How to upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported hardware

Many users think about upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 on their PC to move to another next generation operating system. Installing Windows 11 on a PC is done in several ways: by upgrading to Windows 11 from a previous version of the OS, or you can install the system from scratch.

Users of the Windows 10 operating system can upgrade to Windows 11 for free. But, installing Windows 11 has some nuances.

You should be aware that the Windows 11 operating system places high demands on computer hardware. Therefore, all devices are tested for compatibility.

The process of a “clean” installation of the system or upgrading to Windows 11 on unsupported hardware is terminated if the check reveals a non-compliance with system requirements. A large number of PCs do not meet the requirements set by Microsoft.

Often, a computer does not have a suitable processor, TPM 2.0 Trusted Cryptographic Platform Module, or other hardware components that are not supported.

In this regard, the question arises of how to upgrade to Windows 11 if, according to Microsoft, this computer is not compatible with this operating system. Fortunately, there are several ways to get around these restrictions so that you can install Windows 11 on your computer.

In most cases, the windows 11 operating system will work without problems on a computer that has some inconsistencies with the specified parameters. Whether to upgrade to Windows 11, each user decides for himself.

In this article, we will look at one of the ways to update Windows to version 11 on unsupported hardware, while retaining personal data and installed applications.

System requirements for installing Windows 11

Microsoft has set strict requirements for a PC that can run Windows 11. A Windows 11 PC must have the following:

• At least 8th generation Intel dual-core processor or AMD Ryzen 2000 or higher;
• RAM at least 4 GB;
• Hard drive at least 64 GB;
• Motherboard with UEFI and Secure Boot enabled;
• Trusted Cryptographic Platform Module TPM 2.0;
• DirectX 12 or later graphics card with WDDM 2.0 driver;
• High definition display (720p).

During the installation of the operating system on a computer, a hardware check is performed to determine whether this computer is suitable for Windows 11 or not. On unsupported hardware, Windows installation stops.

You can find out in advance whether your device can run Windows 11. To check your computer for compatibility with Windows 11, you need to use the PC Health Check application or another similar program. After scanning, you will be informed about the readiness of your PC hardware for using Windows 11.

How to upgrade your computer to Windows 11 for free

We need to upgrade to Windows 11 without TPM, Secure Boot, compatible processor or other hardware. This is a feasible operation.

To upgrade your system to Windows 11, the following conditions must be met:

• A licensed 64-bit version of Windows is installed on the computer
• The version of Windows 10 must be 2004 or later.
• 9 GB of free hard disk space.
• Internet connection.

Please note that you may install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware at your own risk.

The process of upgrading to Windows 11 takes place in three stages:

1. Download the Windows 11 ISO image to your computer from the official Microsoft website.
2. ISO image modification.
3. Installing Windows 11 by updating over Windows

Download Windows 11 ISO Image

At the first stage, you need to download the image of the Windows 11 operating system from the official Microsoft website.

Do the following:

1. Visit the official Microsoft website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11 .
2. Select the last option – “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)”.
3. Follow the next steps to get the system image file on your PC.

There is an article on this site that details the different ways to download the official Windows 11 ISO to your computer.

Preparing a Windows 11 ISO Image

First of all, we need to solve the problem of passing the computer check. To do this, you will need to remove one file from the Windows ISO image to bypass compatibility checks during system installation on an unsupported computer.

This can be done in a specialized program for working with images, for example, in UltraISO, or using a system tool.

In this guide, we will use the system tool without the help of a third-party application. Follow the instructions below:

1. Right click on the downloaded Windows ISO image
2. Select “Connect” from the context menu.
3. The ISO image of the system will open in the virtual drive.
4. Create a folder with any name on the Windows Desktop
5. Copy the contents of the system image to the created folder on the Desktop.
6. In Explorer, right-click on the mounted image, select “Extract”.

We will no longer need the original Windows 11 ISO image for further steps.

7. Open the folder with the copied files, enter the “sources” folder.
8. Find and delete the file named “appraiserres.dll” from there.

Now you can proceed to the next step of installing the operating system.

Upgrading to Windows 11

We proceed to the stage of installing Windows 11 on a computer with the Windows 10 operating system using the update method. Windows 11 is installed from the Desktop.

Go through the following steps:

1. In the folder with the Windows 11 image files, double-click on the “setup” file.
2. The Install Windows 11 window will open on the screen, in which you need to uncheck the box in the box “I want to help make a better installation. Privacy Statement”.
3. Click on the “Configure how the installer downloads updates” option.
4. In the “Get updates, drivers, and options” window, activate the “Not now” option.

This is an important point in the installation process, on which the success of the device verification depends.

5. In the “Applicable notices and license terms” window, click the “Accept” button.
6. The Windows Setup window is preparing.

On some computers, the Please Note window may appear. When upgrading to Windows 11 on unsupported computers in this way, I have seen both options: with this window and without it.

Windows Setup has determined that this PC does not meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11. You are warned that continued installation may result in compatibility issues and support and updates will be discontinued.

Click on the “Accept” button to continue installing Windows 11 on your computer.

7. Checks for free space on the computer.
8. In the “Ready to install” window, you are informed what was selected for the update:

• Install a version of Windows 11 that is similar to the version of Windows installed on your computer
• Save personal files and applications.

9. Click on the “Install” button.
10. The Install Windows 11 window will open on your PC screen.

During the system update, your computer will restart several times. The whole process takes some time.

11. After the reboot, Windows installation continues.
12. After several restarts of the computer, the last stage of installing and configuring the operating system passes.

The operating system update is complete, your computer is running the latest version of Windows 11 with a new interface.

Article Conclusions

A user can upgrade their computer’s operating system for free by upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11. To successfully complete this operation, the computer must meet certain system requirements.

If your PC has unsupported hardware, you must first modify the Windows 11 ISO image. As a result of this operation, you will be able to install Windows 11 over Windows 10 on any incompatible computer.