One of the ticking time-bombs we are all sitting on is the scheduled end of Windows 10.
I did an article on what this might mean for you, so I won’t go over that again. This article will deal with who can (or can’t) upgrade to Windows 11.
You will know if you can’t officially upgrade your PC to Windows 11 because your Windows Update window will look a bit like this.
What is happening here is that the Windows installer is checking the inside of your system’s hardware, and comparing it with the list Microsoft have mandated as the minimum required for Windows 11. If it doesn’t match? Well, ‘computer says no‘. But is that the final verdict?
Well, as it happens – no. We have been experimenting over the last couple of weeks to find out exactly what the limits really are. By muzzling the installer’s watchdog it turns out that we can get a perfectly workable installation of Windows 11 onto some older PCs. So, on the face of it, we can move PCs to Windows 11 without the cost of replacing your hardware. And, indeed we can – it’s quick & inexpensive and has – as far as we tell – no downsides.
But (you knew there would be a but!). There are some caveats. Here are some of them.
- If your PC is too old to ‘officially’ upgrade to Windows 11 then it’s done a few years of service. And some of your hardware might be nearing the end of its service life. Upgrading to Windows 11 will not stop it dying at its allotted time.
- Some hardware is simply too old for this to be achievable.
- One of the bits of hardware it checks for is the TPM (Trusted Platform Module). This is a cornerstone of some modern digital security systems. If you don’t have a TPM then these systems will be unavailable to you. And no, you can’t graft a TPM into an existing system.
- Microsoft might, in the future, take steps to circumvent the steps we take to circumvent the installer’s checklist. And there might be application software that does not (either now, or in the future) play nice.
- We are only happy doing this as a ‘fresh install’ (i.e. a totally clean installation). We would advocate installing a new hard disk at the same time. This has two benefits: (i) it preserves the existing Windows 10 system intact, in case it all goes wrong (ii) the hard disk is the component most likely to die with age. And, at the end of the day, new hard disks are very cheap!
- It is highly likely that your existing Windows 10 license would transfer across. It not there are plenty of options to resolve this.
Actual model supplied will vary
So practiced are we at this that we offer an all-in-one price: Installing Windows 11 with a new 240Gb solid state drive (2.5″ or NVMe as appropriate) into a standard PC or laptop is £145 all-in (including VAT!). If, despite the caveats, you are interested please contact us for a formal quotation.
So, there it is. A quick and inexpensive way to keep your existing PC viable for another couple of years, saving you the cost of replacing the whole lot next October. As usual, contact us on 01905 426364 to discuss your requirements.