Upgrade Win 10 to Win 11, using the setupprep.exe method. Bypasses all hardware checks.


Curious about 24H2 as I have couple PC using Phenom ii x4 955 CPU, if win 11 will run on them. Seems to say they have POPCNT
Yes, they should run 24H2. AMD introduced PopCnt with SSE4a.

POPCNT and LZCNT
These instructions operate on integer rather than SSE registers, because they are not SIMD instructions, but appear at the same time and although introduced by AMD with the SSE4a instruction set, they are counted as separate extensions with their own dedicated CPUID bits to indicate support. Intel implements POPCNT beginning with the Nehalem microarchitecture....

For Intel, PopCnt arrived with SSE4.2.
 

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.
Yes, it seems we should not have any issues for CPUs released in 2012 or later. My test laptop has an Intel Core 2 Duo from 2009 so it is the best for testing any workarounds. I will clone my Windows 11 23H2 installation on a spare SSD and then I will try anything that comes to mind. If I screw Windows 11, I just put the original SDD back and not worry. I even have an SSD with Windows 10 32-bit just in case.
 

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
Remove the install.esd (or install.swm/install2.swm pair) from a 23H2 install usb then replace with the one from 24H2. Then all the currently known workarounds for 23H2 can still be used
Will it lift SSE4.2 and POPCNT CPU requirements for 24H2? If not, how to lift them anyway?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Will it lift SSE4.2 and POPCNT CPU requirements for 24H2? If not, how to lift them anyway?
There is no known bypass to make an installed 24H2 image work on a non-SSE 4.2 PC.

If you substitute the 24H2 install.wim on a 23H2 ISO, WinPE will happily install the 24H2 image to your PC. Except it will hang, when it reboots to finish Windows installation. The trick defeats the CPU check, but MS has changed the CPU code so 24H2 can't run on the wrong CPU's. You would have to rewrite parts of Windows to make it work.

23H2 is still available for older CPU's.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Will it lift SSE4.2 and POPCNT CPU requirements for 24H2? If not, how to lift them anyway?
No, it does not. There is no way to bypass the requirement for the SSE4.2 instructions, calls to those instructions are hard-coded into the 24H2 boot files. 24H2 won't even boot without them....

Bree said:
First issue was that it couldn't even boot from the standard 24H2 install USB made by the MCT. It gets as far as the Windows logo, then reboots before it even starts the spinning 'loading up' circle.

Second attempt was with my hybrid 23H2/24H2 USB. That at least copied all the files, set them up and got to the first reboot. Same issue, it shows the logo, but then reboots before the circles appear....

....Yep, seems SSE4.2 is essential.... :(
Windows 11 24H2 has un-bypassable hardware requirements... - post #282
 

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.
I don't know about "unbypassable"... Many cracked apps start by a 3rd party loader, so why Windows can't be launched that way... by a modded Windows 11 23H2 Bootloader?

Or, may be installing Windows with a server switch will do: D:/sources/setupprep.exe /product server
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
I don't know about "unbypassable"... Many cracked apps start by a 3rd party loader, so why Windows can't be started that way?
If you understand compilers, devs can target what types of CPU's to run the assembly code against. You can say "use newer CPU instructions which are more efficient to perform this operation, instead of substituting longer and slower code that's backwards compatible to older CPU's."

MS has simply recompiled 24H2 to run exclusively against SSE 4.2 and higher CPU's. When an older CPU hits the newer instructions, it hangs because that instruction doesn't exist for it. "Why can't someone rip out all those SSE 4.2 instructions and replace them?". Yes, but it's a whack-a-mole game because if MS rewrites any part of Windows, the compiler may reinsert SSE 4.2 instructions into a different program. And rewriting the kernel code breaks code-signing security measures.

So this isn't something a clever dev can work around. You would have to anticipate everywhere the compiler can "randomly" insert SSE 4.2 instructions, just because it's following your directive to use the latest CPU features. MS has checked and made sure enough boot and kernel modules have SSE 4.2 extensions buried in them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
In theory you can trick 24H2 to boot using the 23H2 version of Windows bootloader. However the first system file that requires SSE4.2 to run will cause the system to hang (such as when you see the blue Window logo without the spinning curves and the computer is unresponsive).
 

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
MS can do code branching based on CPU model. Instead they prefer to get paid by the PC makers when you buy a new one. Sounds like a bad deal, especially if you are a light home PC user.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
MS can do code branching based on CPU model. Instead they prefer to get paid by the PC makers when you buy a new one. Sounds like a bad deal, especially if you are a light home PC user.
Really? you do know that the SSE4.2 requirement only disqualifies processors more that about 16 years old? One of the earliest Intel processors with SSE4.2 was the 1st gen i5 from 2008.

Nehalem /nəˈheɪləm/[1] is the codename for Intel's 45 nm microarchitecture released in November 2008.[2] It was used in the first generation of the Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, and succeeds the older Core microarchitecture used on Core 2 processors.
 

