Windows 11 Hardware Req

[Olliedawg]

Has anybody installed Windows 11 on a machine which does not have a TPM? I know there is a registry hack to bypass the requirement, but curious to know if any of you have done this. If so, do you still receive updates as normal? Notice anything else out of the ordinary?

 

I'm starting to look at the amount of machines we will need to replace in order to be "compatible" with Windows 11...

[ITGuyNW]

Did it just yesterday and it acts like there's nothing different.

 

Another way to do it is swap out the install.esd in the Windows 10 media creation tool/ISO with the one from the Windows 11 version.

[Olliedawg]

Did it just yesterday and it acts like there's nothing different.

 

Another way to do it is swap out the install.esd in the Windows 10 media creation tool/ISO with the one from the Windows 11 version.

Interesting... If this is the case, I'll fire up a test machine and give it a try. Did you not notice anything at all?

 

I was just looking at our development roadmap & I had included Windows 11 rollout for next summer. Vast majority of our PC's do not have a TPM & it would cost us a hell of a lot of money to replace them all.. So i'm hoping this workaround / the registry change will be ok.

[DavR]

Vast majority of our PC's do not have a TPM & it would cost us a hell of a lot of money to replace them all.. So i'm hoping this workaround / the registry change will be ok.

 

Apologies if this seems too obvious and you've already looked, but..... have you checked whether these machines might have TPM, but have it disabled in the BIOS?

 

I found a couple of models in our inventory that I didn't expect to have TPM chips, did, in this way.

[Olliedawg]

Apologies if this seems too obvious and you've already looked, but..... have you checked whether these machines might have TPM, but have it disabled in the BIOS?

 

I found a couple of models in our inventory that I didn't expect to have TPM chips, did, in this way.

 

In all honestly I've only properly checked two of our IT rooms, which have the oldest PC's in the school. ~2014 Stone AIO's / ~2014 HP Eliteone 800 G1 AIO's, both of which we brought back to life by fitting more RAM + an SSD into each & have been perfectly fine since. These do not have TPM 2.0. Looks like you also need a minimum of an 8th gen Intel Processor which they definitely don't have.

[Oaktech]

You can easily bypass the requirement, however MS warn that at any point they might add 'requirement checking' to updates and that things could grenade on you.

[LeMarchand]

Has anybody installed Windows 11 on a machine which does not have a TPM? I know there is a registry hack to bypass the requirement, but curious to know if any of you have done this. If so, do you still receive updates as normal? Notice anything else out of the ordinary?

 

Yes. So far only found one machine that wouldn't install W11. Everything seems fine in terms of day-to-day functionality, though some of the higher functions (Memory Integrity) that actually need the recommended specs need to be disabled to stop nags. This may not continue to hold true, though.

 

Updates come in OK but probably not "version" upgrades, though this may have been my WSUS settings. Will have to wait until 23H1 to confirm this, but in place upgrades seem fairly quick and non-destructive.

[DavR]

In all honestly I've only properly checked two of our IT rooms, which have the oldest PC's in the school. ~2014 Stone AIO's / ~2014 HP Eliteone 800 G1 AIO's, both of which we brought back to life by fitting more RAM + an SSD into each & have been perfectly fine since. These do not have TPM 2.0. Looks like you also need a minimum of an 8th gen Intel Processor which they definitely don't have.

 

Fair enough, I can see those Stones not having TPM.

 

I was pleasantly surprised to find our Dell desktops going back to 2014 having them though.

[Olliedawg]

I'm going to try it now on a PC which does have TPM 2.0, but a 6th gen intel processor & see how it goes. Windows 11 22H2.

 

Will mention concerns to SLT over the amount of PC's we have that do not officially support Windows 11, hopefully get given the go ahead to replace with some newer PC's.

[LeMarchand]

I'm going to try it now on a PC which does have TPM 2.0, but a 6th gen intel processor & see how it goes. Windows 11 22H2.

 

Will mention concerns to SLT over the amount of PC's we have that do not officially support Windows 11, hopefully get given the go ahead to replace with some newer PC's.

 

That's better specced than some I've used! I've pointed out the problem, too. No-one is willing to pony up the money yet...

 

Update: Just checked the 11/22h2 machine I use at this site, which is 4th Gen (i7) with TPM 1.2.

Edited May 16, 2023 by LeMarchand

[Olliedawg]

That's better specced than some I've used! I've pointed out the problem, too. No-one is willing to pony up the money yet...

 

Update: Just checked the 11/22h2 machine I use at this site, which is 4th Gen (i7) with TPM 1.2.

Those are some of our newer ones!

 

Well i've got the OS installed, seems to be picking up updates ok & everything seems normal! Nice to know that this is possible with workarounds, but i would rather get the majority on officially supported hardware if possible.

[Rob_D]

On my home PC, the software TPM (AMD processor) got disabled somehow after the initial win11 install. Didn't make the blindest bit of difference until the 22h2 update came around (or didn't in my case). The update wouldn't pull down as the PC was reporting as not win11 compatible.

[Olliedawg]

On my home PC, the software TPM (AMD processor) got disabled somehow after the initial win11 install. Didn't make the blindest bit of difference until the 22h2 update came around (or didn't in my case). The update wouldn't pull down as the PC was reporting as not win11 compatible.

 

That’s what I’m afraid of if I do run it on our older machines.

 

Going to upgrade my PC at home to windows 11 also, this has a TPM2.0 but running an unsupported Processor (i5 4460) See how that goes over the next few months. I’m not planning on moving our workstations in school to Windows 11 until next summer at best.

[jmak]

It might be unpopular with some people here, but I wouldn't run an OS on unsupported hardware in a school (or other professional) environment.

 

If the school won't fund newer hardware compatible with Windows 11 I see three options:

 

1) Convert to Chromebooks using Flex OS

2) Convert to Linux and pay to train you and all other relevant staff

3) Document the issues, report to governor's and find a new job

[HereIGoAgain2601]

We had similar resistance to fund replacements until I pointed out that come 2025 we would either have to immediately turn off 60% of our estate or switch to Chrome OS to remain compliant with GDPR and DfE cyber security standards. We now have funding to phase the replacements of the non compatible devices on a rolling programme to ensure everything is done before the cut off point.

 

Some colleagues pointed out that we could use Win 10 LTSC for a few years longer but this was quickly discounted when it was clear there would be compatibility issues with the latest version of OneDrive / 365 apps.

[ITGURU]

running 11 on a 10 year old i7 pc, no issues whatsoever!

[Cw2k]

Has anybody installed Windows 11 on a machine which does not have a TPM? I know there is a registry hack to bypass the requirement, but curious to know if any of you have done this. If so, do you still receive updates as normal? Notice anything else out of the ordinary?

 

I'm starting to look at the amount of machines we will need to replace in order to be "compatible" with Windows 11...

 

Just remember if you need Cyber Essentials then the hacks will put you into non compliance as Win 11 is not officially supported on those devices.