Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

jbcarreon123 · Jul 11, 2021

There's an another workaround.. the DISM manual installation!

Apply Windows Image using DISM Instead of Clean Install

How to Apply Windows Image using DISM Instead of Clean Install to Reduce Time

www.tenforums.com

SIW2 · Jul 11, 2021

@jbcarreon123

I have been doing the apply method for many years. Lots of tools could be used to apply the image . Even 7-zip

Pro is image 3

copy the contents of your selected image to the target partition

spapakons · Jul 11, 2021

There's an easier way, just use gimagex to expand Windows 11 Setup from install.wim to the target hard disk and make it bootable. Upon restart Windows Setup will resume from the first restart of a standard installation. With the proper settings before restarting, you can even create a Windows-to-go installation that can boot from a USB hard disk and never gives a BSOD when booting at several different systems. I have created such a disk with diagnostic utilities which is more flexible than a typical Strelec WinPE or similar. Only drawback, you cannot upgrade Windows-to-go to another build.

PS: If you have an install.esd file, you must convert it to install.wim to work with gimagex

SIW2 · Jul 11, 2021

Yes, gimagex is one of many, it is very well known. It is less well known that it can be done with 7-zip gui.

spapakons · Jul 11, 2021

GimageX has an easy GUI where you can list the available Windows 10 editions (Home, Pro, Academic) and select the one to use. I used GimageX in very old computers that supported Windows 7 but their DVD-ROM drive could not boot the DVD. I extracted Windows 7 Setup on the target disk using another computer and made it bootable. I then connected the hard disk to the old computer and Windows 7 Setup would resume and proceed as normal. My friends would not believe it these old computers could run Windows 7.

SylenThunder · Jul 11, 2021

Was tinkering around, and decided to whip out the laptop. Since it's running an i7-7700HQ, it shows it isn't supported in the PC Health check tool. Though MS did remove that tool from downloads, and said they're re-considering the hardware limitations after the huge amount of backlash they've received.

So I enrolled the account on it in the insider program, and even though it displays the message there that the PC doesn't meet the requirements, it's downloading the Win 11 preview. ("10.0.22000.65 (co_release)" is what it shows.)
If this works, I have a 4th gen laptop to try it on next.

Bree · Jul 11, 2021

SylenThunder said:
even though it displays the message there that the PC doesn't meet the requirements, it's downloading the Win 11 preview. ("10.0.22000.65 (co_release)" is what it shows.)
If this works, I have a 4th gen laptop to try it on next.

MS are allowing Insiders to install on older processors, it's how they'll be able to assess how low they can go for the release version requirements.

I'm not an insider, but I have 6th gen and 4th gen machines that the 22000.65 ISO (from UUPDump) says it can upgrade to W11, keeping all files and apps. You should find your 4th gen will be allowed to download the Insider preview too.

Actually with a bit of fiddling and some workarounds W11 can be coaxed to install on almost anything - and runs well

SylenThunder · Jul 11, 2021

Bree said:
MS are allowing Insiders to install on older processors, it's how they'll be able to assess how low they can go for the release version requirements.

I'm not an insider, but I have 6th gen and 4th gen machines that the 22000.65 ISO (from UUPDump) says it can upgrade to W11, keeping all files and apps. You should find your 4th gen will be allowed to download the Insider preview too.

Actually with a bit of fiddling and some workarounds W11 can be coaxed to install on almost anything - and runs well

Ahh I see. The documentation alluded to being able to install like that, but I wasn't certain it would actually work based on all the workaround people have been posting for installing on unsupported systems.

It did install though. Just did the final boot into the OS a moment ago.

Bree · Jul 11, 2021

SylenThunder said:
I wasn't certain it would actually work based on all the workaround people have been posting for installing on unsupported systems.

Yes, some posted by me

But that's for us non-isiders who want to try it out and only have non-compliant machines. The rules for Insiders are more relaxed - no workarounds should be required.

spapakons · Jul 12, 2021

I hope the limitations will be relaxed when there is a release version. It would be ridiculous to fake TPM and do some other hocus-pocus to install Windows 11, like we do when installing Mac OS X on non-Apple computers. Windows where always compatible with the majority of computers and they MUST remain that way! So Microsoft guys please stop the nonsense and allow ALL computers that can run Windows 10 to upgrade to Windows 11. Don't do the same mistake with Vista!

SlicEnDicE · Jul 12, 2021

I installed Win11 in Hyper-V on a Win10 host from an ISO I created using UUPDump.net. The VM had no internet connection. Let the installer run until it started asking me configuration questions. Then I shut it down.

