Solved I'm Trying To Install Windows 11 Pro on my Windows 10 Desktop Computer

glasskuter said:

NO. @Bree stated it plainly. The Core 2 Duo lacks the SSE4.2 instruction set that's an essential requirement to run 24H2 and above.
There is no workaround, registry tweak, change to the install media, batch file, or sacrifice to the computer gods that will make 24h2 or later install on that device.

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I guess that's always been an issue for me to know when to give up on something when I know I need to. Besides windows 10 is functioning pretty well now since I replaced the older disk hard drive with a new solid state drive. Now all that I'd like to do is make some comestic changes, such as making the taskbar icons move to the center of the taskbar like they are on windows 11.

Davy49 said:

So you don't think there's ANY possible way to install windows 11 pro on my older desktop computer ?

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You can install Windows 11 Pro 23H2, but nothing newer than that.

SSE4.2 is an absolute un-bypassable requirement for 24H2 and later, I tested that here when 24H2 was first released.

Windows 11 24H2 has un-bypassable hardware requirements... - post #282

I’m pretty sure I installed Windows 11 on an old laptop that is equipped — if I recall correctly — with a Celeron processor. Obviously, the computer is not so snappy, given the limited hardware resources, but it wasn’t with Windows 10 either. As soon as I get a chance to see the owner of that computer, I might check the hardware specs to confirm.

UnsafeRelease said:

I’m pretty sure I installed Windows 11 on an old laptop that is equipped — if I recall correctly — with a Celeron processor. Obviously, the computer is not so snappy, given the limited hardware resources, but it wasn’t with Windows 10 either. As soon as I get a chance to see the owner of that computer, I might check the hardware specs to confirm.

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Probably a newer generation Intel Celeron with SSE4.2 instructions, or it was an older Windows 11 version that didn't require SSE4.2

For reference:

- You can install Windows 11 21H2, 22H2 and 23H2 on any 64-bit CPU system with 2GB or more RAM and at least 40GB hard disk space. You only have to bypass compatibility check. The exception is the 1st generation AMD 64 CPUs that cannot even run Windows 8 64-bit. These AMD are limited to either Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or Windows 10 22H2 32-bit. As an experiment I have installed Windows 11 21H2 on an Intel Pentium HT 640 3.2GHz socket 775 system from 2005 with 2GB RAM and a very old IDE mechanical hard disk! No SATA, no UEFI, no Secure Boot, no TPM, no WDDM 3.x graphics drivers! The lowest possible, it is actually the FIRST Intel 64-bit CPU family! Of course it was too slow for everyday use, even slower since the graphics card had no WDDM drivers and I used Microsoft Basic Display Adapter without any hardware acceleration, but I did it as proof of concept. If that system can run Windows 11, any newer system can!

- You can install Windows 24H2, 25H@ and 26H2 on any 64-vit CPU with SSE4.2 instructions. These are the 1st generation Intel Core-i3 or higher and equivalent AMDs. Warning: Early Intel Pentium and Atom CPUs might not have SSE4.2, check with CPU-Z before installing. For older CPUs without SSE4.2, I prefer to install Windows 11 23H2 to be as modern as possible. I would not like being stuck with Windows 10 22H2 64-bit. At least Windows 11 24H2 is a little newer and probably supports more hardware and applications than Windows 10.

Davy49 said:

So you don't think there's ANY possible way to install windows 11 pro on my older desktop computer ?

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Once a PC is pushing 20 some odd years it's pretty much reached recycling status. You could keep it for posterity's sake or, as a curiosity, a learning tool perhaps? Your PC will likely run Linux just fine but I would not trust it for doing financial transactions or security sensitive tasks. Windows 10 still gives you over a year of extended security updates and your old desktop could be used for watching videos and listening to audio files. That sort of thing. Myself, I generally recycle after cannibalizing the parts I know I can still use.

Scannerman said:

Once a PC is pushing 20 some odd years it's pretty much reached recycling status. You could keep it for posterity's sake or, as a curiosity, a learning tool perhaps? Your PC will likely run Linux just fine but I would not trust it for doing financial transactions or security sensitive tasks. Windows 10 still gives you over a year of extended security updates and your old desktop could be used for watching videos and listening to audio files. That sort of thing. Myself, I generally recycle after cannibalizing the parts I know I can still use.

