Installation of Windows 11 on unsupported old hardware

AddRAM · Feb 17, 2022

I like my install partition of W10 on my Z170 to be 1 partition, when I learned to do that with W7 that`s how I`ve been doing it since.

spapakons · Feb 18, 2022

To have a single partition you must manually format the disk in MBR mode and create a single NTFS partition. To avoid Windows Setup also creating the small system partition you have to do it on another computer. Then place the disk on the target computer and install Windows in Legacy BIOS mode (MBR). UEFI installation demands the disk formatted in GPT mode with all these small partitions taking valuable space, it doesn't support MBR.

PS: If you don't have another computer, you can boot with a WinPE USB or a Linux USB, format the disk and then boot to Windows setup.

PS2: I just thought of another trick. Boot with Windows setup. Before proceeding press SHIFT+F10 to open a command prompt. You can use Diskpart to clean the disk (delete all partitions), then create a single partition and format it as NTFS. I don't remember the exact commands syntax, you can Google them. After that exit Diskpart and then exit Command prompt. You can then proceed. Alternatively you may open Computer Management (I think the command is Compmgmt or similar) then go to Disk Manager and do it from there).

ThrashZone · Feb 18, 2022

Hi,
Yeah I have no use for a cluttered gpt/ uefi only boot install even for 11.

spapakons · Feb 18, 2022

Next unsupported computer I will install Windows 11 on, I will try to create a single NTFS partition in MBR mode and confirm it works, without any extra small partitions. I will report back. This is extremely useful for small SSDs 120GB or less. Why waste valuable space?

ThrashZone · Feb 18, 2022

Hi,
It's unneeded clutter and uefi only boot more than disk space issue.

AddRAM · Feb 18, 2022

I just use a Partition Wizard Boot CD to create the partition, align it, and mark it active.
After that you can do as many clean installs as you want on that partition.
And yes, you can even use Diskpart. The commands are simple. You don`t have to setup the drive on another PC.

ThrashZone · Feb 18, 2022

lol you done now :winkt:

AddRAM · Feb 18, 2022

Well excuuuuuse me

ThrashZone · Feb 18, 2022

AddRAM said:
Well excuuuuuse me

Just asking I saw five edits lol

AddRAM · Feb 18, 2022

You can`t prove that, there is no mention of any edits in my post :lie:

ThrashZone · Feb 18, 2022

AddRAM said:
You can`t prove that, there is no mention of any edits in my post

Hi,
Sorry missed it by one the original post plus four edits

You're to quick is all :lmao:

spapakons · Feb 18, 2022

Today I had a laptop that could do either UEFI or Legacy BIOS installation. I did Legacy BIOS on purpose and I created a single NTFS partition on the SSD to test it. Windows 11 installed perfectly in the single partition without any issue. All updates are done successfully. I will do that on unsupported machines to save disk space. I didn't notice any impact on performance either.

PS: To get a single NTFS partition on a disk with Windows already installed in MBR mode, you can boot with WinPE or Linux, delete the small partitions and expand the NTFS partition to take the whole disk. At this point you cannot boot into Windows. Boot Windows 11 setup and repair startup.

ThrashZone · Feb 18, 2022

Hi,
Why would you experience performance hit ?
GPT is just so ms can always create another partition when it wants to.

spapakons · Feb 18, 2022

In theory a GPT mode disk works faster than in MBR mode. The difference is too small to notice. Is like an AHCI configured SATA disk that works faster than in IDE mode. I haven't noticed any difference also. I use GPT only for disks over 2TB to create a single large partition. MBR has a 2GB limit.

jimbo45 · Feb 18, 2022

Hi folks
If you use Virtual machines - especially on a Linux Host you can run currently W11 on almost any computer so long as you can assign 2 virtual CPU's to the VM and "Poodle fake" the CPU topology by using the drop down and choose Hypervisor default when using KVM/QEMU on the HOST machine and installing the edmk EFI sec boot VM bios package and swtpm for a virtual TPM emulator. W11 will then run even on a really ancient (circa 2014 MBR machine) -- must be capable though of 64 bit CPU instructions.

Even a lowly Intel celeron CPU will work so long as it has 2 physical cores.

cheers
jimbo

spapakons · Feb 18, 2022

My test laptop is even older, circa 2010 initially shipping with Windows Vista (see my 1st system specs). It runs Windows 11 without any issue.

shaocaholica · Feb 18, 2022

10yr old is just the starting line

spapakons · Feb 19, 2022

The oldest system I have installed Windows 11 must be Intel Pentium D (a couple generations above the Pentium 4 socket 478, later socket 775).

Khalid Alshanfa · Feb 20, 2022

I was going through Windows 11 documentation, when I found that Microsoft has an official way to install Windows 11 on unsupported old machine. In fact, you can install windows on BIOS based Pcs as well as UEFI ones.

Windows Setup Supported Platforms and Cross-Platform Deployments

There are three methods Microsoft recommend to follow. In the first method, you install Window 11 from and older ISO file, but you have to replace old wim file with Windows 11 wim file using a switch to install.exe.

Code:

D:\setup.exe /InstallFrom:"N:\Windows_64-bit\sources\install.wim"

Here how I did it in VirtualBox:

I created a new VM with these specifications:

Then I attached Windows 11 and Windows 10 ISO as two virtual optical desks.

After that, I booted the VM from windows 10 ISO. When setup screen appeared I hit SHFIT + F10. There I typed the command: setup.exe /installfrom:e:\sources\install.wim to install windows 11.

I would love it if other could confirm it works in physical machines.

cereberus · Feb 20, 2022

spapakons said:
To have a single partition you must manually format the disk in MBR mode and create a single NTFS partition. To avoid Windows Setup also creating the small system partition you have to do it on another computer. Then place the disk on the target computer and install Windows in Legacy BIOS mode (MBR). UEFI installation demands the disk formatted in GPT mode with all these small partitions taking valuable space, it doesn't support MBR.

PS: If you don't have another computer, you can boot with a WinPE USB or a Linux USB, format the disk and then boot to Windows setup.

PS2: I just thought of another trick. Boot with Windows setup. Before proceeding press SHIFT+F10 to open a command prompt. You can use Diskpart to clean the disk (delete all partitions), then create a single partition and format it as NTFS. I don't remember the exact commands syntax, you can Google them. After that exit Diskpart and then exit Command prompt. You can then proceed. Alternatively you may open Computer Management (I think the command is Compmgmt or similar) then go to Disk Manager and do it from there).

To follow up above.

When you create a blank mbr disk, it does not create the small 16mb MSR partition - that is UEFI only.

All you need to do is create a single NTFS partition on an mbr disk from disk management (or from the shift+f10 command prompt using diskpart if no OS as you say), then select that partition to write windows form a usb installation drive - do not delete the partition at the selection menu.

Then windows is installed as a single partition with no other partitions created.

Here is how to do it if you cannot pre-format drive as MBR with a single partition.

So boot from usb installation drive.

At first screen, press shift+f10 to get to command prompt

Then type following

Code:

diskpart
list disk
select disk # (# is drive number of drive you are installing windows to - be careful you select right drive if more than 1 drive)
convert mbr
create partition primary
select partition 1
format fs=NTFS quick
assign
active
exit

then exit command prompt, carry on and install to the newly created partition.

However, quite why anybody would really want to do this if pc is UEFI capable is a bit strange, as mbr drives are limited to 4 primary partitions. Moreover, you cannot use secure boot.

A lot of new devices will not even work in legacy bios mode any more.