As next step I added the VM virtual disk to Windows boot menu, booted up natively and completed the setup. Later I realized I wanna test out some Steam games so attached another VHD I dedicated for Steam.

Everything working really well.

This is how my setup looks like:

ch3mn3y · Jul 12, 2021

spapakons said:
I hope the limitations will be relaxed when there is a release version. It would be ridiculous to fake TPM and do some other hocus-pocus to install Windows 11, like we do when installing Mac OS X on non-Apple computers. Windows where always compatible with the majority of computers and they MUST remain that way! So Microsoft guys please stop the nonsense and allow ALL computers that can run Windows 10 to upgrade to Windows 11. Don't do the same mistake with Vista!

Hah, I imagined grub-like bootloader that would fake existence of TPM ^^

spapakons · Jul 12, 2021

A more realistic scenario is to use Windows 10 Setup to install Windows 11 instead, just like I did or patch Windows 11 Setup to bypass compatibility check. The first option is easier to do for the average user, the latter is more advanced.

Bree · Jul 12, 2021

spapakons said:
A more realistic scenario is to use Windows 10 Setup to install Windows 11 instead...

Yes, that's the method I use too. It works perfectly for a clean install, but have you tried an in-place upgrade from 10 to 11 yet?

I have found that every time I try one the Windows Security app is broken, open it and it's empty (just the GUI, the AV is still fully functional). Try a clean install on the same machine with the same install media and the Windows Security app is in full working order. Screenshots here.

The obvious fix would be an in-place repair install, but the catch is that you can't do one with the unmodified ISO (this machine can't run Windows 11) and you can't do it with the hybrid W10/W11 media - 'what to keep: Nothing' (all other options greyed out).

Eventually I fixed it by restoring its Macrium image to a VM, doing the in-place repair upgrade there using the ISO, then restoring an image of that back to the physical machine.

TM21 · Jul 12, 2021

I've read the above posts till my eyeballs hurt, but I must admit that this old tech understands very little of it. Sorry guys!

But, over the years, I've found that whenever MS throws up a roadblock of any kind, some very clever programmer (hacker) will find a way around it. Right now, I'm considering that the need for TPM 2.0 in order to install Windows 11, will be eliminated, and show up in an ISO somewhere on the internet, for FREE download. Just like there are Pre-Activated versions of Windows XX.

So, I'll just wait. I'm pretty certain that a FIXED version of Win-11 will be along soon, where the requirement for TPM 2.0 has been removed.

I have a very fast and strong PC, that I built around a Gigabyte motherboard, about 7 years ago. It runs everything that I need it to run, including all versions of Win-10, but due to the lack of TPM x.x I can't install Win-11 on it. That just sucks, in so many ways!

So, for Win-11, I'll just wait for a FIXED version, that will run on my system.
Cheers Mates!
TM

spapakons · Jul 12, 2021

Surely there will be a fix for the broken Security settings in later builds. For the time being you can install a third-party antivirus and forget it. I would not dare upgrading my main computer from Windows 10 to Windows 11 until there is an official release, not preview, and I have tested it first on a less important computer.

Bree · Jul 12, 2021

spapakons said:
Surely there will be a fix for the broken Security settings in later builds. For the time being you can install a third-party antivirus and forget it.

But the defender AV isn't broken, EICAR test files show it's there and working. It's just the GUI that's broken - 100% reliable result, every time after an in-place upgrade of a non-compliant Legacy/MBR machine. No broken Windows Security GUI when upgrading a compliant UEFI/GPT machine though, so officially there's nothing for MS to 'fix'.

Anyway, as I said, I fixed it with an in-place repair install while it's image was running in a fully compliant VM. It's just a puzzle as to why it breaks in the first place.

spapakons · Jul 13, 2021

If I understand correctly, if you already run Windows 11 and do an in-place upgrade, the Setup does the compatibility check? That sucks...

bobcollard · Jul 13, 2021

spapakons said:
If I understand correctly, if you already run Windows 11 and do an in-place upgrade, the Setup does the compatibility check? That sucks...

If that were the case my Windows 11 would be toast. It has gone through one upgrade with KB 5004745 to Build 10.0.22000.65 with only one ill effect, stopping my change in registry for Restoring Classic Start Menu. Cannot do that any more. So, I removed that registry line. I have changed the registry to move the taskbar to the top of the screen, hope they don't take that away too.

SIW2 · Jul 13, 2021

The poster was referring to an in-place upgrade

Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

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