Microsoft Said These 400 Readers Couldn't Upgrade To Windows 11. They Did It Anyway

6 hours ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Hundreds of readers person completed upgrades utilizing ZDNET's help.
In general, they study nan upgrade is easy, pinch fewer issues.
For those who had problems, location were typically elemental fixes.

Microsoft's warnings astir nan extremity of support for Windows 10 are becoming much strident arsenic nan October deadline approaches. For anyone who owns a PC that's much than 5 years old, those messages travel pinch a prohibition that seems ironclad: "Sorry," nan Windows installer shrugs. "You request to bargain a caller PC because you can't upgrade this aged 1 to Windows 11."

I'm paraphrasing, of course, but that's nan gist of nan message. And you cognize what? It's simply not true. I person astir 400 firsthand reports from readers this twelvemonth unsocial that beryllium it. Those readers followed nan instructions successful my article, "How to upgrade an 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - 2 free options," and nan overwhelming mostly were capable to complete nan upgrade without issues.

All of nan respondents chose 1 of 2 options to upgrade:

Option 1 is for PCs that were primitively designed for Windows 10 but whose CPUs are excessively aged to make nan compatibility cut. This method involves making a azygous registry edit and past moving nan Windows 11 Setup program.
Option 2 is for older PCs and for those that neglect nan compatibility cheque for different reasons, specified arsenic not having Secure Boot enabled aliases lacking a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). This method uses nan third-party Rufus inferior to create civilization installation media.

At nan extremity of that post, I encouraged readers to stock their acquisition via email. Here's what they had to say.

The upgrade is easy

They would for illustration you to cognize that nan upgrade is easy, moreover for those without a method background. The mini number who ran into issues were capable to resoluteness them reasonably quickly. Most of all, they're grateful to person saved hundreds aliases thousands of dollars that Microsoft insisted they should walk to switch perfectly functional hardware.

Some of nan reports I received were brief; others were filled pinch adjuvant specifications astir hardware, drivers, and insignificant glitches. Here's a sampling of what those folks had to say:

"THANK YOU for nan concise, easy-to-follow steps. Like, I mean, OMG conscionable perfect."
"Thanks for your instructions. They made nan occupation easy. I americium not a machine master aliases moreover overmuch of a hobbyist, but I did bask upgrading this aged PC."
"Your instructions were good written and easy to follow. Everything went 'as soft arsenic cream.' The download of Win11 Pro took astir 45 minutes to complete. There were nary issues astatine immoderate time. ... I americium rather happy that I did not person to recycle aliases destruct my laptop."
"The steps provided present worked flawlessly! I americium very happy I came crossed this article and person managed to salvage my 6 aliases 7 twelvemonth aged laptop (from 2018 aliases 2019) for astatine slightest a fewer much years."
"Thank you truthful overmuch for your article! It has virtually saved my family hundreds if not thousands of dollars by not having to wantonness our older (but perfectly functional) laptops!"
"People springiness maine their aged laptops. I refurbish them and past springiness them distant again, truthful pinch Windows 10 nearing its end, I've been updating rather a fewer to Windows 11 utilizing your regedit technique."

Most issues tin beryllium resolved quickly

A mini percent of readers wrote successful asking for assistance, and immoderate had questions. In each but a fistful of cases, we were capable to resoluteness immoderate issues quickly, pinch thing much than basal troubleshooting.

The astir communal problem, by far, was besides nan easiest 1 to troubleshoot. At slightest a twelve readers reported that they were incapable to complete nan upgrade utilizing nan registry edit that bypasses nan CPU compatibility check. The origin was an correction they had made erstwhile creating nan required registry edit -- a typo successful nan value, choosing nan incorrect worth type, aliases creating nan required worth successful nan incorrect subkey. As soon arsenic they corrected nan typo aliases moved nan cardinal to nan correct location, nan upgrade proceeded normally.

Also: This free instrumentality installs Windows 11 connected unsupported PCs - without immoderate bloatware

A fewer readers reported that nan upgrade ended prematurely pinch an unhelpful correction connection that reported nan installation had failed. In astir of these cases, nan cure progressive downloading a caller transcript of nan Windows 11 ISO, restarting nan PC, and trying again.

A fewer readers saw a connection that said, "Your PC isn't supported yet." That indicated a "safeguard hold" imposed by Microsoft because of a problem pinch an app aliases instrumentality driver that was known to origin issues pinch nan upgrade. Sometimes those issues are documented connected the Windows Release Health dashboard; different times, search down nan rumor progressive a trial-and-error approach, unplugging outer devices, and uninstalling apps.

Yes, you'll still get updates.

One mobility that came up many times arsenic portion of those reports was immoderate variety of "Will I still get updates?"

The short reply is yes, PCs upgraded utilizing these techniques will still person information updates. Given that Microsoft encouraged galore of its endeavor customers to make these upgrades, it's improbable that nan institution would consequence abruptly shutting disconnected nan update spigot.

Also: Can't upgrade your Windows 10 PC? You person 5 options

So far, I've received aggregate reports from upgraders who confirmed that information updates were arriving arsenic expected each month. It's possible, particularly pinch older devices, that early characteristic updates mightiness neglect to instal automatically. In those cases, an in-place upgrade utilizing nan aforesaid techniques described present pinch nan latest installation media should get nan occupation done.

For a much elaborate chat of this topic, see "Is Microsoft really going to trim disconnected information updates for your 'unsupported' Windows 11 PC?"

Why is Microsoft doing this?

The different mobility that came up many times successful these reports is an overwhelming consciousness of confusion, mixed pinch a small spot of anger, complete Microsoft's determination to enforce these compatibility checks.

"The full business is simply a farce," said 1 scholar whose pricey Dell laptop had a CPU that missed nan cutoff day by conscionable a fewer months.

Microsoft has ne'er done a satisfactory occupation of explaining nan reasons down these compatibility requirements. Over nan past 4 years nan institution has cited information and reliability arsenic nan main reasons, utilizing ambiguous connection for illustration this, which appeared successful an official blog station published soon aft Windows 11 was announced:

We request a minimum strategy request that enables america to accommodate package and hardware to support gait pinch people's expectations, needs and harness nan existent worth and powerfulness of nan PC to present nan champion experiences, now and successful nan future. ... Windows 11 raises nan barroom for information by requiring hardware that tin alteration protections for illustration Windows Hello, Device Encryption, virtualization-based information (VBS), hypervisor-protected codification integrity (HVCI) and Secure Boot. The operation of these features has been shown to reduce malware by 60% on tested devices. To meet nan principle, each Windows 11 supported CPUs person an embedded TPM, support unafraid boot, and support VBS and specific VBS capabilities.

While those vague statements are true, a much apt mentation for nan strict CPU requirements is that each of nan CPUs connected nan older database were affected by nan Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities that were discovered successful 2018. Those flaws affected each CPU past disposable successful nan PC market, and nan hole required patching microcode successful a measurement that typically had a awesome effect connected performance. One starring information statement said nan only surefire measurement to debar these superior information flaws was to switch nan affected hardware.

Microsoft has ne'er officially acknowledged nan relationship betwixt that arena and its CPU compatibility list, but nan timing seems excessively adjacent to beryllium a coincidence. But we'll astir apt ne'er know.

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