Windows 11 24H2 has un-bypassable hardware requirements...

Bree · Feb 15, 2024

Django said:
Damn, i just checked my overclocked Q6600/8gb DDR2 system, it has no SSE4.2 and is running 11 Pro-23H2 superfine. But i am sure "they" will find a way sooner or later for this old CPUs to install 24H2

I doubt it, it's not as easy as you may hope. Your Core 2 CPU is missing the PopCnt instruction that Intel first implemented with SSE4.2. That instruction isn't used in 23H2, but it's used most everywhere in 24H2 - including the OS kernel. On a system without PopCnt 24H2 will fail even to boot. I've tried this, you just see a brief flash of the W11 logo before 24H2 crashes and reboots.

Brink · Feb 15, 2024

Microsoft making sure you know why old unsupported CPU can't bypass Windows 11 requirements

The first Windows 11 24H2 Insider build was eventful as it brought many new features and improvements while also confirming a shift in CPU ISA support. The next one builds on top of it.

www.neowin.net

Try3 · Feb 16, 2024

Bree said:
Yes, that workaround does work for a clean install.

Thanks for testing that.
It's a topic I want my eye on. I'm hoping that my current main computer & travel computer last long enough for me to need to consider updating them to Windows 11.
But I recently bought a Lenovo with Windows 11 that has a big enough display for me to use it as a replacement main computer & is light enough for me to regard it as my travel computer. So I might end up letting the old ones just wither on the vine.

All the best,
Denis

lukokocur · Feb 16, 2024

i have i5 7400 sse 4.1 sse 4.2 i go now installing 24H2 preview with virtual machine see if works ok

lukokocur · Feb 16, 2024

works ok :)

Bree · Feb 16, 2024

Try3 said:
It's a topic I want my eye on. I'm hoping that my current main computer & travel computer last long enough for me to need to consider updating them to Windows 11.
But I recently bought a Lenovo with Windows 11 that has a big enough display for me to use it as a replacement main computer & is light enough for me to regard it as my travel computer. So I might end up letting the old ones just wither on the vine.

Well, you know that I already have W11 supported devices as my main machines and my travel laptop (my Systems One, Three and Five) and they are all 24H2 compatible.

But I also enjoy seeing just how low I can go and still get away with it. Of my unsupported devices there's just one that doesn't meet the PopCnt requirement, my little 'Miner's canary' AOD270 netbook. That one will have to stick with 23H2 until its EoL in Nov 2025. All the rest can get their 24H2 in-place upgrade with the hybrid install media method.

Try3 · Feb 16, 2024

Bree said:
I already have W11 supported devices as my main machines and my travel laptop

Because I am supposed to be getting on with something else, I just tried yet another clean install of Windows 11 onto my Chuwi Hi10Pro.
Its main disk, which cannot be changed, is an eMMC. Windows 11 setup cannot see it and trying to load an IRST driver has no effect since setup regards it as not compatible with my hardware.
I'll try a fresh IRST download later on and I'll see if I can learn anything from my currently-installed version of it.
But, in the meantime, I thought I'd have a go with that setupprep.exe /product server trick to see if it lets me run a Windows 11 In-place upgrade [these have always failed in the past at the reboot stage].
It's now on the Making sure you're ready to install dialog where it's been for an hour. [I gave up three hours later because it had not progressed at all.]

Byeee,
Denis

spapakons · Feb 16, 2024

If the PopCnt requirement is in the kernel, probably we can create a hybrid 23H2/24H2 USB to clean install Windows 11 24H2 on computers without SSE4.2 (like my test laptop, see 1st system specs) and then replace the kernel file (I guess that is ntoskrnl.dll) with the older version from 23H2. I read elsewhere that the unsupported computer fails after the first restart. So we boot with the hybrid USB again, we open a Command Prompt with SHIFT+F10 and then we replace the ntoskrnl.dll with the 23H2 version. Then we restart the computer which hopefully will load Windows. To be on the safe side I would not let Windows load at first restart, I would boot from the USB and replace the kernel first. Also for Legacy BIOS systems you have to replace the bootloader file as the new bootloader (as in Canary) supports only UEFI boot mode.

cereberus · Feb 16, 2024

spapakons said:
If the PopCnt requirement is in the kernel, probably we can create a hybrid 23H2/24H2 USB to clean install Windows 11 24H2 on computers without SSE4.2 (like my test laptop, see 1st system specs) and then replace the kernel file (I guess that is ntoskrnl.dll) with the older version from 23H2. I read elsewhere that the unsupported computer fails after the first restart. So we boot with the hybrid USB again, we open a Command Prompt with SHIFT+F10 and then we replace the ntoskrnl.dll with the 23H2 version. Then we restart the computer which hopefully will load Windows. To be on the safe side I would not let Windows load at first restart, I would boot from the USB and replace the kernel first. Also for Legacy BIOS systems you have to replace the bootloader file as the new bootloader (as in Canary) supports only UEFI boot mode.

