Updating to W11 with old hardware -Free simple way also as Win2Go too.

jimbo45 · 20 Aug 2022

Hi folks
Some of you might want to update to W11 but don't have the required hardware but if you can manage installing and running a VM then you can do it without going through all sorts of hoops using registry fixes or manipulating dll's to get it to install.

The method basically installs to a VM which you then image and restore to "Real" physical hardware.

In the VM ensure UEFI boot available and Emulated TPM v2.0 in the VM config -- although in HYPER-V you can pass thru a physical TPM if you want.

You don't need sec boot but EFI boot must be supported on your hardware, (and in the "Virtual Bios of the VM) -- package OVMF / EDK2 for Linux hosts need to be installed, and for the tpm : swtpm, swtpm-tools - I think HYPER-V for Windows has those equivalent in Windows available anyway .

For Linux users the CPU is set to "Hypervisor default" which passes the W11 hardware check.

Updating to W11 with old hardware -Free simple way also as Win2Go too.-screenshot_20220820_085958.png

You need to create the W11 VM first -- just basic install -- plenty of ISO's on UUPDUMP -- select edition of choice. HYPER-V on Windows or KVM/QEMU on Linux hosts will create a Windows VM really quickly from the ISO. It's a bit trickier with VMWare - but still works, but I haven't tried via Oracle's Virtual Box. "Left as a test for the readers" !!!!.

This method works perfectly -- even on the latest 25xxx insider build which is much more intolerant of these "unofficial bypasses".

You can install even as a Windows2Go type of thing -- absolutely no paid software required. The only requirement for this method is that you have > 48GB of Disk storage for the Windows system, a TPM v2 and the ability to boot EFI (sec boot is better, but EFI is still good enough).

Here's my post from W11 Forum :

Create (activated) W11 on external SSD aka Win2GO for Free from VM | Windows 11 Forum

Have fun -- it's not as hard to do as you think - and doing it this way you can wipe / restart as many times as you need if things go wrong without compromising your existing running machine(s).

Cheers
jimbo

Steve C · 21 Aug 2022

I did this a while ago on a non-compliant Dell laptop and it is still running W11 fine plus keeps updating.

jimbo45 · 21 Aug 2022

Steve C said:

I did this a while ago on a non-compliant Dell laptop and it is still running W11 fine plus keeps updating.

Good stuff.

System also works "in reverse" -- you can clone a real machine back to virtual -- a much easier process of course -- but before booting the newly cloned VM -- ensure the GUUID in the config is the same as any "activated" previous VM or you might be asked for Activation again which may fail in some cases. - When restoring the image back to a VM you might need to re-load the Windows boot loader in an efi partition (from the Windows Virtual hard drive in the VM).

If using Linux KVM/QEMU the VM config can be edited easily enough as it's an XML file -- if using the Virt machine manager GUI set the xml to "editable" in edit -> preferences. In Hyper-V and VMWare it's a text file I think so any text editor will handle all these formats.

Cheers
jimbo

MisterEd · 21 Aug 2022

My main desktop is compliant with Windows 11 but I have decided to keep running Windows 10 Pro on it. I still would like to experiment with Windows 11.

I have used Hyper-V to create both Windows 11 Home and Pro virtual machines.

Windows to Go is not free. However, I have used a free program called Windows To USB (WinToUSB). I used WinToUSB to install Windows 11 on an external SSD. The only complication is that unlike a dual-boot computer there is no boot menu created to select either Windows 10 or Windows 11. When I boot the computer I have to press the key that shows my computers boot menu. I then select the external drive with Windows 11 to boot from.

The biggest advantage of Windows To USB is you are using real hardware not emulated ones. Also, you are not mofifying your computer in any way. This is in contrast to a dual-boot computer where you are.