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Thanks for your valued reply, everything that you stated perfectly makes sense. Actually after using windows 10 pro for awhile once again I'm finding it really not so bad afterall. At least now I've got my taskbar icon's in the center of my taskbar by using the 'explorer patcher' software.

Davy49 said:

Actually after using windows 10 pro for awhile once again I'm finding it really not so bad afterall.

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I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, on my bedroom Intel Gen 1 platform I switched back to Win 10 after learning about the extension. Of course, I kept the garbage (Cortana, Bit Locker, Key Logger, One Drive, Co-Pilot etc.) out of it and it runs like a charm. Opted out for a Brave browser and Start Page. My biggest beef with Win 10 was all the bloatware and garbage that came with it. Once you clear out the trash it's a pretty decent OS. Nothing I'd want to do financial transactions on, but that is a matter of personal preference. Somehow Linux just feels safer in that regard.

As long as you keep Windows Defender or third-party antivirus updated and not blindly click OK to close a popup window, you should be safe to use Windows 10 or even Windows 7. In any case make sure you regularly backup your precious files and take a full disk backup at least once a month. If the computer is ever compromised, you can just wipe the disk and restore the last full disk backup. After Windows 10 ESU period expires, I would upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 to be a little more modern and possibly support more devices and apps. I strongly recommend to take your time and familiarize with Linux at least a couple of months before adopting. In my computer I would rather run an old Windows version than use Linux. There are many things I cannot do in Linux, or at least I cannot do the way I want. Also I hate the steep learning curve and the frequent need to use the Terminal. It's 2026 for God's sake, not the 80's!

spapakons said:

There are many things I cannot do in Linux, or at least I cannot do the way I want. Also I hate the steep learning curve and the frequent need to use the Terminal. It's 2026 for God's sake, not the 80's!

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I'm with you on this. That's also why I keep the best of both worlds.

An inexperienced user might think that switching to Linux is the answer to his prayers. Linux is not Panacea. Yes, it runs faster than Windows, but this is because the user interface has less visual effects enabled by default and run almost no apps in the background. Once you enable more effects and more apps run in the background it becomes slower, comparable to Windows. He must also consider the smaller number of available applications and games and the narrower range of supported hardware devices and peripherals. Is not only the ease of use, but also the compatibility which I consider equally important. Remember, it is a substitute, not a magic replacement of Windows, otherwise more than half the PCs would run some Linux distro. Most of us insist on running Windows, any version as long as it is Windows, for a reason.

Davy49 said:

At least now I've got my taskbar icon's in the center of my taskbar by using the 'explorer patcher' software.

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You know, as I actually hate the centered alignment of the Windows icon, I moved it to the left — the classic way — using the unattended installation (with Rufus)

To get it installed, he'll need to grab a 23H2 ISO image and use Rufus to bypass the requirements—specifically TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. I’ve got 23H2 running on a Core 2 Duo E7400 with 4GB of RAM.

spapakons said:

and the frequent need to use the Terminal. It's 2026 for God's sake, not the 80's!

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*LOL* i thought we all loved the 80's
But you dont need to use the terminal as a normal user in the more user-friendlier Linux distributions.
I use one of the less user-friendlier distros.. Debian with Xfce desktop environment.. and i almost never use the terminal..
So in ZorinOS or latest Mint or SteamOS/Bazzite for those who like gaming.. i dont even think a normal user will ever touch the Terminal unless they had incompatible hardware so they need to troubleshoot things.

I hate Linux as much as i hate Windows... they both sucks in different ways.. so I'm 50/50 on my haterage and use what sucks less for the task i need my computer for.

Alex_S_MrBison said:

To get it installed, he'll need to grab a 23H2 ISO image and use Rufus to bypass the requirements—specifically TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. I’ve got 23H2 running on a Core 2 Duo E7400 with 4GB of RAM.

View attachment 184887

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Exactly like my test laptop (1st system specs), stuck to Windows 11 23H2, so what? Much better than running Linux. I not only want a "modern" OS. I want an easy to use OS, as much compatible as possible with hardware and applications and have the best possible performance for each hardware component. This is only achieved running Windows with the proprietary OEM drivers. Linux drivers hardly expose all device features and I don't think their performance compares to proprietary OEM drivers. Think again.

