Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

Yes, you can install on a VHD, but if you have a spare disk you can install there. If the spare disk is large enough, I would clone my current system and upgrade to Windows 11 (if it was Windows 10 or earlier) to see how it is going with the applications I use every day.

Bree said:

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.

Click to expand...

I did make a post there on neowin several days ago and I did not encounter a BSOD on my unsupported HP computer (non-uefi based pc) like the OP there encountered.
and I used a Win11_22H2v2 (22621.1702) en-us ISO

so it may have turned out to be a hardware issue for the OP there (but not for anybody else)

I've installed Windows 11/Pro/64 at least 16 times now, and every time to Unsupported Hardware.
How? Simple! By using a Flash Drive prepared by Rufus, on an ISO from a known reliable source.
Easy peasy!

I hope the questions will stop!

Contrary to what they want you to believe, the Windows 11 requirements are artificial. Any computer running Windows 8 64-bit can also run 8.1 and 10 and 11 with the same drivers and configuration. So as soon as you bypass compatibility check, you should not see any difference in available features or issues than in a compliant system running the same version of Windows 11. Try it for yourself to confirm that.

I've finally decided to upgrade an old computer to Windows 11.
Is the Rufus method still the best and easiest?

Does circumventing Windows 11 hardware requirements cause any problems such as Microsoft preventing updates etc?

Rufus is the easiest way to bypass compatibility check for both upgrade and clean installation. If upgrading make sure you are disconnected from the internet the whole duration. No restrictions on other updates, they all install without checking. You will not be offered the upgrade to 23H2 in October. You will have to download the new ISO and use Rufus again. Apart from that, no issues.

Stigg said:

I've finally decided to upgrade an old computer to Windows 11.
Is the Rufus method still the best and easiest?

Does circumventing Windows 11 hardware requirements cause any problems such as Microsoft preventing updates etc?

Click to expand...

Some people prefer Rufus, I just use the appraserres.dll trick.

Either way, an unsupported device gets all the updates and CU's, just like any other Win11 machine. The only thing it won't get is the offer of a Feature Update to the next version of Win11. At that point you'd need to do an in-place upgrade using the same workarounds again.

Thanks to @spapakons and @Bree for confirming that any feature updates need to be done manually on unsupported hardware.
Basically preform the same thing again for feature updates.

Bree said:

Some people prefer Rufus, I just use the appraserres.dll trick.

Either way, an unsupported device gets all the updates and CU's, just like any other Win11 machine. The only thing it won't get is the offer of a Feature Update to the next version of Win11. At that point you'd need to do an in-place upgrade using the same workarounds again.

Click to expand...

What's the latest working appraserres.dll trick?
Remove it, or replace it with a text file?

Stigg said:

What's the latest working appraserres.dll trick?
Remove it, or replace it with a text file?

Click to expand...

Setup will complaint if you just remove it. Replace it with a zero byte sized file. Create one by a right-click on the desktop and making a new text document, then rename it as appraiserres.dll. Stay disconnected from the internet whilst using this workaround.

Bree said:

Setup will complaint if you just remove it. Replace it with a zero byte sized file. Create one by a right-click on the desktop and making a new text document, then rename it as appraiserres.dll. Stay disconnected from the internet whilst using this workaround.

Click to expand...

Setup complaining sounds a bit like my wife complaining. I even tried sending her a text to settle her down, but it didn't work. Let's hope the setup text is more successful than the text I sent my wife.

I'll probably try one of those methods tomorrow, guys.
Does the appraserres.dll method also work for a clean installation like the Rufus method?

For clean installation I am not sure if you can replace the appraiserres.dll file inside the sources folder of the USB. Rufus is a safer bet. I would create a hybrid Windows 10/11 USB (works only in MBR Legacy mode, fails in GPT UEFI). This is a standard Windows 10 64-bit setup USB with the file \sourcces\install.wim (or .esd) replaced with the respective file in the Windows 11 ISO. Or you can use the Registry hacks mentioned in older posts. Rufus is the easiest method. Stay disconnected from the internet if you want a local account instead of using your Microsoft account. See older posts to enable "I don't have internet" hidden option.

Stigg, using a utility like Rufus is typically the easiest method, but I like to know how to accomplish tasks like this with no third-party software. I made myself a little cheat sheet for this purpose. Here is a copy of those notes:

This document describes how to install Windows 11 on systems that do not technically meet the Windows 11 hardware requirements. Before we even begin, I would like to point out that there are other methods not covered here to accomplish this task. For example, the "Rufus" utility can create installation media to allow for installation on unsupported hardware. However, the goal with this document is to provide methods to install Windows 11 without the need for any third-party utilities.


