Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware


According to advice of spapacons, I deleted all my partitions.Got only one ☝️ partition now: C.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

window 10 version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466Intel Core i7 @2.80GHz 57 °C Sandy Bridge 32n...4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)Intel HD Graphics 3000
OS
window 10 version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell/E6400
CPU
Intel Core i7 @2.80GHz 57 °C Sandy Bridge 32nm Tech
Motherboard
Dell Inc. 0K0DNP (CPU 1)
Memory
4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Sound Card
High Definition Audio Device
Monitor(s) Displays
single
Screen Resolution
1366x768 pixels
Hard Drives
WDC WD2500BPVT-75JJ5T0
Keyboard
Device Name Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
Internet Speed
10mb
Browser
ms edge
Antivirus
win defender
gaffar said:
According to advice of spapacons, I deleted all my partitions.Got only one ☝️ partition now: C.
Click to expand...
Depending on what you plan to do with your PC this can work just fine.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

WIN 11, WIN 10, WIN 8.1, WIN 7 U, WIN 7 PRO, ...Intel i7 6900K and i9-7960X / AMD 3800X (8 core)128 GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM (B DIE)NVIDIA 1070 and RTX 3070
OS
WIN 11, WIN 10, WIN 8.1, WIN 7 U, WIN 7 PRO, WIN 7 HOME (32 Bit), LINUX MINT
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
DIY, ASUS, and DELL
CPU
Intel i7 6900K and i9-7960X / AMD 3800X (8 core)
Motherboard
ASUS X99E-WS USB 3.1 and ASUS X299 SAGE
Memory
128 GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM (B DIE)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA 1070 and RTX 3070
Sound Card
Crystal Sound (onboard)
Monitor(s) Displays
single Samsung 30" 4K and 8" aux monitor
Screen Resolution
4K and something equally attrocious. I'll be working on this.
Hard Drives
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W

Ports X, Y, and Z are reserved for USB access and removable drives.

Drive types consist of the following: Various mechanical hard drives bearing the brand names, Seagate, Toshiba, and Western Digital. Various NVMe drives bearing the brand names Kingston, Intel, Silicon Power, Crucial, Western Digital, and Team Group. Various SATA SSDs bearing various different brand names.

RAID arrays included:

LSI RAID 10 (WD Velociraptors) 1115.72 GB
LSI RAID 10 (WD SSDS) 463.80 GB

INTEL RAID 0 (KINGSTON HYPER X) System 447.14 GB
INTEL RAID 1 TOSHIBA ENTERPRIZE class Data 2794.52 GB
INTEL RAID 1 SEAGATE HYBRID 931.51 GB
PSU
SEVERAL. I prefer my Corsair Platinum HX1000i but I also like EVGA power supplies
Case
ThermalTake Level 10 GT (among others)
Cooling
Noctua is my favorite and I use it in my main. I also own various other coolers.
Keyboard
all kinds.
Mouse
all kinds
Internet Speed
360 mbps - 1 gbps (depending)
Browser
FIREFOX
Antivirus
KASPERSKY (no apologies)
Other Info
Gave Dell touch screen with Windows 11 to daughter and got me an OTVOC. Being a PC builder I own many desktop PCs as well. I am a father of five providing PCs, laptops, and tablets for all my family, most of which I have modified, rebuilt, or simply built from scratch. I do not own a cell phone, never have, never will.
For MBR disks (Legacy BIOS boot) you can maximize the Windows partition to take the whole disk in a clean installation if you manually create a single NTFS partition and tell Setup to install Windows 11 there without formatting the disk again. I press SHIFT+F10 to open a Command Prompt and run this code:
Code: 
diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
format fs=NTFS quick
exit
exit

Once the Command Prompt is closed I proceed with the installation. On disk screen I just click Next to start installation. Very useful for small SSDs such as 120GB or less.
 
