Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

spapakons said:

What is the minimum 24H2 build number to use the 25H2 Enablement Package?

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Officially:

Before updating to Windows 11, version 25H2 using an enablement package, you must be running Windows 11, version 24H2. You must have the following prerequisite installed before applying this update:

• August 29, 2025—KB5064081 (OS Builds 26100.5074) Preview or a later cumulative update

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Unofficially, the EP can be applied to any 26100.1 or later system.

There's nothing magical about the EP itself, it's a placeholder to unlock the hidden features in the 24H2 updates that have been shipping for months. Just because you could have applied the EP to 24H2 back in December 2024, it would not have seen the same set of features as applying the EP to an April or June 2025 update.

This EP MSU is versioned .5503, which means they intended it to start working back in Feb 2025. Monthly Updates are cumulative, so there's nothing "you forgot to install". All the EP is a trigger to activate whatever new features were hidden in the CU for months.

Yes, I confirm that Windows Update was confused trying to install a couple of pending 24H2 updates on 25H2. Once I cleared Windows Update cache and restarted, it started installing the 25H2 version of the cumulative updates. No issues so far. One difference I found in Taskbar Settings is to reduce the icon size when Taskbar is full. What other differences are there? I didn't see anything different in Start menu.

System Restore rescued my main PC!

I tried to find another thread where we were arguing if System Restore is obsolete, but I don't remember which one it was, so I will post my experience here. Many argued that System Restore is obsolete and all you need is a system backup. They might ne right, a full system backup IF taken regularly can save your system, but if you, like me, are from those that take it once per 2-3 months or rarer, System Restore can really save the day!

Until yesterday late in the evening, my main PC (see 2nd system specs) was running perfectly. Just before I went to sleep I wanted to check something and noticed it was extremely slow and unresponsive. I restarted it hopefully is will be OK, but then File Explorer would crash constantly and Explorer Patcher suggested to uninstall the latter. I did but the system was still extremely slow and unresponsive. When I tried to open File Explorer, it would open but throw an error. I shutdown, waited for a few seconds and powered it on again, nothing changed. I managed to restart in Safe Mode but again it was slow and unresponsive. System Settings wouldn't open. I couldn't even Open the Start menu to find System Restore. Thankfully, I remembered you can load it by typing rstrui in the Run box, so I managed to load it. There was one restore point from 1st October, so I started the process to restore my system to that point. The computer restarted and displayed a message loading System Restore. It seemed stuck for several minutes without hard disk activity (the HDD LED wasn't lit). I decided not to touch it and check later. A little later, after I was about to go to bed, I checked the screen and the message changed that it was restoring Registry! Thanks God! So I let it overnight and in the morning my system was successfully restored and perfect again!

So please, next time think twice before you say System Restore is useless. Since it is not enabled by default, I strongly recommend to enable it, and leave it available, just in case. It's better to have some tools you don't need, than miss them when you actually need them! Also if you have a week old backup, it is not ideal to return there. It is preferable if you can return your system to a couple of days before instead, plus your files are not affected from returning to a restore point.

spapakons said:

System Restore rescued my main PC!

I tried to find another thread where we were arguing if System Restore is obsolete, but I don't remember which one it was, so I will post my experience here. Many argued that System Restore is obsolete and all you need is a system backup. They might ne right, a full system backup IF taken regularly can save your system, but if you, like me, are from those that take it once per 2-3 months or rarer, System Restore can really save the day!

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System Restore got a bad reputation in Windows 10 around build 1607 and later, consistently failing every time.
System Restore fails: AppxStaging %ProgramFiles%\WindowsApp 0x80070091 - Windows 10 Help Forums - post #182

My experience, the few times I've used it recently, is that it now works reliably in both W10 and W11 - albeit extremely slowly!

I have said in another thread, I don't remember where, that the last restore point usually fails or it doesn't fix the issue. If there are more restore points, I usually choose the previous to last one. Also it is better to run it in Safe Mode or from Windows install DVD/USB, not from normal mode.

spapakons said:

System Restore rescued my main PC!

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A miracle. In the past decade, I can count on one hand the number of times system restore worked as advertised

It works 8 in 10 times for me, not only in my PC, but several PCs I have tried it. Just select the previous to last restore point, avoid the last if possible.

