Is it possible to upgrade to Windows 11 on older post-lease computers?

Everyone is now asking themselves: will Windows 11 go for me?

Before answering this question, here is Microsoft's official recommendation:

• Processor: Intel Core 8. generation (and some 7th generation - list at the end) or AMD Ryzen 2000 series or newer
• Graphics card: compatible with DirectX 12 or later version and WDDM driver 2.0
• Display: min. 720p with a diagonal greater than 9 inches
• RAM: 4 GB
• Space at driveru: 64 GB
• Other requirements: TPM 2.0, UEFI, secure boot option enabled

If you meet these requirements, you may already be able to upgrade your "ten" to Windows 11 via Windows Update. Check Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click Check for updates. You will see if your upgrade is ready.

How to check if my system is compatible with Windows 11?

Run the Health Check application, which will indicate which kit components are not compatible with the requirements of the new system:

Download PC Health Check to check your Windows 11 installation

Other Windows 11 requirements, or "the devil is in the details"

Let's pause a moment on the point "other Windows 11 requirements". Let's explain what this is all about:

TPM (Trusted Platform Module) version 2.0 - the task of the TPM chip is to create and store a special encryption key in the microchip's memory, which can only be decrypted using the same TPM module. We configure it when we initialize the TPM for the first time, then we create our new password with which we can configure this module. This feature protects our system even when we replace driver or change settings in UEFI. This will make Windows 11 a much more secure system.

UEFI. Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - is nothing more than a modern version of the popular BIOS. Most modern computers use UEFI during their startup, which significantly reduces startup time and allows the use of many advanced features like min. TPM.

Where's my TPM?

The TPM 2.0 module plugs directly into the motherboard, which has a connector dedicated to it, although business-grade kits usually have it built-in.

What if my board doesn't have this TPM?

It turns out that processor manufacturers have been adding this module to the processor for some time, so if you have an Intel Core in at least the seventh generation (listed at the end of the article) or an AMD in Zen 1 or higher architecture, then you already have the TMP module. All you have to do is enable it in the UFEI as a function Intel PTT or AMD PSP fTPM and now your computer meets the requirements.

Screenshots by Bleeping Computer

How to check if I have a TPM 2.0?

Enter the command tpm.msc in the search box on the Start bar or on the command line. If a window pops up called "Managing the TPM module on the local computer" and you have this module version 2.0 then you can install Windows 11.

I have TPM version 1.2, and I can install Windows 11?

Microsoft recommends that you do not install Windows 11 on a device that does not meet the minimum system requirements. If you decide to install Windows 11 on such a device and confirm that you understand some of the issues behind it, you can create the following registry key values and skip checking for TPM 2.0 (at least TPM 1.2 is still required) and CPU family and model.

Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
Name: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1

This is the official way that Microsoft states to install Windows 11 without TPM 2.0 and the right generation processor.

And what if everything fails? Can I still have Microsoft Windows 11?

Microsoft lets you move to Windows 11 even as your setup is unsupported. The condition is to perform a clean installation, which is not as convenient as Windows Update. Unfortunately, Microsoft does not guarantee that such configurations will receive necessary updates in the future, including those related to security.

Rather, we can't imagine such a situation where there will be no updates to sensitive Windows components, and most likely this is a "just in case" warning from this company.

A clean installation of Windows 11 can be done with Media Creation Tool

Just download the driveru (ISO) image of Windows 11 from this page.

Examples of computers that are compatible with Windows 11:

• Dell Latitude 7490 14"
• Dell Latitude 5400 14"
• Dell Latitude 7400 14"

7th generation Intel Core processors supported by Windows 11:

• Intel Core i5-7640X
• Intel Core i7-7740X
• Intel Core i7-7800X
• Intel Core i7-7820HQ
• Intel Core i7-7820X
• Intel Core i7-7900X
• Intel Core i7-7920X
• Intel Core i9-7940X
• Intel Core i9-7960X
• Intel Core i9-7980XE

Please note that all Generation 8 processors (with a number starting with the number 8), and higher, already have a TPM 2.0.