Last edited:

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7582), 25H2 (9457)Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz4GBMobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7582), 25H2 (9457)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    802.11g wireless 54 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (build 26200.9457)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (build 26200.9457)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Microsoft Compact Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    802.11ac 5GHz wireless 260Mpbs
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

window 10 version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466Intel Core i7 @2.80GHz 57 °C Sandy Bridge 32n...4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)Intel HD Graphics 3000
OS
window 10 version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell/E6400
CPU
Intel Core i7 @2.80GHz 57 °C Sandy Bridge 32nm Tech
Motherboard
Dell Inc. 0K0DNP (CPU 1)
Memory
4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Sound Card
High Definition Audio Device
Monitor(s) Displays
single
Screen Resolution
1366x768 pixels
Hard Drives
WDC WD2500BPVT-75JJ5T0
Keyboard
Device Name Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
Internet Speed
10mb
Browser
ms edge
Antivirus
win defender
spapakons said:
It's not Rufus job to repair bad sectors. Like I said it is safer and better to replace the USB flash drive if there are bad sectors. Or at least run the standard check disk command (chkdsk) to repair them before using Rufus. Assuming D: is the drive letter of the USB flash drive, the command to fix errors, do a full surface scan and mark bad sectors is:

chkdsk D: /f /b /r
Click to expand...
Do this command find and repair bad sectors or only marks(i mean only finds them)them.
 
Last edited:

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

window 10 version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466Intel Core i7 @2.80GHz 57 °C Sandy Bridge 32n...4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)Intel HD Graphics 3000
OS
window 10 version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell/E6400
CPU
Intel Core i7 @2.80GHz 57 °C Sandy Bridge 32nm Tech
Motherboard
Dell Inc. 0K0DNP (CPU 1)
Memory
4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Sound Card
High Definition Audio Device
Monitor(s) Displays
single
Screen Resolution
1366x768 pixels
Hard Drives
WDC WD2500BPVT-75JJ5T0
Keyboard
Device Name Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
Internet Speed
10mb
Browser
ms edge
Antivirus
win defender
gaffar said:
Do this command find and repair bad sectors or only marks(i mean only finds them)them.
Click to expand...
According to Microsoft Learn site about this command, the parameters try to recover any files on the bad sectors and then mark them so the system doesn't use them. If the bad sector is a logical error rather than physical disk damage, it can be repaired with a format. If there is physical damage, obviously it cannot be repaired. You can try to format the USB flash drive before using Rufus, but I think Rufus does that anyway.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7582), 25H2 (9457)Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz4GBMobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (7582), 25H2 (9457)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    802.11g wireless 54 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (build 26200.9457)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (build 26200.9457)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Microsoft Compact Optical Mouse
    Internet Speed
    802.11ac 5GHz wireless 260Mpbs
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
spapakons said:
Windows Update will never offer the 25H2 Enablement Package or the 26H2 Enablement Package for our unsupported computers. We have to manually download and install it. See these threads:

www.elevenforum.com

Get ready for Windows 11 version 25H2 - Enablement Package and ISO downloads available

UPDATE 9/30: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/windows-11-version-25h2-now-available.40396/ Windows IT Pro Blog: How easy is it to move to Windows 11, version 25H2? As easy as a quick restart if you're on version 24H2! Today, Windows 11, version 25H2 became available to the Windows Insider...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com

www.elevenforum.com

Get ready for Windows 11 version 26H2

UPDATE 9/29: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/windows-11-version-26h2-now-generally-available.49787/ Windows IT Pro Blog: The next annual update for Windows 11 is coming soon and is already available to Windows Insiders! Windows 11, version 26H2 continues our focus on delivering a predictable...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com

Make sure you download the general availability x64 version (KB5121794) unless you run an Insider's version or Windows on ARM64. You download 26H2 Enablement Package, install, restart and you switch from 25H2 to 26H2. No compatibility check, no messing with your drivers, no messing with your customized icons, no risk. While every upgrade using the ISO takes much longer, always restores any customization to default and has a risk of something going wrong.
Click to expand...
After installing Windows 11 25H2, I installed the small GA enablement package KB5121794 for Intel and AMD, restarted, and Win+R=winver shows 25H2.
Not 26H2.
Screenshot 2026-09-30 151959.webpScreenshot 2026-09-30 152945.webpScreenshot 2026-09-30 153828.webp
MS should provide tabs in Paint, the Photos app, and Windows Media Player as the next feature update.
Thanks.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

window 10 version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466Intel Core i7 @2.80GHz 57 °C Sandy Bridge 32n...4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)Intel HD Graphics 3000
OS
window 10 version 22H2 (OS Build 19045.6466
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell/E6400
CPU
Intel Core i7 @2.80GHz 57 °C Sandy Bridge 32nm Tech
Motherboard
Dell Inc. 0K0DNP (CPU 1)
Memory
4.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Sound Card
High Definition Audio Device
Monitor(s) Displays
single
Screen Resolution
1366x768 pixels
Hard Drives
WDC WD2500BPVT-75JJ5T0
Keyboard
Device Name Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
Internet Speed
10mb
Browser
ms edge
Antivirus
win defender
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