Windows 11 can still be installed on old PCs with a workaround

Numerous computers have been excluded from an upgrade based on the Windows 11 system requirements, but luckily there is a simple workaround.

Microsoft has set relatively strict system requirements for Windows 11. Many users with slightly older computers are outraged that they can’t access the upcoming operating system despite their solid machine. Fortunately, several roads lead to Rome. By means of a simple workaround, many more users than expected can upgrade to Windows 11 by the end of this year.

Windows 11 workaround

Microsoft excludes all Intel processors before the 8th generation from Windows 11, with a few exceptions. Ryzen 1000-series CPUs also do not receive official approval from the company. Still, after multiple preview versions, many users state that the OS runs just fine on their machine.

Microsoft also says between the lines that everything will probably be fine with “unsupported” computers. In a blog post, the multi-billion dollar company explains that 99.8% of all supported PCs can run Windows 11 without crashes. Unsupported PCs have 52% more crashes. This means that in roughly 99.7% of all cases there is still nothing wrong.

That’s why Microsoft implicitly suggests a workaround where enthusiasts can still install Windows 11 on any system by means of an ISO file. Of course, Microsoft does not guarantee anything. You do not have improved security, drivers may not work and you can expect a crash (slightly) more often.

Nevertheless, that is good news for a presumably gigantic group of users. Many PC owners can perform a clean install with such a disc file. After all, the alternative is to build a whole new PC to receive the new operating system.

Source: The Verge