Solved Updating Windows 11 beyond 24H2 on an unsupported PC

MissJones · Wednesday at 10:51 PM

Apologies if this has been asked before. (If so please redirect me).

I have Windows 11 Pro installed on an unsupported PC and am on version v24H2 26100.8655. I read that versions beyond 24H2 will not be supported after Oct 13th 2026.

I believe that v25H1 and onward have stricter hardware requirements.

I see the Enterprise edition expires on Oct 12th 2027. Is there way to update from Pro to Enterprise (or maybe another edition) without losing apps & data; or is this the end of the road for unsupported PCs ??

NormanF · Wednesday at 11:05 PM

The Enterprise and Education editions tier - I've the latter - are supported for three years instead of two for Pro. If you upgrade to 26H2 in the fall, the clock resets.

HeavyHemi · Wednesday at 11:16 PM

MissJones said:
Apologies if this has been asked before. (If so please redirect me).

I have Windows 11 Pro installed on an unsupported PC and am on version v24H2 26100.8655. I read that versions beyond 24H2 will not be supported after Oct 13th 2026.

I believe that v25H1 and onward have stricter hardware requirements.

I see the Enterprise edition expires on Oct 12th 2027. Is there way to update from Pro to Enterprise (or maybe another edition) without losing apps & data; or is this the end of the road for unsupported PCs ??

If you filled out your hardware, we could tell you whether or not there is a simple way to bypass the hardware requirements. I'm running Windows 11 Pro 25H2 on a X99 board with no TPM at all.

garlin · Wednesday at 11:21 PM

MissJones said:
I believe that v25H1 and onward have stricter hardware requirements.

24H2 & 25H2 share the same HW requirements, they are both evolved from the same base version of Windows.

26H2 is expected to have the same requirements, it's also derived from 24H2. So you'll probably get 2-3 more years out of your current PC.

27H2 is expected to be a new base version of Windows, and probably not support many older systems that run 24H2 - 26H2.

NormanF · Wednesday at 11:23 PM

24H2 and 25H2 are based on Germanium since despite having differing build numbers, they share the same code base. That will be continued in 26H2.

MissJones · Wednesday at 11:40 PM

HeavyHemi said:
If you filled out your hardware, we could tell you whether or not there is a simple way to bypass the hardware requirements. I'm running Windows 11 Pro 25H2 on a X99 board with no TPM at all.

Thanks HeavyHemi. OK. Done that to the best of my ability.

HeavyHemi · Wednesday at 11:44 PM

MissJones said:
Thanks HeavyHemi. OK. Done that to the best of my ability.

Your intel Pentium Gold G5400 system is compatible with Windows 11. Your motherboard is also TPM 2.0 capable. You should meet all the hardware requirements for Windows 11.

gunrunnerjohn · 2026-06-11T09:41:10-0400

I used Rufus to install 25H2 on a 12 year old computer that certainly doesn't meet all the "requirements" for Win11. It just updated automatically to build 25H2 26200.8655 without an issue.

HeavyHemi · 2026-06-11T11:25:21-0400

gunrunnerjohn said:
I used Rufus to install 25H2 on a 12 year old computer that certainly doesn't meet all the "requirements" for Win11. It just updated automatically to build 25H2 26200.8655 without an issue.

The only time I have an issue is when it's a feature update. Then I have to run a script to bypass my lack of TPM.

gunrunnerjohn · 2026-06-11T18:32:05-0400

HeavyHemi said:
The only time I have an issue is when it's a feature update. Then I have to run a script to bypass my lack of TPM.

Oddly, I did the feature update on my 2014 computer with no TPM, and it didn't complain at all.

MissJones · 2026-06-11T21:27:02-0400

HeavyHemi said:
Your intel Pentium Gold G5400 system is compatible with Windows 11. Your motherboard is also TPM 2.0 capable. You should meet all the hardware requirements for Windows 11.

Thanks for that. When I ran the check a couple of years back to see if my Win 10 could be updated to Win 11, it said "NO". I looked into the BIOS many times but it was only when I checked the manufacturers website I found the setting that initiated TPM 2.0. It was well hidden away and not at all obvious. So that issue was sorted.

I then downloaded and ran the enablement package containing KB5054156 which forces 24H2 => 25H2 and which only took a few minutes and a restart. SUCCESS. So I'm sorted until the next time which will no doubt be in the next 12 months or so.

gunrunnerjohn said:
I used Rufus to install 25H2 on a 12 year old computer that certainly doesn't meet all the "requirements" for Win11. It just updated automatically to build 25H2 26200.8655 without an issue.

If I'dve done that I'm sure I'd be on 25H2 now, but I did what you did with 23H1 (probably) and it stayed at 24H2 and never went further.

All in all, a good days work and I've learned a lot. Many thanks for everyone who helped me with their suggestions.

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