Unfortunately, in this case it comes down to the saying that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Reports have appeared on the web reporting that Microsoft has changed its mind about Windows 11’s strict requirements and will allow installation on older computers without a TPM. This would save a lot of older PCs running Windows 10. No such luck though, these rumors are just a misunderstanding of old documents.
The news in question stems from an article on PC World that pointed out that in documentation published on the web, Microsoft has mentions referring to installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. It has to be noted from the start that this is something that was always achievable by various means (for example, it is possible to modify the installation media using the Rufus tool), but the important thing is that the hardware remains officially unsupported by Microsoft.
This might not have an impact in some cases, but at the very least if you don’t have Secure Boot enabled and a TPM (or fTPM), large updates like 24H2 won’t install, so you may have to manually re-run the installation or reinstall a clean system. Microsoft warns in the article that security patches may not even be available for such a system, but that’s something that hasn’t happened yet as far as we know.
Anyway, this newly found article was misunderstood by PC World to mean that Microsoft has dropped the requirements and will allow Windows 11 upgrades on unsupported computers in general, without the need to use the tricks mentioned. This was picked up by a number of other media outlets, however this reading was merely a misunderstanding. The article in question in the documentation does not say that Microsoft has relaxed the requirements, but mainly, it is old and cannot signal a change in attitude.
The mistake has been pointed out by Windows Central, which specialises in news concerning Microsoft and should be more in the know. As they pointed out, this article in the documentation has been around since 2021 (basically since the launch of the OS). So the purported good news is unfortunately a hoax, as much as some legitimate way to migrate large masses of fairly usable older computers without TPMs to Windows 11 would be great thing to have.
That the reports are incorrect has already been confirmed by Microsoft as well, which, in an apparent reaction to the spreading articles, added a note to the page in the documentation that started it all, giving a disclaimer that the text is a document originally published in 2021, at the time of the premiere of Windows 11 (and in fact, I have a feeling that this very document has already been the victim of such misinterpretation in the past, only for the cycle to repeat once it got forgotten over time). In any case it can be said that the actual purpose of that document was to discourage users form running Windows 11 on unsupported computers, not to suggest it. That’s why it also includes the warning that updates may not work.
Microsoft also added an explicit statement that the hardware requirements for Windows 11 are unchanged and remain the same, in case you were in doubt. PC World itself has since corrected the article. In addition, the article now states that if you somehow managed to get Windows 11 on an old PC, Microsoft strongly recommends that you revert to Windows 10 (which, of course, you don’t have to respect because you probably didn’t upgrade to the new version by mistake).
What about non-support?
So your options, if you are facing this problem with a PC you own or manage for somebody, are still the same as before. One is to replace the computer (which, if you buy cheap or second-hand components and use some of the original parts, may not always cost much – if it is a desktop PC, not a laptop or “NUC” where you have to replace the whole thing, that is). In addition, you alsohave the option of paying for extended updates to Windows 10, but that’s only a solution for a couple years. If you have to open your wallet already, consider whether it’s not better to try to get another cheap PC second-hand or refurbished (you just need to make sure it’s a system that does fit Windows 11 requirements including it’s processor being on Microsoft’s CPU list).
Installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware is still an option under certain conditions – using various tricks that disable the requirements during installation. However, the system only receives updates within a single version, for example 23H2, 24H2, which tends to be supported for just two years. If you have a computer that doesn’t meet the requirements, Windows Update won’t offer you the upgrade to a newer version. After a certain amount of time, security updates will stop coming for the old one.
This is the main problem that an old computer will cause. The solution is to install the update to the new version manually, after which you will receive security updates again. The downside is that you are required to actively do this procedure once every year or two, which is a problem if you want to install Windows 11 for someone else who may be less proficient and who won’t remember or be able to perform the necessary tasks.
Remember, however, that from version 24H2 onwards, the actual system CPU requirements will increase, as the code will start using SSE4 (more precisely SSE4.2) and POPCNT instructions. Without them, Windows 11 will only run as long as you’re on the older versions from 2023, which will also cease to be supported on 11/11/2025, so for very old CPUs, Windows 11 simply won’t be a solution. In the long run, Windows 11 will only run on newer processors. We’ve explained what the requirements are and which processors will stop working, in these articles:
- Read more: Microsoft tightens Windows 11 requirements, breaks all Core 2 PCs
- Read more: Windows 11 stops working on more processors, requires SSE4.2
Another solution is to switch to a different operating system (i.e. Linux), as many people will probably tell you. However, it is not a perfectly straightforward and problem-free solution either, as you may face other obstacles when switching to Linux (having to get used to different programs, different behaviour of the environment, functioning of some devices).
Source: WindowsCentral, PC World, Microsoft
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
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