One of my machines that I never attempted to install Win 11 on during the Beta, is a pretty old one.
It runs a 4th Gen intel i7, but it's fairly well equipped otherwise. The TPM module is older (version 1.2, not 2.0), but is has an SSD as the boot drive, 32GB RAM, UEFI BIOS, and supports secure boot. So, just for grins, I thought I would see what happens.
Preparation
That machine performs an image backup every night, so I was good for backups. To take it one step further, I did an export of all drivers to a thumb drive, and it turns out that this was a good move.
Installation
I performed a clean install from a thumb drive, and during the installation there was not a hint of a problem anywhere. Everything went smoothly. I was encouraged when I went into Windows updates after installation, and it did at least over me a couple minor security related updates.
BitLocker - a bad idea.
I always encrypt my entire C: drive, so I did the same here. The encryption went fine and I even rebooted a couple times after that with no problem. That's when I encountered something really odd. I disconnected my keyboard and monitor because I run this machine headless - I simply remote desktop to it when needed. However, on the next boot I found I could not connect to it. I attached a monitor and found that it was asking for my BitLocker recovery key. I supplied that, and all was okay, even after reboots, until I again disconnected monitor and keyboard. Same problem. So, for now, I decrypted the drive for further investigation at a later time.
One missing driver
There was one item in Device Manager listed an SMBus controller that showed an error. Letting Windows search the Internet for a driver yielded no positive results. So, I pointed to my thumb drive with backed up drivers, and just like that I no longer have any indications of hardware faults.
After hammering on it for a few hours now, we're looking good so far.
Summary
I'm not saying that this is the route everyone should be taking. I am under no illusion that what I am doing is sane, or even a supported procedure. I merely thought it would be an interesting experiment, and so far, it seems to actually be a fairly successful one. I'll continue to abuse this poor machine over the coming days and weeks to see if I can find any current flaws, but I'm pretty happy with how this little test went. Was expecting far worse.
It runs a 4th Gen intel i7, but it's fairly well equipped otherwise. The TPM module is older (version 1.2, not 2.0), but is has an SSD as the boot drive, 32GB RAM, UEFI BIOS, and supports secure boot. So, just for grins, I thought I would see what happens.
Preparation
That machine performs an image backup every night, so I was good for backups. To take it one step further, I did an export of all drivers to a thumb drive, and it turns out that this was a good move.
Installation
I performed a clean install from a thumb drive, and during the installation there was not a hint of a problem anywhere. Everything went smoothly. I was encouraged when I went into Windows updates after installation, and it did at least over me a couple minor security related updates.
BitLocker - a bad idea.
I always encrypt my entire C: drive, so I did the same here. The encryption went fine and I even rebooted a couple times after that with no problem. That's when I encountered something really odd. I disconnected my keyboard and monitor because I run this machine headless - I simply remote desktop to it when needed. However, on the next boot I found I could not connect to it. I attached a monitor and found that it was asking for my BitLocker recovery key. I supplied that, and all was okay, even after reboots, until I again disconnected monitor and keyboard. Same problem. So, for now, I decrypted the drive for further investigation at a later time.
One missing driver
There was one item in Device Manager listed an SMBus controller that showed an error. Letting Windows search the Internet for a driver yielded no positive results. So, I pointed to my thumb drive with backed up drivers, and just like that I no longer have any indications of hardware faults.
After hammering on it for a few hours now, we're looking good so far.
Summary
I'm not saying that this is the route everyone should be taking. I am under no illusion that what I am doing is sane, or even a supported procedure. I merely thought it would be an interesting experiment, and so far, it seems to actually be a fairly successful one. I'll continue to abuse this poor machine over the coming days and weeks to see if I can find any current flaws, but I'm pretty happy with how this little test went. Was expecting far worse.
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
