W11 Upgrade on Z420 Z620... easy

[SDH]

Paul_Tikkanen has been a very respected and helpful HP forum member for many years. When I read some of his posts on successfully upgrading his older "unsupported" HP (and other) computers to W11 using a method he found relatively easy and reliable I finally made the jump yesterday.  This worked great for me on one of our W10Pro64 workstations which has complex licensed medical software and hardware and complex networking and security features. I have attached below an edited/clarified PDF created from the author's original web site, HERE . I'm not sure if I made it easier or harder to read...

That author gives credit for the breakthrough to a Czech developer for creating the tool, and the author also provides fairly clear step by step instructions on where to get the several necessary parts to create a 5.2GB folder from which one can run this process on any W10 PC regardless of whether it meets the official requirements for running W11 or not. His site also includes reader comments/tips which I have not included in my PDF copy to stay under our forum's size limit for a PDF attachment.

A few points from my observations:

1. This method works, and works very well. I did the W11 upgrade yesterday afternoon and was working  via the build with no issues last night. It feels snappier than its original W10 build on the exact same hardware. It received all the W11 updates automatically so is fully up to date.

2. This tool lets you choose to do an "in-place" upgrade of a working W10 build (mine was W10Pro64), keeping your original apps and files. It also lets you just as easily do a clean install of W11. You use the provided link to Microsoft and download the multi-mode single W11 iso in the language of your choice, and you place that in the tool's folder.

3. You don't boot from an application included in the tool's folder. You simply copy that folder over to your W10 workstation and launch the tool's special .exe file from within the folder. Things are pretty automatic from that point on.

4. Your built-in W10 Defender SmartScreen application may see that .exe file launch as an uncommon or unknown-publisher app and block its run. To circumvent that issue you simply can disconnect from the internet before you launch that. I've edited that information into my PDF copy of the instructions, attached below.

5. Microsoft has W10/W11 activation servers that already have registered your motherboard's UUID as part of your W10 installation process, and the W11 activation process simply checks in automatically with one of those servers to see if the motherboard is already licensed to run W10  (and thereby this W11build). This whole process works even if the workstation's hardware is not officially "supported" (assuming that you have installed W11 this special way).  Checking your hardware remotely for whether it is compliant with the W11 official requirements is not the job of the license servers... they just look to see if your UUID is registered for use of W10. If yes the W11 upgrade will proceed.

6. The author has not yet checked if it is possible that a W7Pro64 build could use this tool to upgrade to W11 directly, skipping W10. I doubt that would work but you still can upgrade first from a valid W7 license to a valid W10 license and from there to W11 this way.

7. My W10 ZX20 builds all run on MBR partitioning. BIOS all run in Legacy mode. The W11 in-place upgrade I did was onto one of those workstations, and it works fine sticking with this approach.

8. My next project will be to capture an image of this build and see if I can clone it onto a Z Turbo Drive. This W10 base build has older Storage Controller drivers that carried forward from a W7 upgrade and those drivers can work fine with SSDs but not with the ZTDs. It will be interesting to see if the old Storage Controller drivers persisted into W11. EDIT: I checked and the original Storage Controller drivers did carry forward into this W11 build. I'll need to update those manually. At this point I would not be able to clone the W11 build to a ZTD because those older drivers are still in place. This finding points out one of the benefits of a clean install over an in-place install. A clean install likely will place newer storage controller drivers that may allow cloning that install over to a ZTD in the ZX20 workstations. 

9. No BIOS changes or updates were needed... the workstation was already running the latest version. It generally is best to update BIOS to the latest before such a project. I only update BIOS from within BIOS.

10. Our medical software needs "Fast Startup" to be turned off in the Power Options control app. This option is also available in W11 just like it is in W10, and the disabled condition was preserved through my upgrade to W11.

Overall, I am very pleased, and grateful to Paul_Tikkanen for having brought this breakthrough to the forum member's attention...

[DGroves]

Paul's method works quite well for a "in place" upgrade from 10 to 11, however i create quite a few custom windows ISO's from XP to win 11 and i use ntlite/xplite  which besides creating slipstreamed custom iso's also allows the win 11 hardware requirements to be removed when either creating a custom iso or simply modifying the stock MS 11 usb/ISO images to remove the hardware checks

https://www.ntlite.com/

if you want a very simple app to remove the win 11 hardware restrictions from a MS win 11 iso, "rufus" will work. and it can then create a bootable win 11 install usb key from that modified ISO image

https://rufus.ie/en/

[SDH · Accepted solution]

A few added bits of info:

1. I've been experimenting with this W11 upgrade process and have successfully installed W11 exactly this way on a Z440, a Z620, a Z400, an Elite 8300, a HP laptop that is W11-compliant and came with W10 Home, an older Dell laptop, and a really old Dell laptop. I first do a full W10 update on each of these with Windows Update for the W10 components, and also do a full C drive Disk Cleanup, etc. It has worked first time each time.

