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How to Install Windows 11 on an Unsupported PC

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The first Insider Preview of Windows 11 is now available for download on any supported machine. However, the new Windows introduces a slew of new system requirements and only supports a limited number of CPUs. This may be inconvenient for people with older yet powerful computers. After all, Windows is Windows, and it may be installed on systems that aren’t compatible with it. Here’s how to get the Windows 11 Insider Preview on a PC that isn’t supported.

TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot functionality for Windows 11 are now required by Microsoft. It also only works with contemporary CPUs, such as Intel’s 8th generation and newer chipsets. This is why many customers with earlier CPU generations are having trouble with Windows 11.

In this post, we are going to explore three different methods to install Windows 11 on an unsupported machine.

NOTE: You need to have the following two things enabled on your machine.

  1. The partition table of the installation disk must be GPT. MBR might not work properly.
  2. UEFI must be selected in the BIOS for booting. Legacy boot might not work properly.

Method One: Install Windows 11 Build Manually

  1. To start with, download the Windows 11 Insider Preview build from here.
  2. Once downloaded, right-click the file and extract it to an accessible folder. Don’t see the option to extract? Install 7Zip or WinRAR on your computer.
  3. Now, open the extracted folder.
  4. Click on the setup.exe file to start Windows 11 installation.
  5. Once the setup loads up, accept the license terms to proceed with the installation.
  6. Then, choose “Keep personal files and apps” and tap Next (so that your existing data is safe).
  7. Once you’re on the Ready to Install page, tap the Install button to start installing Windows 11 on your incompatible device.

Update the Microsoft Store

After you’ve installed Windows 11, you’ll need to download the newest Microsoft Store, which isn’t included in the release. To do so, go here and download the Microsoft Store installer file. Then, to install the updated Store preview, open the setup and pick the Update option.

Method Two: Use REGEDIT to Edit Registry

This approach necessitates editing the registry in order to get around Windows 11’s restrictions. However, before starting, create a backup of the registry, as registry modifications might harm your system. You do so at your own risk. Furthermore, if you begin utilizing preview releases on an incompatible device, you may be forced to revert to Windows 10 or update your system whenever Windows 11 is released to the general public.

  1. On your Windows machine, open Settings and head to Update & Security > Windows Insider Program.
  2. Here, click on Get Started and then link your Microsoft Account. Make sure you’re using the same account you used to register with Microsoft’s Insider program.
  3. Next, select Release Preview Ring and continue. Finally, tap Restart to finish the setup. Optional Shortcut: Download the registry file from here and open it to apply the settings. You can then directly skip to Step 9. Alternatively, you can create a registry file yourself by typing this registry modification in notepad and saving it with a .reg extension.
  4. Once your PC reboots, press Win + R to open Run. Here, type “Regedit” and press Enter.
  5. Opening Registry Editor, select copy and paste HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsSelfHost\UI\Selection in the address bar. You can also manually navigate to the Selection folder.
  6. Right-click on the Selection folder in the sidebar and tap Export. Save it on an accessible place as a backup.
  7. Now, tap UIBranch and change its value data to Dev. Similarly, change the ContentType to Mainline and Ring to External.
  8. Now, close the Registry Editor and reboot your PC.
  9. Once the device restarts, go to Settings > Update & Security and see if your PC is enrolled in Windows Insider program under the Dev channel. If not, select “Dev channel.”

Then, in the settings, look for any updates. You may now download and install the Windows 11 Insider preview on your machine.

Did the update fail?
Cancel and end the setup if the upgrade fails or claims your PC is unsupported. Then download appraiserres.dll and place it in C:\$WINDOWS.~BT\Sources folder (replace with the original file if prompted). Then try upgrading using Windows Update once again.

Method Three: Using Script

OffInsiderEnroll script uses undocumented settings from the Windows Insider program. It can enroll you in the Insider program’s Dev channel on unsupported devices and work even with local accounts- you don’t necessarily need to sign in with a Microsoft account.

  1. Download the OfflineInsiderEnroll script from the GitHub website.
  2. Once downloaded, right-click the script and tap Run as Administrator.
  3. The command window will open and ask you to select from the available Windows Insider Program channels.
  4. Select Dev Channel by pressing the corresponding number, i.e., ‘1’.
  5. Press Enter and reboot your PC.

Finally, go to Windows Update in Settings and check for updates. You can now download and install the Windows 11 insider preview on your incompatible computer.

Bypass the TPM 2.0 Requirement

You may get “This PC Can’t Run Windows 11” while trying to install Windows 11 on unsupported devices without TPM 2.0. However, you can bypass the TPM requirement with a simple registry edit, as follows:

  1. Press Win + R to open Run. Type Regedit and press Enter.
  2. Now, paste the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup in the address bar or manually go to the Setup folder.
  3. Here, right-click and create a new key called LabConfig.
  4. In LabConfig key, create two new DWORDs with BypassTPMCheck and BypassSecureBootCheck with 1.
  5. Save and close the registry editor. Now retry installing Windows 11.

The other method is to modify the actual ISO file. To do so, you need to overwrite the appraiserres.dll file in the Sources folder with the same file from a Windows 10 ISO, then recreate the image.

Bonus- Install Windows 11 on Supported Devices

If your PC is compatible, you can visit insider.windows.com and register for the Insider program under the Dev channel. Then, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and connect your Microsoft account.

Once done, restart the machine and check for the updates in Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. You’ll likely receive the Insider build by now. Proceed with the update to install the latest Insider Preview build normally, like any other Windows update.

Conclusion

These were the three options for getting the Windows 11 Insider preview update on an unsupported or incompatible PC. Try them all and let me know which one worked best for you in the comments section. Also, act with caution and ensure that any essential data is backed up. If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a remark.

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Full Stack Developer, Tech Geek, Audiophile, Cinephile, and Lifelong Learner!