Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

jimbo45 · Jul 11, 2022

spapakons said:
Never found a working WDDM driver for Intel 915. In Windows 8/10/11 you are stuck with Microsoft Basic Display Adapter which has no hardware acceleration and system crawls Disable all visual effects (transparency, fades etc) to improve performance.

This is where converting a VM to physical hardware can often work better than a base install -- from KVM you can use the "Virtio Video driver" which possibly can get round that problem. Other VM systems might have similar video drivers in things like vbox additions or vmware tools that could be replicated on physical hardware. Depends on your actual hardware though.

Intel graphics 520 is often "Poodlefakeable" on some PC's too -- which could work. However if there genuinely isn't any hardware acceleration on your hardware then you are stuck with it.

Personally if the hardware is really that old I suspect that running W11 as a VM will produce a better experience (assuming there's enough RAM in the system and proper HDD's) but of course I appreciate the idea of this thread is to see if W11 can be made to run natively on really old hardware which is the real challenge of course.

Cheers
jimbo

spapakons · Jul 11, 2022

In theory you can run Windows 7 32-bit as the host OS with Windows XP graphics drivers (XPDM mode) to have the same hardware acceleration as in Windows XP. You can then install Windows 10 32-bit in a virtual machine and use 3D acceleration, but I expect performance to be little LESS than running Windows 7 natively. Not worth it. I am not sure if you can run a 64-bit guest on a 32-bit host, so Windows 11 is not possible this way. If it is a tower or desktop computer, you can put a discrete graphics card with WDDM drivers and run Windows 11 natively. It will have much better performance.

jimbo45 · Jul 11, 2022

spapakons said:
In theory you can run Windows 7 32-bit as the host OS with Windows XP graphics drivers (XPDM mode) to have the same hardware acceleration as in Windows XP. You can then install Windows 10 32-bit in a virtual machine and use 3D acceleration, but I expect performance to be little LESS than running Windows 7 natively. Not worth it. I am not sure if you can run a 64-bit guest on a 32-bit host, so Windows 11 is not possible this way. If it is a tower or desktop computer, you can put a discrete graphics card with WDDM drivers and run Windows 11 natively. It will have much better performance.

You can actually run a 64 bit guest on a 32 bit host OS - but you must have of course a 64 bit capable CPU and the "VT" bit in the Bios enabled - the VM parameter.

Of course unless you have some special Memory extender software such as in some of Windows W2003 server editions (from which XP was derived) then MAX RAM for both Guest and OS combined is 4GB whatever the amount of Real RAM.

I have had W7 64 bit VM running on a Win XP Host a long time ago -- wasn't the fastest experience - but was just doing it to "see if it could be done".

Of course all this is a mute point for W11 since it needs 48GB disk and 4GB of ram as a minimum for install. You might be able to shave the disk space requirement but running W11 on less than 4GB RAM will probably cause more problems than its worth. Once you've actually got it installed in a VM then you can reduce the RAM though.

Cheers
jimbo

spapakons · Jul 11, 2022

Crazy scenario: Patch Windows XP to see more than 4GB RAM (up to 128GB), assuming you have 8GB at least. Install Windows 11 on a virtual machine with 2GB minimum, 4GB even better. You should see much difference in XP with full 4GB RAM or more than with only 3.2GB without the patch, but even then I would not expect miracles in Windows 11 guest.

Hazel123 · Jul 11, 2022

Is this a silly question, or - why is this thread title called "on a incompatible hardware"? Should the "a" be there?!

Bree · Jul 11, 2022

Hazel123 said:
why is this thread title called "on a incompatible hardware"?

Perhaps because English isn't the OP's first language? Doesn't matter much, we all know what this thread is about.

spapakons · Jul 12, 2022

I have an HP Stream 7 tablet which originally ran Windows 8 32-bit and was upgraded to Windows 10 32-bit. According to Intel the CPU is 64-bit, so I can install Windows 11, I am not sure what happens with drivers. I will use Macrium Reflect to take a full backup of Windows 10, so I can then wipe the disk and try installing Windows 11. I will post my results and what I did with the drivers. My biggest concern is to install the chipset (platform) drivers to enable touch and rotation. For anything else I think I can find 64-bit drivers.

SlicEnDicE · Jul 12, 2022

spapakons said:
I have an HP Stream 7 tablet

Good luck...while the CPU is 64-bit capable, the device can't boot 64-bit OS(no support in the firmware) and the 1GB RAM isn't enough to get Windows 11 going, most likely...

spapakons · Jul 12, 2022

I will try and see.

