Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

Lance1 · Apr 11, 2023

I know we all know answer files. "Or Do We" But this one is different? I have an old system I would like to try this on just for a test. Old I mean 2015. Ya that's old. Anyway what do you think of this? Here's a link to Windows Answer File Generator Watch the video first.

flashh4 · Apr 11, 2023

For me this is a lot tougher to follow along than the one i have posted before !

hsehestedt · Apr 12, 2023

Lance1 said:
I know we all know answer files. "Or Do We" But this one is different? I have an old system I would like to try this on just for a test. Old I mean 2015. Ya that's old. Anyway what do you think of this? Here's a link to Windows Answer File Generator Watch the video first.

I think that conceptually it's a good idea, but under Kari's tutorial regarding creating a answer file, several users had posted answer files that they had created using that utility that didn't work. So, I would consider a good starting point, but just make sure to test it and then be prepared to do a little troubleshooting.

For me personally, my preference is to create an initial answer file manually. Once I have that, I can modify it easily using Windows SIM, or, if the changes are simple, I can simply make them in notepad.

spapakons · Apr 12, 2023

Old from 2015? My main computer (2nd system specs) has hardware from 2012 and my test laptop (2st system specs) is Vista era, circa 2007

SlicEnDicE · Apr 12, 2023

One of my computers is from 2011 and I don't consider it that old. It's a beast for it's era.

jimbo45 · Apr 12, 2023

spapakons said:
Old from 2015? My main computer (2nd system specs) has hardware from 2012 and my test laptop (2st system specs) is Vista era, circa 2007

W10 Works also on a Sony VAIO which originally came equipped with Windows XP - even though the cpu was a 64 bit one.

I don't think anybody has managed to get W11 to boot though in 32 bit mode. I tried in a VM and it's no go. What I DID do though was get an XP VM system running and then a 2nd level VM system where I could run W11 on it - note if you do that the max RAM the 2nd level Windows 11 system + it's HOST (the ist level XP VM) together is 4GB so will run like a 1 legged dog on a perfectly smooth icepond !!!

I've found the initial Sony XP disc so I'll try booting that and then running a ist level VM for W11 -- so long as VT or AMD equivalent enabled a 32 Bit HOST can run a 64 BIT GUEST -- of course the CPU has to be 64 bit enabled. I found an extra old RAM card so upped RAM from 4 to 8GB and stuck an old 128 GB SSD in place of the 2.5 inch laptop internal HDD. That improved things a lot.

For some reason the Sony VAIO laptop wouldn't install in anyway a physical W11 system-- W10 was fine on it. !!! - Note though no USB3 ports on that lappy so any USB disks were slow. I might have a go again using dism /Apply-image as this seems to work in pretty well all cases where install using the install.exe from an ISO / boot from an ISO fails.

I think also the problem is the MBR BIOS so the boot disk (there's only 1 disk in that laptop) can't create an EFI partition - and no secure boot. Using dism /Apply-Image and running the bootloader with bcdboot /q:\windows /s S: /F MBR might work though -- things to play with. I think whether MBR or EFI one still needs a small boot partition to install the boot loader on -- I'm sure the good people on this Forum will correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers
jimbo

erpster4 · Jun 9, 2023

check this out - I recently saw this thread on Neowin forum, where someone tried to install Win11 22H2 using the updated Win11 ISO on a pc with an "unsupported cpu" and it resulted in blue screen (BSOD) saying "UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR"

Microsoft’s Updated Win11 ISOs Have a Nasty Surprise (NOT Clickbait!)

don't know if this is really true or not

WAI · Jun 9, 2023

You have to create a USB with RuFus (check the incompatible function) and just run the set up

glasskuter · Jun 9, 2023

erpster4 said:
don't know if this is really true or not

Nasty Surprise...Yes, if it is indeed true. I commend anyone who has decided to run 11 on unsupported hardware. Usually, I would be right there amongst you. When 11 hit I had 2 strong running i7 machines capable of running for many more years, but both were 4th or 5th gen cpu. I'm usually all over workarounds, bypasses, and forcing something to happen on my terms, but I found I no longer had the incentive to try to keep up with all I had to do to 'beat the man' anymore. (you have to remember I'm old and tired now)
If this report is true, there will be a lot of unhappy people. MS has left the door open up until now, so if they indeed have slammed it shut, I hope geeks that are geekier than me are able to find a way to beat them at their own game.