* CLEAN INSTALLATION PROCEDURE *

IMPORTANT: Be sure to read both PART 1 and PART 2 below. Part 1 describes how to bypass the initial Windows hardware requirements. Part 2 describes how to create a local user account and bypass the need to login with a Microsoft account later on in the installation.

* PART 1 - This section describes how to bypass the initial hardware requirements for Windows 11. *

Note: All methods below have the same goal, which is to set registry entries in Windows PE to bypass the Windows setup requirements. This will NOT affect the final installation of Windows. It only affects the registry entries of Windows PE which is loaded in memory during setup. As soon as the first reboot during installation occurs, these registry entries are lost, having already served their purpose.

* Method 1 - Updating the Windows BOOT.WIM Registry *

Personally, this is my preferred method because it is 100% transparent to users. When booting from Windows installation media, Windows setup runs under Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment). This is contained within the BOOT.WIM file. By updating the registry for this environment, installation will look exactly the same as always and no answer file is needed, nor is any other action required by the user.

This method requires a little bit of work to implement, but once the Windows image is updated, no action is needed by the user.

To implement this method, use these steps:

1) Install the Windows ADK from here: Download and install the Windows ADK

NOTE: When installing the ADK, you will be shown a list of items that can be installed. You can choose to install only the Deployment Tools from this list. This makes the install quick and very small.

2) Open a command prompt by running the "Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment" in elevated mode (as Administrator). You will find this item in Start > All Apps > Windows Kits. Again, make sure to run this elevated (as Administrator).

TIP: When you open the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment, you can issue a "CD \" to change paths to the root of the volume. This makes the prompt at the command line much shorter and less obtrusive while you are working. Leave this window open until the very end. We will run all of the needed commands from the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment.

NOTE: This environment is basically like any other command prompt, except that various variables and paths are set so that the tools we need such as DISM.exe and OSCDIMG.exe are in the path, ensuring that the latest version of these utilities is run from the ADK location.

3) We will now create the folders that we need for this project by running these commands. You can use other folders, but these are what I will use in my examples:

MD "C:\Project\ISO_Files"
MD "C:\Project\Mount"

4) Mount your Windows ISO image and copy ALL files to C:\Project\ISO_Files.

5) Run the following commands. Note that you can copy and paste all these commands in at once if you wish.

dism /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\project\iso_files\sources\boot.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\project\mount
reg load HKLM\offline c:\project\mount\windows\system32\config\system
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg unload HKLM\offline
dism /unmount-image /mountdir:c:\project\mount /commit
dism /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\project\iso_files\sources\boot.wim /index:2 /mountdir:c:\project\mount
reg load HKLM\offline c:\project\mount\windows\system32\config\system
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg unload HKLM\offline
dism /unmount-image /mountdir:c:\project\mount /commit
oscdimg -m -o -u2 -udfver102 -bootdata:2#p0,e,b"c:\project\ISO_Files\boot\etfsboot.com"#pEF,e,b"c:\project\ISO_Files\efi\microsoft\boot\efisys.bin" "c:\project\ISO_Files" "c:\project\Windows.ISO"
rd /S /Q "c:\project\iso_files"
rd /S /Q "c:\project\mount"

NOTE: When the above commands have finished running, the updated ISO image file can be found as C:\Project\Windows.ISO.


* Method 2 - Using an Autounattend.xml Answer File *

Note: The answer file provided here does nothing except to bypass the Windows 11 system requirements.

If you want to create an answer file on your own, these are the steps to include the entries that bypass Windows 11 system requirements.

Create a new answer file or modify an existing answer file with the following entries:

Add the component Microsoft Windows Setup\RunSynchronos\RunSynchronousCommand to Pass 1 windowsPE.

Set the following values:

Order: 1
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

Repeat the above steps 4 more time (for a total of 5 "RunSynchronousCommand" entries) with the following entries:

Order: 2
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

Order: 3
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

Order: 4
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassStorageCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

Order: 5
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

* Method 3 - Manually Modify the Registry for Windows Setup *

Begin installation of Windows from your installation media. At the first static screen where Windows setup requests information from you during setup, press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt.

Type regedit and hit ENTER. Add the following entries:

HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassTPMCheck reg_dword 0x00000001
HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassSecureBootCheck reg_dword 0x00000001
HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassRAMCheck reg_dword 0x00000001
HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassStorageCheck reg_dword 0x00000001
HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassCPUCheck reg_dword 0x00000001

Close the Registry Editor and the command prompt. Continue installation normally.