I seriously doubt the vast majority of users in the world would go to this trouble.

In fact, I bet vast majority of users do not even install W11 if pc is nominally incompatible.

To me this sort of workaround is the province of "dedicated enthusiasts" and done more because they can (a bit like climbing Everest) more than a real desire to actually run Windows 11 on old devices.

I guess the fun is in the defeating of big bad MS's constraints.

I would hazard a guess that anybody who went through the hoops and loops suggested above, has newer and faster pcs that will run Windows 11 24H2 anyway (now somebody will reply and prove me wrong lol).

As an aside, people are making a big thing about POPCNT but we had a similar issue many years ago with NX compatibility and some workarounds were put in place but eventually all workarounds ceased to work and the old pcs became obsolete (for running newer OSs).

Wolfzz · Feb 16, 2024

Windows 11 no longer fooled by this system requirements bypass trick on old unsupported CPUs

There has been an interesting trick, a single command, that allows unsupported CPUs to bypass Windows 11's system requirements check during setup. That has seemingly stopped working on very old chips.

www.neowin.net

Jack07 · Feb 16, 2024

cereberus said:
I seriously doubt the vast majority of users in the world would go to this trouble.

Once a bypass is discovered it can be streamlined. Turned into a tool that would generate a working image.

I still have a 259xx build left that needs to be "saved" and brought up to date, Until then Ubuntu 22.04 works fine and the next version, 24.04 would still work with this old CPU.

ExBrit · Feb 16, 2024

Well, will Microsoft buy me a new computer as I can no longer afford one? No, of course they wont.
Despite the fact that I was one of their MVP's a while back.

SIW2 · Feb 16, 2024

Peter your cpu has SSE4.2 according to your screenshot.

lukokocur · Feb 16, 2024

sse 4.1

CPU - Epey UK

sse 4.2

CPU - Epey UK

NormanF · Feb 16, 2024

Wolfzz said:
Windows 11 no longer fooled by this system requirements bypass trick on old unsupported CPUs

There has been an interesting trick, a single command, that allows unsupported CPUs to bypass Windows 11's system requirements check during setup. That has seemingly stopped working on very old chips.

www.neowin.net

The server bypass isn't blocked. What will happen is if you attempt to install Windows 11 24H2 on a PC without POPCNT, it will fail to boot and be stuck on the Windows logo.

NormanF · Feb 16, 2024

Jack07 said:
Once a bypass is discovered it can be streamlined. Turned into a tool that would generate a working image.

I still have a 259xx build left that needs to be "saved" and brought up to date, Until then Ubuntu 22.04 works fine and the next version, 24.04 would still work with this old CPU.

You can't bypass the kernel instruction. Its not part of the installer. Microsoft expects people on unsupported hardware to run Windows 11 on their POPCNT-compatible PCs. That won't happen on PCs that don't have SSE4.2.

NormanF · Feb 16, 2024

ExBrit said:
Well, will Microsoft buy me a new computer as I can no longer afford one? No, of course they wont.
Despite the fact that I was one of their MVP's a while back.

View attachment 87423

Looks like you're compatible and are good to go because you have SSE4.2 present.

NormanF · Feb 16, 2024

Django said:
Damn, i just checked my overclocked Q6600/8gb DDR2 system, it has no SSE4.2 and is running 11 Pro-23H2 superfine. But i am sure "they" will find a way sooner or later for this old CPUs to install 24H2

In your dreams. You will have to upgrade your PC to install Windows 11 24H2.

tinmar49 · Feb 16, 2024

Bree, in your post #36, you mentioned that my laptop i3 6100U has the SSE4.2 which would qualify it for 24H2 but as it is only 6th gen, it won't run W11 officially. But if I did run it on W11, would the SSE4.4 get it past Microsofts restrictions?

NormanF · Feb 16, 2024

tinmar49 said:
Bree, in your post #36, you mentioned that my laptop i3 6100U has the SSE4.2 which would qualify it for 24H2 but as it is only 6th gen, it won't run W11. But if I did run it on W11, would the SSE4.4 get it past Microsofts restrictions?

With a workaround, you can run Windows 11 23H2 on an unsupported PC. I've no issues running it on a 2014 HP ZBook G2 mobile workstation.