Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

hsehestedt · Aug 24, 2023

Stigg said:
I've seen this reported on a few sites.
I can't see it happening though.

I'm in full agreement. I would almost (emphesis on almost) guarantee that this won't happen, at least not in the Windows 11 lifecycle. For Windows 12? Sure, since it's an entirely new major OS release, I could see that happening easily.

jimbo45 · Aug 24, 2023

If you can use dism /apply-image and bcdboot (plenty of simple examples on the forum) you can bypass all the hardware checks.

The only nasty bit is that if you really don't want an internet connection as the OOBE after the basic install (the ist GUI which asks all those questions like keyboard, security etc) then you need to issue a cmd to stop the OOBE from asking for internet --I haven't been able to make that work - but I've probably been trying at the wrong place

the easiest BAR NONE method to avoid having to use an Ms account is to enter the following when the system requests you to sign in or create an account

email addr : nobody@nobody.com
password: whataloadofbollocks or anything you like,

system will return "OOPS something went wrong" --just click the next button and it will set up a local account.

Cheers
jimbo

hsehestedt · Aug 24, 2023

Jimbo,

While that may be the easiest method, you fail to take into account that some of us love to bestow pain and suffering on ourselves and will insist on always doing things the hard way

spapakons · Aug 25, 2023

The Dism method is similar to installing Windows 11 on another compliant system and then transfer the disk in the unsupported computer.

BobOmb · Aug 25, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
I absolutely don't get it. Repeatedly, I've posted a simple Three Step Process for installing Windows 11 on an OLD PC, that absolutely does not meet the compatibility requirements. And yet y'all act like AA members, in love with the 12 step program.

Three basic steps is all that's required, and yes that uses Rufus 3.22 or later, with ALL Options selected.
And a clean ISO downloaded from any Trusted Site.

Are we ready for Windows 12, yet?

I hear you, I expected more ready to go solutions, or fully laid out methods in this thread, but they seem buried in the previous 75 pages

There's no way I'm digging through all that.. I hate to repost this but Solution #1 and #2 here are both 1 step: Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

Shouldn't actual methods be pinned somewhere so users can find them?

Did anyone mention WinNTSetup as a method?

spapakons · Aug 25, 2023

There is another thread pinned, I don't remember how it is called, that explains one of the hacks. Easiest way is to create the USB flash drive with Rufus. The rest methods are for us nerds... A clean installation (boot from the USB to install Windows 11) requires to hack the Registry or use a batch file (aka script) to insert the Registry modifications for you, or use an answer file that among other things inserts the Registry modifications. Rufus uses a pre-hacked Registry so you just proceed. An upgrade from Windows 10 or from an earlier Windows 11 version requires to replace a certain hidden file to bypass compatibility check. Rufus uses a pre-modified copy of this file, so you just proceed. BUT, since 22H2 you must also disconnect from the internet for a successful upgrade. So Rufus is not Panacea, you must also be offline. Even for a clean installation, you still must be offline in order to create a local account instead of a Microsoft Account.
That's it. I saved you reading all the thread.

PS: I forgot the hybrid Windows 10/11 USB flash drive method, but since 22H2 this only works with MBR Legacy BIOS installations. It doesn't work with GPT UEFI installation ls anymore.

BobOmb · Aug 25, 2023

spapakons said:
The rest methods are for us nerds...

Fair enough :wink:

Brinks guide is pretty thorough on page 1 and he always keeps them up to date when new info is available.

Anibor_11 · Aug 25, 2023

spapakons said:
BUT, since 22H2 you must also disconnect from the internet for a successful upgrade. So Rufus is not Panacea, you must also be offline. Even for a clean installation, you still must be offline in order to create a local account instead of a Microsoft Account.

I have done repair-installs to Windows 11 22H2 with Rufus, over an existing Windows 10 installation with local account. I have done nothing to disconnect from internet, and the upgrades have been successful, with local account preserved.

BobOmb · Aug 25, 2023

spapakons are you sure? i agree with Anibor_11, my posts also work with 22h2 with network enabled and also via Windows update on unsupported machines

spapakons · Aug 25, 2023

For a new Windows 11 installation Microsoft Account is "mandatory" and you cannot bypass it if you are connected to the internet. Except of course by typing a fake account such as mind@yourownbusiness.com and password whatever. I haven't tried it myself. If you have no internet connection in 21H2 there was a blue text "I don't have an internet connection", at least for the Windows 11 Pro version. Since 22H2 this text is disabled (hidden) and you are forced to use a Microsoft Account even for the Pro version. You can enable it again if you press SHIFT+F10 to open a command prompt and type the command oobe\bypassnro This will make the appropriate changes to enable this option and restart the computer. You will be asked again for your area and keyboard layout, but this time at the network screen it will be this blue text "I don't have an internet connection". Clicking on it will allow you to create a local account. This works both for Home and Pro versions.

BobOmb · Aug 25, 2023

Yes but the provided scripts use techniques discussed here to do that all for the user prior to installing, permanently to the ISO. In this case oobe\bypassnro.cmd is not needed for each installation, it will already be enabled by default across the entire ISO and all editions present.

They did remove it from being accessed without bypassnro.. but that only highlights the need to bake it in.

hsehestedt · Aug 25, 2023

spapakons said:
For a new Windows 11 installation Microsoft Account is "mandatory" and you cannot bypass it if you are connected to the internet. Except of course by typing a fake account such as mind@yourownbusiness.com and password whatever.

There is another way if you are using Pro:

When you reach the screen where you have a choice to "Set up for personal use" or "Set up for work or school", select "Set up for work or school" and click on "Next".