Marie SWE said:

*LOL* i thought we all loved the 80's
But you dont need to use the terminal as a normal user in the more user-friendlier Linux distributions.
I use one of the less user-friendlier distros.. Debian with Xfce desktop environment.. and i almost never use the terminal..
So in ZorinOS or latest Mint or SteamOS/Bazzite for those who like gaming.. i dont even think a normal user will ever touch the Terminal unless they had incompatible hardware so they need to troubleshoot things.

I hate Linux as much as i hate Windows... they both sucks in different ways.. so I'm 50/50 on my haterage and use what sucks less for the task i need my computer for.

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Like you said "unless...". There is always some "unless" and you discover it the more inconvenient time. With Windows it just works and do your job. With Linux if not everything is preconfigured and preinstalled they way you want, you....must use the Terminal! Is ever any OS exactly the way you like it out of the box? Even in Windows I do several modifications before I can work or play on it, let alone Linux. Yes, the average user can use some easy Linux distro, provided some experienced user installs all the apps he need and configures it the way he wants beforehand. And of course he will never need something more that he already has. Rather unlikely isn't it? That's exactly why I will never recommend Linux to anyone. Because I will be that sucker, I mean "experienced" user to do all of these for him and provide support almost daily. No thanks! I don't do to others what I don't like to do at me.

spapakons said:

Like you said "unless...". There is always some "unless" and you discover it the more inconvenient time. With Windows it just works and do your job. With Linux if not everything is preconfigured and preinstalled they way you want, you....must use the Terminal! Is ever any OS exactly the way you like it out of the box? Even in Windows I do several modifications before I can work or play on it, let alone Linux. Yes, the average user can use some easy Linux distro, provided some experienced user installs all the apps he need and configures it the way he wants beforehand. And of course he will never need something more that he already has. Rather unlikely isn't it? That's exactly why I will never recommend Linux to anyone. Because I will be that sucker, I mean "experienced" user to do all of these for him and provide support almost daily. No thanks! I don't do to others what I don't like to do at me.

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I have been lucky with my computers.. they are all intel based and intel internal graphics.. I have a few with Nvidia, but they work great too when i use Nvidias driver instead of opensource drivers..
But i have bad experience with AMD and Radeon graphics.. also SiS in the past was a nightmare. *LOL*

as i see you are VIP, then i can joke and say.... i have never-ever modified a Windows system.. i just LOVE windows out of the box. *lol*

i think we that dont like things out of the box always run in to trouble.. Terminal in Linux or Powershell in Windows... i think people like us is screwed either way. *lol*
But normal users that do like things out of the box.. i think they can have a Terminal/Powershell free life in 2026 and 2027.
But me and you and people like us.. we will only be free from that the day we give up computing.

SiS drivers were nightmare even in Windows. I had downloaded them all to be able to install Windows on motherboards with the SiS chipset, but even then it wasn't clear which driver was the correct one. I had nicknames SiS to "siskata" (Greek for full of sh!t).

spapakons said:

That's exactly why I will never recommend Linux to anyone. Because I will be that sucker, I mean "experienced" user to do all of these for him and provide support almost daily. No thanks! I don't do to others what I don't like to do at me.

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I'm really careful about recommending any OS or software to anyone without asking what they need it for and what they have for expectations and how much new things they are willing to learn.
I think you might have seen me saying Linux is not for everyone and Linux is not windows in the same way Windows isn't MacOS.. i and if they need some software that wont run in Linux, and also why they want to switch OS. then they should think twice before continue down the road.
But i never tell them to stay away from MacOS or Linux.. or the other way around.. Stay away from windows.
That is their choice
I show them the door and what to expect, and then they have to make the decision to walk thru it... or walk another way.


Edit:
as for OP here.. if he has the possibility to install Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC IoT, then he will have security updates to 2031

spapakons said:

SiS drivers were nightmare even in Windows. I had downloaded them all to be able to install Windows on motherboards with the SiS chipset, but even then it wasn't clear which driver was the correct one. I had nicknames SiS to "siskata" (Greek for full of sh!t).

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oh.. i have been lucky with SiS and Windows XP. But yeah.. OEM drivers always works better then windows built in drivers.
The same goes for Linux.. OEM (non-free) is always better then open-source kernel drivers..
So windows and Linux is 1-1 on that part in my eyes.. OEM always works better... a few exceptions might exist to confirm the rule.

Marie SWE said:

I show them the door and what to expect, and then they have to make the decision to walk thru it... or walk another way.

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Nice quote, Morpheus