* Method 4 - Using a .reg file *

Create a file with the extension .reg. Place the following text between the bars (----) into that file. Don't include the "----" lines.

----
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig]
"BypassTPMCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassSecureBootCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassRAMCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassStorageCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassCPUCheck"=dword:00000001
----

Save the file, making sure to use a ".reg" file extension. Example: Bypass.reg

Drop this registry file onto your install media. After starting setup, when you reach the first static screen where information is requested by setup, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt. Navigate to the drive letter where the .reg file is located and then run it. You can run it by simply typing the name of the file and pressing <ENTER>. Close the command prompt and continue installation of Windows as usual.

* Method 5 - Using a Batch File *

Create a text file with the extension .bat. Example: Bypass.bat. Place the following six lines in that file:

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

NOTE: The "> NUL" simply suppresses the output from being displayed for "silent" operation.

Drop this file onto your install media. After starting setup, when you reach the first static screen where information is requested by setup, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt. Navigate to the drive letter where the .bat file is located and then run it. You can run it by simply typing the name of the file and pressing <ENTER>. Close the command prompt and continue installation of Windows as usual.


* Part 2 - This section describes how to create a local account during installation and *
* bypass the requirement to logon with a Microsoft account in Windows 11 Pro. *


* If you have a network connection *

When you reach the screen where you have a choice to "Set up for personal use" or "Set up for work or school", select "Set up for work or school" and click on "Next".

On the next screen, select "Sign-in options", then "Domain join instead". Don't worry, we are not joining a domain!

On the next screen, supply the local user name that you want to create and then continue through setup as normal.

* If you do NOT have an Internet connection *

When you reach the screen where Windows wants to connect you to a network to create a local user account, press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt, and then run "OOBE\BypassNRO". The system will reboot. After rebooting, you will start back up at the screen asking you to select the correct keyboard layout. When you get back to the "Let's connect you to a network" screen, you will have an option to select "I don't have internet". Choose that option. On the next screen, select "Continue with limited setup". Enter your local user account name, and then continue with setup as usual.

* UPGRADE INSTALLATION PROCEDURE *

* Method 1 *

When installing Windows 11 as an upgrade, Windows will make use of the file \sources\appraiserres.dll to determine the system requirements for installation. To bypass the system requirements, you can replace that file with a fake appraiserres.dll file.

Delete or rename the original \sources\appraiserres.dll file on your installation media. Replace the file that you deleted or renamed with a fake appraiserres.dll. You could simply create a text file and rename it to appraiserres.dll.

You can now run setup from the root of the installation media to begin an upgrade install.

* Method 2 *

NOTE: If you follow the steps in method 1, you do not need to follow the steps outlined in method 2.

You can bypass just the TPM 2.0 and supported CPU requirements for an upgrade installation by making the following change to the registry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup]
"AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU"=dword:00000001

You can make this into a .REG file if you wish. Then, simply double-click that file to merge the contents into the registry. If you want to do this, open notepad, paste in the following lines between the "----" lines (not including those lines), and save it to a file with a .REG extention, then double-click that file to make the registry change:

----
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup]
"AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU"=dword:00000001
----

NOTE: This registry setting bypasses the need for a supported CPU and a TPM 2.0 but a TPM 1.2 would still be needed. If you still do not meet this requirement, then please follow the steps in method 1 instead.

References
==========

Stigg said:

Does the appraserres.dll method also work for a clean installation like the Rufus method?

Click to expand...

Rufus automates it all for you, but I prefer do it for myself. For a clean install I have added a little .bat file to my install USB containing:

I first boot the install USB to a command prompt from where I run my .bat file. Then I start Setup.exe from from the command prompt and carry on with a normal clean install.

Bree said:

Rufus automates it all for you, but I prefer do it for myself. For a clean install I have added a little .bat file to my install USB containing:

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

I first boot the install USB to a command prompt from where I run my .bat file. Then I start Setup.exe from from the command prompt and carry on with a normal clean install.

Click to expand...

The trouble with that type of approach is that it could change with any new(er) release or build. It's usually safer - even though a bit more onerous to create a VM "Virtualising" things like tpm, graphics and cpu for example.

Then you can simply restore that VM back to a real machine and update the odd driver or two as required. The emulated TPM and "Virtualised CPU" will still function on the physical restore so your Windows system should still be operable. You will probably have to re-install a video driver as the VM restore method will start up with just the Ms basic Video driver.

