessly on my legacy BIOS based system.

As best as I can figure, maybe the installation media is simply not being created properly for those people having difficulty. I'll detail exactly how I create my installation media below (tip: I don't use Rufus).

My test system is an HP Pavilion DM4-1165DX
CPU: i5-450M (yes, this is a CPU from 2010. It still runs Win 11, even 24H2, just fine!)
RAM: 8GB
No USB 3 (USB 2 only) making installing a bit slow

Installation Method: I do use an unattended answer file (autounattend.xml) but I do NOT perform an unattended installation with this answer file. The answer file is used ONLY to bypass the Win 11 system requirements and create a local user account. Other than that, the installation was the usual manual process following the prompts during Windows installation.

Windows version installed: 24H2 build 26100.1742 (latest release preview build including Sep 2024 patch Tuesday updates).

How I create my boot media

Initialize the USB Flash Drive as MBR. This is critical!

Create 2 partitions: Par 1 is 2GB (could be smaller if you prefer). Format as FAT32. Par 2 is NTFS and uses all remaining space on UFD.

Mount your Windows ISO image and copy files to the 2 partitions as detailed below. Note that the source in each instance is the mounted ISO image.

⦁ Copy all files and folders EXCEPT the \sources folder to the FAT32 partition.

⦁ Create a folder called sources on both the FAT32 partition AND the NTFS partition.

⦁ Copy the file \sources\boot.wim to the FAT32 partition \sources folder.

⦁ Copy all files and folders from the \sources folder EXCEPT boot.wim to the \sources folder on the NTFS partition.

• Copy the folders "boot", "efi", and "support" to the NTFS partition. Note that these three folders will now exist on both the first and second partitions. These are very small folders, so the duplication of data is very minor. Note that this step is unique to 24H2.

NOTE: It is possible that the duplicated files do not need to be on the first partition, but I have not experimented with that yet.

OPTIONAL STEP: I suggest creating a file named ei.cfg on the UFD. This forces Windows setup to provide a list of available editions (Home, Pro, etc.) rather than automatically selecting the edition to install on systems with a license built into the firmware. This is especially good if you are not installing the same edition that the system originally shipped with.

To do this, create a text file that contains these two lines:

[Channel]
Retail

Save the file as ei.cfg and copy that file to the \sources folder on the NTFS partition.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Kamrui Mini PC, Model CK10
    CPU
    Intel i5-12450H
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    PSU
    120W "Brick"
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
aubergine said:
Option 1.

Rufus settings to create UEFI bootable USB....

Option 2.

Rufus settings to create BIOS bootable USB....
Click to expand...
Two things....

1. I wanted to see if I could use unmodified install media as downloaded direct from Microsoft.
2. This was on real hardware that was pure Legacy BIOS/MBR, not in VMware Workstation.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, and 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
hsehestedt said:
I don't know what this nonsense is that I keep reading saying that 24H2 won't install on a legacy BIOS based system without jumping through hoops. All I had to do was to use the workarounds for no TPM, etc. and Windows installed flawlessly on my legacy BIOS based system.

As best as I can figure, maybe the installation media is simply not being created properly for those people having difficulty. I'll detail exactly how I create my installation media below (tip: I don't use Rufus).

My test system is an HP Pavilion DM4-1165DX
CPU: i5-450M (yes, this is a CPU from 2010. It still runs Win 11, even 24H2, just fine!)
RAM: 8GB
No USB 3 (USB 2 only) making installing a bit slow

Installation Method: I do use an unattended answer file (autounattend.xml) but I do NOT perform an unattended installation with this answer file. The answer file is used ONLY to bypass the Win 11 system requirements and create a local user account. Other than that, the installation was the usual manual process following the prompts during Windows installation.

Windows version installed: 24H2 build 26100.1742 (latest release preview build including Sep 2024 patch Tuesday updates).

How I create my boot media

Initialize the USB Flash Drive as MBR. This is critical!

Create 2 partitions: Par 1 is 2GB (could be smaller if you prefer). Format as FAT32. Par 2 is NTFS and uses all remaining space on UFD.

Mount your Windows ISO image and copy files to the 2 partitions as detailed below. Note that the source in each instance is the mounted ISO image.

⦁ Copy all files and folders EXCEPT the \sources folder to the FAT32 partition.

⦁ Create a folder called sources on both the FAT32 partition AND the NTFS partition.

⦁ Copy the file \sources\boot.wim to the FAT32 partition \sources folder.

⦁ Copy all files and folders from the \sources folder EXCEPT boot.wim to the \sources folder on the NTFS partition.

• Copy the folders "boot", "efi", and "support" to the NTFS partition. Note that these three folders will now exist on both the first and second partitions. These are very small folders, so the duplication of data is very minor. Note that this step is unique to 24H2.

NOTE: It is possible that the duplicated files do not need to be on the first partition, but I have not experimented with that yet.

OPTIONAL STEP: I suggest creating a file named ei.cfg on the UFD. This forces Windows setup to provide a list of available editions (Home, Pro, etc.) rather than automatically selecting the edition to install on systems with a license built into the firmware. This is especially good if you are not installing the same edition that the system originally shipped with.

To do this, create a text file that contains these two lines:

[Channel]
Retail

Save the file as ei.cfg and copy that file to the \sources folder on the NTFS partition.
Click to expand...
I apologize for any misinformation. I haven't downloaded any 24H2 version myself (I wait for the general release), so I haven't confirm it and I just repeat the BS I had read. If you say that 24H2 can install in Legacy BIOS mode, and of course upgrade a Legacy BIOS 23H2 system, then I have no reason to doubt it. Thanks for clarifying.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2894) main PC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2894)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
aubergine said:
Windows 11 24H2 requires a CPU with PopCnt support (2008 or newer CPU). This is a hardware requirement that cannot be bypassed.
Click to expand...
What happens if a successful install of 23H2 is done on a machine and you then attempt an upgrade to 24H2, does the upgrade fail?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
beneix said:
What happens if a successful install of 23H2 is done on a machine and you then attempt an upgrade to 24H2, does the upgrade fail?
Click to expand...
If you are talking about a machine that does not have the SSE4.2 instruction set, yes, it will fail. Such machines are incapable of running 24H2 and there is NO WAY to allow them to run it. There will be no workaround to this.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Kamrui Mini PC, Model CK10
    CPU
    Intel i5-12450H
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    PSU
    120W "Brick"
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
hsehestedt said:
If you are talking about a machine that does not have the SSE4.2 instruction set, yes, it will fail. Such machines are incapable of running 24H2 and there is NO WAY to allow them to run it. There will be no workaround to this.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I guess that just gives me ~18 months of updates and then I'll have to consider my options...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
beneix said:
Thanks. I guess that just gives me ~18 months of updates and then I'll have to consider my options...
Click to expand...
I know that it stinks reaching a dead end on Windows upgrade options, but I can understand it. I just recycled several old laptops that were in excess of 15 years old. I still have one that is 14 years old but has the SSE4.2 instruction set. What surprises me is how well that machine still runs Windows 11, especially after upgrading the spinning platter HDD to an SSD.

The one thing that I would wish for is that Microsoft would do a better job stating WHY they are eliminating support of those systems. I know that their claim is that Windows is more reliable on modern HW and they provide all kinds of stats to back that up, but somehow it feels like it should be up to the consumer to decide whether to risk it on older hardware.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Kamrui Mini PC, Model CK10
    CPU
    Intel i5-12450H
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    PSU
    120W "Brick"
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Mechanical Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
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