Converting to Windows11 from Win10

[MaecW]

Microsoft say my Win10 machine is not compatible with Win11 and cannot be upgraded online. I presume therefore that this is a hardware problem but M'soft do not advise what needs to be added to make the machine compatible.
Any advice, please ?

Maec

[Rattus]

Microsoft's PC Health Check app is a good place to start:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/how-to-use-the-pc-health-check-app-9c8abd9b-03ba-4e67-81ef-36f37caa7844

"If you’re currently running Windows 10, PC Health Check provides a comprehensive eligibility check for your device to ensure it meets the Windows 11 minimum system requirements. You’ll get info on why your device is or isn’t eligible, plus info on what you can do if your device doesn’t meet the requirements."

[F1fan]

Hi,

This is now affecting a lot of people with perfectly good Windows 10 computers that are not able to be upgraded according to Microsoft's requirements.

These are mainly, Processor is too old https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors or your computer does not have a TPM 2.0 chip and UEFI Secure Boot - used as part of the BIOS for security on the computer.

There has been lots said in technology forums and media that this is then creating far to much electronic waste and lots of people cannot afford to go out and buy a new computer just to get Windows 11 and Microsoft should reduce the requirements, but no joy. There are ways around these that Microsoft do not stop you doing, but then they are able to stop some further upgrades happening automatically, meaning you have to jump through hoops again to get the ' newer ' version.

Like a few years ago when Windows XP & Windows 7 reached end-of-support, you can carry on using Windows 10, BUT there will be no more security updates later this year which makes it more open to problems or being infected with a virus.

An option is to install Linux instead of Windows, but then there is a very limited amount of software you can use compared to Windows, and for Genealogists that use programs like RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree etc, rather than an online tree in Ancestry or Find My Past,  they will not work on Linux 

[Zaphod99]

There are many options.  Assess your own situation.  This may help:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/if-your-windows-10-pc-cant-be-upgraded-you-have-5-options-before-time-runs-out/

I currently plan to try paragraph 4 of option 5, starting at "For PCs that were originally designed for Windows 10..."

Zaph

[Zaphod99]

Since my comment above I have discovered this.

Rufus is a utility that helps users create bootable USB drives to install Windows 11, including on unsupported hardware. To use Rufus for this purpose, you can either download the Windows 11 ISO file directly through the tool or provide an existing ISO file. Rufus allows you to bypass hardware requirements such as TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and memory requirements, enabling installation on machines that do not meet Microsoft's official criteria.

I haven't provided any links to Rufus, as I would hope that if you were going to do something like this, you would be able to find it yourself.

The lack of response to this thread makes me wonder how many people are actually aware of the implications of being unable to upgrade to Windows 11.

After 14 October 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but they recommend moving to Windows 11.

I do recall reading somewhere, I can no longer remember where, that it will still be possible to pay for regular security fixes.

Zaph

[Biggles50]

Read this.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-install-windows-11-the-way-you-want-and-bypass-microsofts-restrictions/

Or you can just say _ _ _  _ _ and buy a MacBook, we find them way less trouble than any Windows PC or Laptop.

[Zaphod99]

My link is to a more recent updated version of an almost identical article.

I think anyone trying this should read as many articles on the subject as possible, as they all seem to highlight different potential problems.

Zaph

[greenrig]

The hardware requirements to run W11 are NOT compulsory. If you research and follow the RUFUS route you can easily install W11 on many older machines. I did it on a machine with an unsupported CPU, insufficient memory, and no TPM.  Windows 11 installed and runs just fine. 
The instructions for RUFUS are beyond the scope of this forum - just Google it.

[Zaphod99]

Greenrig, that is very reassuring. I am competent with computing, but this does seem a rather challenging procedure. I'm glad to hear that it went so well. I've read a lot about it, and not all the stories have been as successful as yours. I think it's the way ahead for us.

The Zaphs