All these methods have their pros and cons - but if Ms is to be believed then their enforcement of physical hardware might become much tighter rather sooner or later.

Cheers
jimbo

Alternatives to using Rufus for clean installations:

1) Manually enter the keys mentioned in the earlier posts by pressing SHIFT+F10 at Setup screen to open a Command Prompt window. Then execute regedit to launch Registry Editor.
2) Use a batch file named bypass.bat to automatically modify the Registry. Press SHIFT+F10 to open a Command Prompt window and navigate to your USB and run bypass.bat using DOS commands.
3) Use an answer file as mentioned, hard to prepare for novices.
4) Patch Registry in boot.wim as mentioned, also hard to do for novices.

All above methods work for either an MBR Legacy BIOS or GPT UEFI installation.

5) Create a hybrid Windows 10/11 USB flash drive. Download both the Windows 10 64-bit and the Windows 11 ISOs, make sure they are the same language or it won't work. Use Rufus to create an MBR Legacy BIOS USB flash drive with the Windows 10 64-bit ISO. This is a standard Windows 10 setup USB. Open it and delete the file \sources\install.wim or \sources\install.esd Mount the Windows 11 ISO (Open with File Explorer) and copy the file \sources\install.wim or \sources\install.esd from the Windows 11 ISO into the sources folder of the USB. When booting with that USB to do a clean Windows 11 installation you use the Windows 10 Setup without any compatibility check to install Windows 11 instead! Pity it cannot be used for upgrading from earlier versions. In version 21H2 the hybrid worked for UEFI installations as well. In version 22H2 it works only for Legacy installations on unsupported computers.

6) If you have access to a Windows 11 compliant PC and your unsupported PC supports UEFI booting, then you can also connect the hard disk or SSD to the compliant PC, install Windows 11 and then put the disk back into the unsupported PC! Windows will detect new hardware, update drivers and you can take it from there.

7) Similarly to method 6, install Windows 11 on a compliant virtual machine and then clone the virtual disk on the physical disk of the target computer, but it is a little more advanced than using a physical compliant PC.

jimbo45 said:

The trouble with that type of approach is that it could change with any new(er) release or build. It's usually safer - even though a bit more onerous to create a VM "Virtualising" things like tpm, graphics and cpu for example.

Then you can simply restore that VM back to a real machine and update the odd driver or two as required.

All these methods have their pros and cons - but if Ms is to be believed then their enforcement of physical hardware might become much tighter.

Cheers
jimbo

Click to expand...

They didn't in 22H2, if you exclude that you must be disconnected from the internet during upgrade to avoid hidden online compatibility checks. Let's hope they won't in 23H2 and all our current tricks still work.

spapakons said:

They didn't in 22H2, if you exclude that you must be disconnected from the internet during upgrade to avoid hidden online compatibility checks. Let's hope they won't in 23H2 and all our current tricks still work.

Click to expand...

That's not to say they won't in 23H1 / 23H2 -- who knows.

In any case I can create a VM with all the "bells and whistles" on a really old (BIOS ONLY) machine of the latest version of W11 sec boot, TPM etc etc on this old machine, dump the image and restore to modern hardware and it all works. I agree it's fun trying to get W11 to run on what is supposed to be impossible hardware - but I'm not sure the effort is worth it. However if you have old but very capable hardware then IMO the VM approach is by far the best.

Here's a piece of very OK hardware (BIOS only) but donkeys years old that can easily run 2 or 3 W11 VM's concurrently.




For those running Linux VM's who want to use the fastfetch package -- I like it because it gives a quick concise breakdown of the most important bits of the OS without all the the other stuff of more interest to specialists.

Simply download the .deb file from github and install the.deb file. If you are on things like ubuntu, manjaro , etc or other debian derived systems then the discover package will install a .deb file if you don't like the command line - or use gdebi.

Cheers
jimbo

Of course it is worth the effort. My main PC is Intel Core-i7 with 16GB RAM, SSD and nVidia GTX 1050 (see 2nd system specs), and certainly is powerful enough to handle Windows 11. I installed Windows 11 as an experiment on my Windows Vista era dual-core 4GB test laptop (see 1st system specs) and it is faster than running Windows 10 32-bit partly because the latter limits RAM to 2.93GB. Anyone in doubt I suggest they try Windows 11 before judging it will be slow on their old system. If you turn off transparency and other visual effects and install proper drivers (don't be lazy and rely solely on Windows Update) old computers can be surprisingly fast with Windows 11.