2. You don't need to first download the W11 universal .iso... the process lets you have the option to launch the process and then choose to download the .iso automatically during the process. It is overall slower that way so I recommend downloading the .iso in the language of your choice onto a USB3 drive, placed in a USB3 port. You don't need to copy/paste the 5.6GB install folder onto your computer's desktop first... it can run from the thumb drive no problem once you get it properly targeted to the .iso.

3. Out of habit for longer installs I always set turn off computer to never in the power control app. Note that during the early phase of the process you are given the choice to do an upgrade to W11 (keeping prior apps and data intact), or a W11 install plus keep prior data files but not prior apps, or finally a pure clean install keeping no prior data or applications. I have only done the in-place upgrade option for all my testing.

4. When done I then do a shutdown and cold boot... and next run through all the W11 updates. That universal installer .iso provides an older W11 version from most current, and also it will load what you are licensed for (Home vs Pro). I saw no option to go for a 32-bit install... no desire to do that anyway.

5. After the install I do the same very thorough disk cleanup process. When you launch the first level of disk cleanup it will take quite a while for that to even show up on your desktop, and I check all the boxes there, then do the next level of disk cleanup and again check all the unchecked boxes there also.

The whole process is not fast, but I have been pleased with how snappy the W11 builds are even in old and quite older computers.

[SDH]

https://dongknows.com/steps-for-windows-11-upgrade-on-unsupported-hardware/

EDIT: Updated a bit for clarity... the W11 22H2 .iso is not yet available to work with, and may not become available from MS.

SECOND EDIT: The W11 22H2 installer .iso has been released, and it is a universal iso that will automatically probe your current install and determine what version of W11 22H2 you are eligible to receive from the process. For example, if you are licensed only for the Home edition that is what it will give you. Most of us would automatically receive the Pro version for our HP workstations. All W11 installs will be 64 bit.

The DongKnows web site (link above) has some updates related to the 22H2 W11 update just released. Turns out the original earlier W11 .iso used for that is no longer publicly available but Dong has a free/donation-accepted link to it on his google drive. That link is now included up high in his web article... that .iso specifically is not the 22H2 new .iso. There are some comments and additions to his post on how to update from W10 to W11 on "unsupported" computers like our Z420 Z620 workstations. From what I read one might be able to do a W10-to-W11 22H2 update with the newly released iso, but not a W11 to W11 22H2 update. The problem is that now the older and the newer iso are not available for download to the public. Make sure to read his additions to his article, and also the September comments that have been added in the last few days. This is an evolving story and it currently is a bit confusing.

I've got Acronis backups easily available so I can go back to an archived fully tuned up Z620 v2 W10 build that I upgraded to W11 using the earlier W11 .iso and the method described in detail by Dong. If I can find a new 22H2 iso I'll instead try the same process with that to go directly from W10 to W11 22H2.

I have had an issue with using my thumb drive "kit" upgrading the Z440 and Z640 workstations from W10 to W11. If anyone knows a workaround for this please post it here!   My attempts get to the very last step all working normally and then the process stops, and reports that it cannot find a driver. The install then automatically rolls back to the W10 build I started with (which has no missing drivers). That same thumb drive works perfectly to take Z400, Z600, Z420, Z620 W10 builds to the earlier W11 build that did have the older iso available publicly, and still is available via the Dong download link mentioned above. Those HP workstations then update via Microsoft Windows Update to all the other earlier W11 and security updates (up to but not including the 22H2 release). MS messing with us again. I had hoped this would not happen, but I'm very happy with the W11 version I currently have.

I'll post back on that W10 to W11 22H2 .iso experiment if I can acquire a 22H2 iso.

[SDH]

I have an update... the W11 22H2 .iso download is now available from Microsoft. As many of us have seen in the past MS may roll out major releases of operating systems upgrades over time to individual computers/ workstations, and Windows Update often will take its time to offer a major update as MS watches for issues and upgrade failures. A similar situation appears to have been true with this .iso release. It was not available initially in late September but now has become available. The method I used is explained below, in detail. 