Hazel123 · Jul 12, 2022

On the Spectre X360 (5th generation) Windows found all the drivers for the touch screen, rotation etc. Everything worked fine. The only issue was the screen brightness was too dark and a minor issue with the battery never charging beyond 80% (on Windows 10 it went up to 100% and still does). I mentioned that elsewhere and you mentioned installing original drivers for screen and power. It was just to mention that all the rotation and touch screen drivers were installed by Windows (which found quite a few intel drivers and installed those.

If it ran Windows 10 on 1gb ram shouldn't be much different should it? But if it won't boot 64 bit OS .........My little atom netbooks were 32 bit but booted Windows 10 64 bit fine. And Windows 11! 2gb ram.

spapakons · Jul 12, 2022

The 1GB RAM may prevent me installing Windows 11. If I manage to install either directly or indirectly there would load OK but slowly. Directly is to boot with Windows 11 USB and proceed. Indirectly is to use third party tools (such as gimagex) to employ Windows 11 ISO on the disk bypassing memory and other hardware check. On first boot Windows Setup resumes and completes installation. I have done that in very old computers that would not boot from Windows 7 DVD but could run Windows 7 after installing indirectly.

Hazel123 · Jul 12, 2022

Interested to hear how it goes.

jbcarreon123 · Jul 15, 2022

Hazel123 said:
Should the "a" be there?!

Fixed.

Bree · Jul 15, 2022

jbcarreon123 said:
Fixed.

Your signature could do with the same fix

Mark Phelps · Jul 16, 2022

spapakons said:
Never found a working WDDM driver for Intel 915. In Windows 8/10/11 you are stuck with Microsoft Basic Display Adapter which has no hardware acceleration and system crawls Disable all visual effects (transparency, fades etc) to improve performance.

Yeah ... that's what I discovered and even with replacing the HDD with an SSD, the system is still so slow as to be useless.

Wynona · Jul 16, 2022

I've scanned this thread, but not thoroughly. So, forgive me if I err . . .

Has anyone tried a clean install of Windows 11 on "inadequate" hardware?

I've been doing clean installs on older computers for myself and my students for quite awhile. Installs without a hitch, and so far, updates and upgrades, including Insider Previews install just fine.

Hazel123 · Jul 16, 2022

Reckon it'll install on anything except Intel 915! Actually not true. I had a netbook with a cedarview processor and that wouldn't run anything except Windows 7. Wouldn't even run linux (no graphics driver also).

Bree · Jul 17, 2022

Wynona said:
Has anyone tried a clean install of Windows 11 on "inadequate" hardware?

Yes, I have, on the most inadequate hardware I could find - just to see if it was possible. See my post #717...

Bree said:
When W11 was first leaked I tested installing it on the least appropriate hardware I could find, my little Acer Aspire One D270 netbook, see post #37.

Today I revisited that using the current latest RTM build 22000.527. Still works fine, albeit a little sluggish - no 64-bit OS should be asked to run in just 2GB of RAM

...and post #854

Bree said:
~~Just for laughs~~ to test for potential issues, I've now done an in-place upgrade to the Release Preview of the upcoming 22H2. I used an ISO for build 22621.1 and the 'replace appraserres.dll' trick to get past the hardware checks. I'm pleased to report that not only does 22H2 appear to run without issues, but also that Windows Update promptly downloaded and installed the 22621.105 release preview CU.

cereberus · Jul 17, 2022

spapakons said:
I have an HP Stream 7 tablet which originally ran Windows 8 32-bit and was upgraded to Windows 10 32-bit. According to Intel the CPU is 64-bit, so I can install Windows 11, I am not sure what happens with drivers. I will use Macrium Reflect to take a full backup of Windows 10, so I can then wipe the disk and try installing Windows 11. I will post my results and what I did with the drivers. My biggest concern is to install the chipset (platform) drivers to enable touch and rotation. For anything else I think I can find 64-bit drivers.

It is impossible to install 64bit on this device as it used a special 32bit UEFI installation.

These devices used W8+Bing 32bit OS which was a precursor to the ability of W10 to be installed as a compressed OS.

The firmware is locked down to 32 bit UEFI which is unusual.

In simple terms W11 is impossible.

Wynona · Jul 17, 2022

Bree said:
Yes, I have, on the most inadequate hardware I could find - just to see if it was possible. See my post #717...

...and post #854

Thanks, Bree. I guess I didn't browse quite enough.

Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

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