WAI · Jun 9, 2023

You don't need Fast H/W to run I'm on a 775 Build Xeon E5450 which Modded Xeon on this ASUS P5Q-EM DO 8GB RAM (Soon 16 with a 1050Ti 2GB) has a lonely 2GB AMD Card

spapakons · Jun 9, 2023

If you bypass compatibility check, you can install Windows 11 on any computer with at least a 64-bit CPU and 2GB RAM. My lowest was an Intel Pentium 4 6xx 64-bit socket 775, yes right, it is the first Intel 64-bit family, with 2GB RAM. Performance was comparable to running Windows 7, not too fast, not too slow, once disabling all visual effects.

Bree · Jun 9, 2023

erpster4 said:
check this out - I recently saw this thread on Neowin forum, where someone tried to install Win11 22H2 using the updated Win11 ISO on a pc with an "unsupported cpu" and it resulted in blue screen (BSOD) saying "UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR"

Microsoft’s Updated Win11 ISOs Have a Nasty Surprise (NOT Clickbait!)

don't know if this is really true or not

glasskuter said:
Nasty Surprise...Yes, if it is indeed true. I commend anyone who has decided to run 11 on unsupported hardware.....
....If this report is true, there will be a lot of unhappy people. MS has left the door open up until now, so if they indeed have slammed it shut, I hope geeks that are geekier than me are able to find a way to beat them at their own game.

Well, as my System Two is specifically dedicated to testing how Windows 11 runs on unsupported hardware, and as I happen to have a spare SSD, I thought I'd test this. Seems to still work OK.

The USB I used was made from the current 22H2 22621.1702 ISO made by the MCT. It was made by just copying all the files after mounting the ISO, there's really no need to use Rufus if you make the ISO with the MCT..

To bypass the checks at install I booted the install USB, chose 'repair computer' and opened a command prompt. The commands I used were:

Code:

reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

For convenience, I had them in a .bat file that I ran. Then I ran the Setup.exe at the root of the install USB to continue with the install.

It all went as expected, no BSoD or anything. I used OOBE\Bypassnro to be able to skip connecting to the internet and create a local account. So here it is, a clean install of the latest 22H2 22621.1702 on a Legacy/MBR machine with a 1st gen i5, installed today 9th June 2023 (09/06/2023 in UK English notation).

Bree · Jun 9, 2023

erpster4 said:
don't know if this is really true or not

Bree said:
Well, as my System Two is specifically dedicated to testing how Windows 11 runs on unsupported hardware, and as I happen to have a spare SSD, I thought I'd test this. Seems to still work OK. .... It all went as expected, no BSoD or anything....

There are two ways to get an ISO for Windows 11 from MS, make one with the MCT or download one direct. The ISO I used for the test was made by the MCT, I prefer this one as it's trivially easy to make a bootable USB from it. The MCT makes an ISO with an install.esd that's guaranteed to be smaller than the Fat32 4GB file size limit.

But in your link the OP said: "...installing the OS on unsupported hardware using the recently released Win11_22H2_v2 ISO...". Now the only ISO that specifically has 'v2' in its name is the direct download one. For completeness I repeated the test using a directly downloaded Win11_22H2_EnglishInternational_x64v2.iso. With its larger install.wim I needed some help to make it bootable, I used Ventoy.

End result was exactly the same, a completely successful clean install on my unsupported System Two.

hsehestedt · Jun 9, 2023

Agreed - all the previously known workarounds are still working. So long as you are using a workaround, all is well. It's possible that the symptom when not using a workaround may have changed, but that is all. I have not yet tried this, but plan to do so eventually.