I just ran the 25H2 Enablement Package on my main PC (2nd system specs) and upgraded from 24H2 to 25H2 build 26200.6725. I hope I won't regret it. I will keep you informed. For those interested since it is an Enablement Package, it doesn't check compatibility, so I just ran it without having to hide the fact my PC is unsupported. Also I didn't have to disable or uninstall customization utilities such as Explorer Patch, Open Shell, 8gadgetpack etc like when doing a full upgrade using the ISO. So far everything seems OK, unaffected by the upgrade. I will cross my fingers...

Hey man. I have inherited a laptop now that dad has discarded his old one in favor of the new one I had helped set up, an ASUS x54c (k54c mobo) it was force upgraded to win10 during the free upgrade saga / debacle. It's pretty slow with an HDD. Yeah I'll have to get an SSD and perhaps more RAM. It's all stock/original configuration. The CPU is Sandy Bridge. I've read that's the lowest it can go since it now requires SSE 4.2 and POPCNT extensions (something like that). Would it work forcing W11 on Sandy Bridge mobile CPU? Don't quote me on it it might have been an i3.

KiVri said:

The CPU is Sandy Bridge. I've read that's the lowest it can go since it now requires SSE 4.2

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Make a system image & file backups [if you backup files separately] before you do anything.

You can check that your CPU has the 'instruction set' SSE4.2 or you'll only be able to update to WIndows 11 Version 23H2.
Here's my step by step guide to using the utility CPU-Z to find out if the CPU instruction set includes SSE4.2.
Downloading & running CPU-Z - my post #8 - ElevenForum

- If it does not include SSE4.2 then you'll be stuck at Windows 11 Version 23H2, no further than that. Support for 23H2 expires on the 11th of November 2025 so you'd be better off enrolling an old Windows 10 computer in the Windows 10 ESU programme [for free] in order to keep it supported until November 2026.
My guide to enrolling in the Windows 10 ESU programme - post #4 - TenForums

- If it does include SSE4.2 then you'll be able to update to the latest Windows 11 Version, 25H2.
Get ready for Windows 11 version 25H2 - ISO downloads available - ElevenForumNews
Upgrade to Windows 11 - ElevenForumTutorials [This includes the steps necessary for upgrading a non-compliant computer]

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Once you are on Windows 11 25H2, you will automatically get all the updates for that Version.
Whilst a fully-compliant computer will also get updates to the next version, presumably 26H2, automatically, a non-compliant computer will have to do that update manually using a procedure called an In-place upgrade [aka Repair install].
Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade - ElevenForumTutorials
Despite its name, a Repair install is not a re-installation.
Whilst you ought to make a new system image and update file backups beforehand, you should never lose any of your own files, applications or Windows settings.
Once on any new Version, even non-compliant computers will automatically get all the updates for that new Version.


All the best,
Denis

KiVri said:

Hey man. I have inherited a laptop now that dad has discarded his old one in favor of the new one I had helped set up, an ASUS x54c (k54c mobo) it was force upgraded to win10 during the free upgrade saga / debacle. It's pretty slow with an HDD. Yeah I'll have to get an SSD and perhaps more RAM. It's all stock/original configuration. The CPU is Sandy Bridge. I've read that's the lowest it can go since it now requires SSE 4.2 and POPCNT extensions (something like that). Would it work forcing W11 on Sandy Bridge mobile CPU? Don't quote me on it it might have been an i3.

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Sandy Bridge is the code name for 2nd generation Intel Core-i3 or higher CPUs. Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 require SSE4.2 instructions and PopCnt, which are present in the 1st generation or higher. So yes, you should be able to bypass compatibility check with Rufus or otherwise and install or upgrade to Windows 11 25H2. Read the recent posts in this thread, if you need any more help, just ask.

PS: Easiest method to either upgrade or new installation is to create a USB flash drive with Rufus from the Windows 11 25H2 ISO and either run Setup from it to upgrade, or boot from it. In the latter case, the default is that Rufus creates a GPT partition style USB that boots in UEFI mode. If the laptop doesn't support UEFI, you can press ALT+A (in Rufus) to enable choosing MBR partition style so it boots in older Legacy BIOS systems instead.

KiVri said:

The CPU is Sandy Bridge. I've read that's the lowest it can go since it now requires SSE 4.2 and POPCNT extensions (something like that). Would it work forcing W11 on Sandy Bridge mobile CPU? Don't quote me on it it might have been an i3.