On the next screen, select "Sign-in options", then "Domain join instead". Don't worry, we are NOT joining a domain!

On the next screen, supply the local username that you want to create and then continue through setup as normal.

Yet another reason I use Pro exclusively. I never run home except in a test VM and even that extraordinarily rarely.

spapakons · Aug 26, 2023

Yes, I have read of this as well, but again is slightly more advanced than using Rufus.

Scramjet · Aug 26, 2023

A couple days ago I finally upgraded my other system ASUS Z270 to Windows 11 Pro using the appraiserres.dll method and all went well. Happy about that.

spapakons · Aug 26, 2023

The real test that will stop rumors about blocking non-compliant systems will be installing Windows 11 23H2 on our unsupported computers. Clean installation might be easier, I would like to upgrade from 22H2 to 23H2.

Bree · Aug 26, 2023

spapakons said:
The real test that will stop rumors about blocking non-compliant systems will be installing Windows 11 23H2 on our unsupported computers. Clean installation might be easier, I would like to upgrade from 22H2 to 23H2.

I'm still successfully running the feature updates for both Dev and Canary builds on my unsupported laptop, Canary is already saying it's 23H2. At about 8% downloaded the system checks take place, if I'm quick I can replace appraiseres.dll before it gets called, if I'm too slow then after it fails I can replace it then click Retry in Windows Update.

spapakons · Sep 3, 2023

I had left my main PC on (see 2nd system specs) with my Sony TV/monitor switched off. A while ago that I switched on the TV to check the forum Microsoft Edge was closed, probably crashed and the nVidia driver was crashed turning the display at 640x480! All other applications were as I left them. I first pressed the CTRL+WIN+SHIFT+B combination to restart/reload the graphics driver, but this didn't work. I then opened Device Manager and the nVidia 1050 had a yellow ! that's why the key combination didn't work. All I had to fo was to right-click on 1050 and update driver. This worked without restarting, thanks God!

Hello · Sep 16, 2023

BobOmb said:
There are a few ready made CMD files to do this, they may have gotten their techniques from here,

AveYo's CMD Script is a good example: MediaCreationTool.bat/bypass11/Skip_TPM_Check_on_Dynamic_Update.cmd at main · AveYo/MediaCreationTool.bat

Run once to enable unsupported updates, run again to disable them.

This will allow unsupported upgrades through mounted ISO or Windows Update

They had not.
Zero-byte appraiserres.dll instead of hunting for old 10 iso's or worse (notepad edit the binary dll with potential undefined behavior)? AveYo.
AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU first public appearance? AveYo. Microsoft issued their blog post after the script got popular.
OOBE/bypassNRO? AveYo. It was a mdl contest on various ms account workarounds, until the bomb dropped.
Refined AutoUnattend.xml and placing it in boot.wim index 2 as to not interfere with setup under windows? AveYo.
Multiple workarounds to use insider feature updates on unsupported PCs? AveYo. In 2023 microsoft has stopped "innovating" in that regard, probably all these things being pulled into the public from obscure enterprise support discouraged their anti-user efforts, but there used to be a lot of explicit breaking of bypass techniques, that the script conquered each time.
Rufus heavily borrows from all these techniques for example, not the other way around.
It was enough that nobody gives credits but they gain a lot of clicks, but this insinuation was too much and had to be corrected, that's all.

More on, topic, I'm really curious if this potato can run the latest Canary builds:

If it can, will probably run better than it ever run with Windows 10, as Canary lately feels much more robust

spapakons · Sep 16, 2023

Hello said:
They had not.
Zero-byte appraiserres.dll instead of hunting for old 10 iso's or worse (notepad edit the binary dll with potential undefined behavior)? AveYo.
AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU first public appearance? AveYo. Microsoft issued their blog post after the script got popular.
OOBE/bypassNRO? AveYo. It was a mdl contest on various ms account workarounds, until the bomb dropped.
Refined AutoUnattend.xml and placing it in boot.wim index 2 as to not interfere with setup under windows? AveYo.
Multiple workarounds to use insider feature updates on unsupported PCs? AveYo. In 2023 microsoft has stopped "innovating" in that regard, probably all these things being pulled into the public from obscure enterprise support discouraged their anti-user efforts, but there used to be a lot of explicit breaking of bypass techniques, that the script conquered each time.
Rufus heavily borrows from all these techniques for example, not the other way around.
It was enough that nobody gives credits but they gain a lot of clicks, but this insinuation was too much and had to be corrected, that's all.

More on, topic, I'm really curious if this potato can run the latest Canary builds:

If it can, will probably run better than it ever run with Windows 10, as Canary lately feels much more robust

Yes, it should. I have a similar test laptop (see 1st system specs) running Windows 11 22H2. Test it and post your results.

hsehestedt · Sep 16, 2023

It's also super easy to update your ISO images with the Win 11 requirement bypasses without any third party utilities on any kind whatsoever.

But another method that I like is to create a very simple unattended install file that doesn't actually do an unattended installation. All it does is:

1) Bypass Win 11 specific requirements
2) Create a local user account no matter what your Internet connectivity status is
3) Prevents the installation in start of all the stupid bloatware placeholder icons

Other than those two things it is 100% transparent with the user going through all the same steps during installation.

I also like this method because it allows a lot of versatility.

First, if you are using physical media like a thumb drive to install Windows, simply drop this file on your media with no other changes needed to your media. If you are using an ISO image, you need change NOTHING at all on your media. Simply create a separate ISO image with the answer and add it as a second ISO image to your VM. This works because Windows setup scans all drives for an answer file. Again, I like this because it requires absolutely zero changes to your original ISO image and I can use it anytime I want on a whim.

Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

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