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.
Yes, they try to limit the computers that can install Windows 11, but they are not stupid to force the initial requirements of 8th generation Intel or 2nd generation AMD Ryzen, They would lose A LOT of users. They "leaked" the Registry method to bypass compatibility check and clean install Windows 11 on unsupported computers themselves.

PS: I am currently typing this from my main PC, a 3rd generation Intel Core-i7, officially unsupported, running Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (yes, it supports SSE4.2 and the PopCnt instruction, obviously).
 

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
No need to update 10 to latest version first.
Bypasses all hardware checks. So it will upgrade to win 11 older PC that do not meet their requirements. The CPU requirement is terrible as normally it wont allow an installation on older CPU like 7th gen INTEL CPUs.
This PC I updated to 11 version 23H2, is core2duo and it is running great on 11 PRO.

Simple to do
Download win11 disc image file at Microsoft. File is about 6.4gb, you want the ISO file, scroll down the web page it is the last method in their list.

Mount the ISO file by rightclicking select mount.
Click open
Look in file manager to see what drive letter it is mounted at, mine was F:

open CMD prompt as admin
goto F: (wherever it was mounted) , as in type F: enter
type DIR to see the files and folders of the mounted iso, that way you know you are in the right drive folder
Type CD sources

Then type setupprep.exe /product server
Select type of install, I chose keep files, folder, programs,

Windows 11 will install
If your PC was activated, it remains activated

It will say installing server, but it is installing windows 11, and it will install either home, pro, or whatever matching version you have
Leave command prompt window open

No need to use a USB drive or boot from it.
Then walk away, no interaction is needed.
Or just
setup /product server

I just did it a couple days ago 23H2 to 24H2
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (OS Build 26100.3037)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision Mobile Workstation
    CPU
    Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1535M v5 @ 2.90 Max Turbo 3.80
    Motherboard
    00V5FJ
    Memory
    64GB DDR4 ECC (Error-Correcting Code memory)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro M2000M 4GB GDDR5 & Intel(R) HD Graphics P530
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" 4K UltraHD
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB Crucial NVMe & 2TB Seagate SATA
    PSU
    Dell 180W 19.5V-9.23A
    Mouse
    Logitech G703
    Internet Speed
    WIFI: Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security + additional Anti Spyware, Anti Malware, etc.
    Other Info
    Thunderbolt 3
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision Workstation T5610
    CPU
    Dual Intel(R) Xeon(R)
    Memory
    64GB ECC
I'm not too concerned about the upcoming 24H2 version, if the Win11 on the 2 Notebooks fails I'll just put their Win10 HDDs back in and use until that dies.
If the CPUs on the notebooks have SSE4.2, it won't fail Windows 11 up to 24H2 (current).
Without SSE4.2, they'll likely go up to 23H2 just fine.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (OS Build 26100.3037)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision Mobile Workstation
    CPU
    Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1535M v5 @ 2.90 Max Turbo 3.80
    Motherboard
    00V5FJ
    Memory
    64GB DDR4 ECC (Error-Correcting Code memory)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro M2000M 4GB GDDR5 & Intel(R) HD Graphics P530
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" 4K UltraHD
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB Crucial NVMe & 2TB Seagate SATA
    PSU
    Dell 180W 19.5V-9.23A
    Mouse
    Logitech G703
    Internet Speed
    WIFI: Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security + additional Anti Spyware, Anti Malware, etc.
    Other Info
    Thunderbolt 3
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision Workstation T5610
    CPU
    Dual Intel(R) Xeon(R)
    Memory
    64GB ECC
I don't know about "unbypassable"... Many cracked apps start by a 3rd party loader, so why Windows can't be launched that way... by a modded Windows 11 23H2 Bootloader?

Or, may be installing Windows with a server switch will do: D:/sources/setupprep.exe /product server
Without a CPU supporting SSE4.2, just keep it on 23H2
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (OS Build 26100.3037)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision Mobile Workstation
    CPU
    Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1535M v5 @ 2.90 Max Turbo 3.80
    Motherboard
    00V5FJ
    Memory
    64GB DDR4 ECC (Error-Correcting Code memory)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro M2000M 4GB GDDR5 & Intel(R) HD Graphics P530
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" 4K UltraHD
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB Crucial NVMe & 2TB Seagate SATA
    PSU
    Dell 180W 19.5V-9.23A
    Mouse
    Logitech G703
    Internet Speed
    WIFI: Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security + additional Anti Spyware, Anti Malware, etc.
    Other Info
    Thunderbolt 3
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision Workstation T5610
    CPU
    Dual Intel(R) Xeon(R)
    Memory
    64GB ECC
The usual procedure is to upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 without installing all Windows 10 updates first. Windows 11 will render them obsolete anyway. However my experience since Windows XP says that it might be some feature that you cannot install on the new version of Windows, while it can be installed on the current version and be available on the new version. That's why I always make sure I have installed all updates, all drivers and have enabled all the optional features I want BEFORE upgrading to the new version. Same from Windows 11 21H2 to 22H2, 22H2 to 23H2 and 23H2 to 24H2. Better safe than sorry.
 

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

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