A promise is a promise. After studying its main improvements up close, we confirmed that our battle plan would continue with a session to install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs, and here we are. While Microsoft recommends going out to buy computers during the worst semiconductor crisis in history, we decided to take a machine declared obsolete by Redmond and set up a date with the new operating system...
Windows 11 on unsupported PCs: Why are we doing this?
First, to check how serious the "compatibility issues" that Microsoft talks about are in relation to hardware without advanced security profiles. And second, the goal is to go a bit against the current of other specialized portals. The vast majority of tests that appeared online in the last 96 hours were done on cutting-edge hardware, where Windows 11 will obviously work without a hitch. In my case, I want the operating system to play as a visitor and adapt to not-so-favorable conditions.
The software
Windows 11, official ISO image downloaded from Microsoft, stable build 10.0.22000.194. The original idea was to select the Education edition, but most users usually favor the Pro edition, so we decided to do the same. The only privilege Windows 11 will receive is a clean installation, without "stepping on" another operating system.
The hardware
Processor: AMD A6-5400K, 2C/2T, 3.6 GHz frequency, FM2 socket. It's a CPU with nine years of age, without TPM support. No overclocking or voltage adjustments were applied.
Graphics: Radeon HD 7540D, integrated into the processor. Memory allocation was set to automatic.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-S1, Revision 3.0. The latest beta version of its UEFI BIOS is FEa, dated May 2015. Secure Boot enabled in Custom mode, with an exception for removable drives.
RAM: 8 GB, Kingston ValueRAM in 2 x 4 GB, 1333 MHz. Dual channel enabled, timings on auto.
Storage: Generic SSD, SATA interface, 120 GB.
Case: Azza LUMINOUS 110. It was on sale. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Power supply: Generic, "600W".
Other details: AMD cooler, generic thermal paste, Kingston USB drive for Windows installation, Logitech keyboard and mouse, LG monitor at 1366x768 native with VGA connection. An "office terminal", from start to finish. What comes next? Let's see:
Download Windows 11
No rocket science here: Go to the official Microsoft page, select Windows 11 in the "Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)" section, click Download, specify the language, and then click Confirm. The link is valid for 24 hours, and the ISO image includes all editions. Its approximate size is 5 gigabytes.
Prepare the USB drive with the ISO image
The Web offers many free tools to do this step, but the latest version of Rufus is not only compatible with Windows 11, but can also download the ISO image on its own if you don't want to go to Microsoft's site. Choose the USB drive, the ISO image, and click Start. This will take a few minutes, depending on the natural speed of the USB drive.
Now, Rufus recommends disabling Secure Boot to use this USB drive, but on some computers it's enough to keep Secure Boot and configure an execution exception for removable drives. If you notice that you cannot boot the computer, don't hesitate to disable Secure Boot and continue. Any technical whim will be removed with a sledgehammer in the next step.
Installing Windows 11 on unsupported PCs
At first, there are no big differences between the Windows 10 installer and its Windows 11 counterpart. Language, regional format, keyboard... no obstacles there. However, after selecting the Windows 11 edition, the installer will show this message:
What should you do here? The answer is in step 1 of our article to bypass TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, which I'll share again here:
- Press Shift+F10 to open the system console
- Open regedit.exe (the same old editor)
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
- Stopped at Setup, create a key called LabConfig
- Inside LabConfig, create two 32-bit DWORD values: BypassTPMCheck and BypassSecureBootCheck
- Assign both a value of "1"
- Close the editor and system console
- The message about lack of support should disappear. If not, click the back arrow and choose the Windows edition again. The message will disappear.
Technical detail: It is not mandatory to use both Registry values. On our computer, Secure Boot is present but TPM 2.0 is not, so only the bypass for TPM was needed. If the block persists for some reason, you can configure both without problems.
Finishing the installation
The OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) environment has changed a bit, but overall, the steps are the same. A second confirmation of region and keyboard format, Windows asking please to use an online account (you can ignore the threats about a "limited configuration"), privacy settings (that is, disable everything), and after a few moments... the desktop.
What about updates?
Windows Update wants to eat, no doubts about that. The installation of Windows 11 can be done without an Internet connection, but once it detects web access, Windows Update will try to download everything at the same time. That means our test terminal needed about ten or twenty minutes of head start to get hotfixes, Defender updates, and drivers.
So... the answer is no: Windows 11 has not blocked updates so far. All installed without errors, including drivers. Considering the age of the hardware in this computer, I think it's best to leave driver management in the hands of Windows Update, but nothing stops you from visiting each manufacturer's official page and searching for new drivers compatible with Windows 11.
Any errors or technical conflicts?
Nothing too relevant on this side. The WiFi dongle was detected and installed transparently, but due to the physical position of the computer, its performance left a lot to be desired and I ended up connecting an Ethernet cable. Much of the natural sluggishness of the interface disappeared once Windows Update installed the video drivers.
Windows Update puts some pressure on the processor when searching and installing updates, but all its tasks came to a good end with a few minutes to spare (as mentioned above). The SSD made a big difference, even being a basic model.
In summary: It didn't explode
And that's it. Windows 11 on unsupported PCs is possible with minimal tweaks. This also extends to virtual environments: If you prefer a copy in VMWare or VirtualBox, you can apply the same Registry trick.
Needless to say, there are performance details that still need to be fixed, and we cannot guarantee that Windows 11 will work well on your PC. For example, AMD has already confirmed a bug that affects L3 cache latency in Ryzen chips, and the patch should arrive to affected systems during this month. Whatever you decide, we thank you for making it this far. Good luck!