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A Sandy Bridge CPU is a second-generation Intel Core processor (Core i3, i5, i7). The lowest you can go is a 1st gen Intel Core, that was the first Intel CPU to get the SSE4.2 instruction set.

KiVri said:

It's pretty slow with an HDD. Yeah I'll have to get an SSD and perhaps more RAM. It's all stock/original configuration.

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My System Two is running 25H2 well on its 1st gen i5.

Its HDD has been upgraded to a Crucial MX500 SATA 2.5" SSD. Upgrading to an SSD will give the biggest performance boost, more RAM could be added at your leisure. My 8GB RAM is sufficient. 4GB RAM is the minimum requirement for W11, if that's all you have it should work well enough for now.

Your laptop takes DDR3 SODIMM RAM modules. If I remember correctly, the larger capacity is 8GB, assuming your laptop is compatible. So you can reach 16GB RAM replacing both. However, as already mentioned, replacing the old mechanical SATA disk with a SATA SSD will make a much larger difference. Do that first and add RAM later.

KiVri said:

Hey man. I have inherited a laptop now that dad has discarded his old one in favor of the new one I had helped set up, an ASUS x54c (k54c mobo) it was force upgraded to win10 during the free upgrade saga / debacle. It's pretty slow with an HDD. Yeah I'll have to get an SSD and perhaps more RAM. It's all stock/original configuration. The CPU is Sandy Bridge. I've read that's the lowest it can go since it now requires SSE 4.2 and POPCNT extensions (something like that). Would it work forcing W11 on Sandy Bridge mobile CPU? Don't quote me on it it might have been an i3.

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There are still drivers for that model available on the Asus site (for Windows 8 64 bit only). Windows should find all the drivers needed but if you find something missing you could try one of those

Definitely upgrade to an ssd first. You can get a sata ssd quite cheaply now. I like the Samsung 870 but if you're ok with a 240gb drive, these are inexpensive and perfectly fine - I've used them a few times

Crucial BX500 £24

Is there anything you want to keep on the laptop? If not you could just make a windows 11 usb stick and clean install onto the new drive. You'll still have the old set up on the old drive if you want to go back for some reason to check or save anything. How much ram do you have at the moment? I think it came with 4gb ram so I'd definitely upgrade that personally. Although as Bree says, it'll run with 4gb.

I just remind anyone that all older 64-bit drivers can work on Windows 11, even Vista 64-bit for very old hardware. Of course the newer the better. The exception are Intel graphics drivers locked by Intel to work only on Windows 7.

Was thinking about installing Windows 11 on my old HP ProBook4540s. It came with Windows 7 (OEM marker found) and I upgraded to Win 10 Professional direct from MS. It has a 3rd gen Intel Core i3, 16GB RAM, UEFI and Secure Boot, no TPM.

How do you think that system would fare running Windows 11?

mta3006 said:

How do you think that system would fare running Windows 11?

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It won't be fast, but it won't be a potato, either, as long as it has an ssd.

mta3006 said:

Was thinking about installing Windows 11 on my old HP ProBook4540s. It came with Windows 7 (OEM marker found) and I upgraded to Win 10 Professional direct from MS. It has a 3rd gen Intel Core i3, 16GB RAM, UEFI and Secure Boot, no TPM.

How do you think that system would fare running Windows 11?

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Slightly better than running Windows 10 64-bit if you download and install all drivers from manufacturer. I you select the easy way, let Windows Update deal with drivers, it might be a little slower. To save time you can at least install the official graphics drivers from Intel, but it's worth the effort installing OEM drivers vs Windows Update.

I still have an old HP Pavilion DM4 lying around somewhere! 1st Gen I think. It has an ssd. Maybe I should try installing on that. Although I've had enough installing recently lol. And spare parts for it as I had another one but hinges went completely. They just seemed to go on forever apart from the hinges!

Hazel123 said:

I still have an old HP Pavilion DM4 lying around somewhere! 1st Gen I think. It has an ssd. Maybe I should try installing on that. Although I've had enough installing recently lol. And spare parts for it as I had another one but hinges went completely. They just seemed to go on forever apart from the hinges!

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There are shops selling parts. Maybe you can replace the hinges otherwise do some "patent" (custom workaround), as we say in Greek.