Rufus would be one of the easiest workarounds.

FYI, for those die-hards who don't like having to rely upon third-party software, if you look at the Rufus source code you will note that all they are doing is modifying the boot.wim to apply the known workarounds. That makes me 100% comfortable with what Rufus is doing, but if you wanted to do so, it's a piece of cake to modify the boot.wim yourself once you know the proper procedure.

spapakons · Jun 10, 2023

My test laptop, 1st system specs, is a mere dual core with 4GB RAM a few generations before any core-i3 or higher, and it feels faster with Windows 11 than with Windows 10 32-bit. I haven't tested Windows 10 64-bit, but it should have similar performance with Windows 11 with the same drivers.

jimbo45 · Jun 10, 2023

Latest canary release still runs on a VM running on KVM -- with sec boot enabled Virtual CPU, Emulated TPM v 2.0 on an old MBR / BIOS / no sec boot, no TPM on an 8 year old HP Proliant Gen 8 Micro server with a celeron CPU.

Specify for the CPU in KVM "Hypervisor default" in the config -- that seems to be a "permitted one" - uncheck the copy from host in the cpu topography section and select the drop down.

Running very happily on Fedora 38 host linux system with lightweight LXDE GUI desktop which itself is running from an external SSD connected to the server via USB2 ports --it has 2 USB 3 ports as well but this machine can only boot from USB2 ports or an internal micro sd card (I have another linux with grub and /boot on the SD card and the rest of the OS on an SSD which I connected in place of the original DVD. That Linux (ARCH) also runs latest canary release too with same virtual hardware.

If you use Virtual machines there shouldn't be any problem in getting Windows 11 to run -- assuming that the CPU is powerful enough in the first place and with VMs remember they "Eat RAM for Breakfast" - but the Windows VM will run in 2 GB of RAM. I usually give it 4 GB - with VM's these days its dynamically allocated to the 4GB is only the maximum it will use if it needs it. Windows does seem to have improved its memory allocation and garbage collection routines these days a bit though.

Host hardware :

VM just before running update to latest canary build -- wored fine via WU

set the Virt cpu

And sec boot

Cheers
jimbo

spapakons · Jun 11, 2023

Why emulate TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on a virtual machine when you can bypass compatibility check and install Windows 11 on any configuration? Also I prefer Windows 10 or 11 as my main OS, so yet another reason to install Windows 11 on the real hardware, plus to maximize performance. As for security risk, don't worry. As long as you have an updated Windows Defender or other antivirus and you don't click on anything without reading the text, you are safe. If too lazy to read the text, at least click on NO button, not yes.

LeLibran · Jun 11, 2023

spapakons said:
Why emulate TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on a virtual machine when you can bypass compatibility check and install Windows 11 on any configuration?

Emulating these feature avoids the need for bypass measures and; if the Host Computer has a CPU supported by MS for Win11 installation, the Virtual Machine comes much closer to emulating a 'real metal' system which can be vital for those who use VMs for development and system testing.

spapakons · Jun 11, 2023

If you want to use Windows 11 as your everyday system, including playing the occasional game, you must install it on the real hardware to get the best out of your real graphics card and your full amount of RAM. If you just want to experiment with it, installing on Virtual Machine with limited resources is fine.

Now that I think of it, I would install Windows 11 22H2 on a virtual machine and then try to upgrade to 23H2 (when it will be available), to test if the same bypass methods apply in 23H2 and that there is no other issue. After I figure out the procedure and verify there is no other issue on unsupported machines, I would upgrade my test laptop (1st system specs) and my main PC (2nd system specs). The alternative is to attempt the upgrade on some unsuspected friend and if it goes OK to do it on my own computers. If it doesn't I would do a clean installation and restore my friend's data from backup.

hsehestedt · Jun 11, 2023

If you really want access to real hardware and a VM just isn't enough, simply install a copy of Windows to a VHD and it will then have complete unfettered access to the real hardware. Of course, you won't be running that at the same time as your primary Windows installation, so that is one drawback.