I now have that iso in hand. I'll be loading an Acronis W10Pro64 image of one of our W10 workstation builds that I had fully tuned up just before doing the earlier W11 21H2 upgrade using Dong's method a couple of weeks ago. I'll report back later today on whether using the newly downloaded W11 22H2 .iso worked for the W10 upgrade doing everything the same as I had done before, on the same cloned W10 build. Using the W11 22H2 iso to update a W11 21H2 build is a project for later. Here is the download method I used:

To download the current W11 22H2 installer iso you can't use a download link that has expired. You have to get your own. MS puts a 24h time limit on the .iso download link it provides you and if you try to use an old one you'll see a "403 - Forbidden" reply. The .iso itself does not expire. You can now (as of 10/1/22) get a fresh link for yourself from MS by going to:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11

At top of the web page that opens it states:
"Download Windows 11 (Current release: Windows 11 2022 Update l Version 22H2). There are 3 options below for installing or creating Windows 11 media. Check out each one to determine the best option for you. If you are upgrading from Windows 10, we recommend that you wait until you are notified through Windows Update that the upgrade is ready for your PC."

For my method of upgrading you need to choose the third option, at the bottom, to download the universal installer Windows 11 22H2 Disk Image (ISO) That is the one you'll automaically receive now:

"This option is for users that want to create a bootable installation media (USB flash drive, DVD) or create a virtual machine (.ISO file) to install Windows 11. This download is a multi-edition ISO which uses your product key to unlock the correct edition."

The dropdown defaults to "Select Download" and the only option is "Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO)". Set the dropdown to that and click on the blue "Download" bar.

This opens a "Select the product language" dropdown, defaulting to "Choose one". I use the dropdown to choose "English (United States)". Click on the blue "Confirm" bar that is just below. It is important to choose the same language version of what you already are running... it is reported that if you choose another language version the update process will not work.

This presented me with "Windows 11 English" with a "64-bit Download" blue bar just below. Click on that and your download will proceed.

At the bottom of the web page is a statement from Microsoft regarding my download link (in a gray background):  "Links valid for 24 hours from time of creation. Links expire: 10/2/2022 3:27:37 PM UTC".    Your expiration date will be later than that...

The "links" referred to actually is just one link and that refers to my selected language and the fact there is only a 64-bit version of W11. My downloaded iso is "Win11_22H2_English_x64v1" (5,427,180 KB in size).

[SDH]

Update 2 for today... I did the experiment with a fresh download of the W11 22H2 .iso using the Dong Knows method applied to a clone install of a working freshly tuned up W10Pro64 install that I'd previously proven could be upgraded to W11 21H2.

Using exactly the same Dong Knows method would not work. I'll post in the future if a fix comes. Meanwhile I am very pleased running W11 21H2.

NEW UPDATE:  Read on below... the method that does work is detailed, and it is different.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

I was able to do an in-place upgrade from W11 21H2 to W11 22H2 on two of my HP PC's using the method in the YouTube video below.  I also used it to upgrade my 8200 Elite CMT from W10>W11 22H2.

Windows 11 22H2: Upgrade unsupported hardware - YouTube

Sadly, it did not work on 3 others.  No errors.  It just went to about 70% to 85% depending on which PC it was and went back to the W11 21H1 desktop.

I clean installed W11 22H2 on those because I don't have a lot of programs and files to reinstall.

It takes me about 2 hours to clean install Windows and have my PC's back to where I want them to be.

I had reported the issue of the bypass no longer working to Dong Knows Tech on Sept 20th and followed up today with this video (thinking he would be appreciative of it), and he marked my reply as spam with the reply that the method he described to upgrade to W11 22H2 was the only reliable one that would work.

I guess he didn't want any other suggestions to be posted there unless they were 100% effective.

[SDH]

Paul,

Had to chuckle... you are hardly a spammer. I have some news:

I've been working on this upgrade to W11 22H2 project, and one lesson is that I should have entitled the thread ending with... "hardly easy". instead of "easy".

I am testing a hybrid approach that so far has gotten me 100% success in the W11 21H2 to W11 22H2 upgrade first try, and will now try that on an old Dell laptop and a way-old Dell laptop. So far so good on Z400 and several Z420/Z620 workstations. Windows Update also automatically gets the current W11 22H2 updates.

Will post back in a day or so after I figure out a good way to explain the process. Thereafter I'll use the same method to try a W10Pro64 upgrade directly to W11 22H2. It should work also, assuming I understand the theory behind why it seems to be working so well already.

Best, Scott

[Paul_Tikkanen]

That's great news, Scott.

I was able to use the YouTube video to do an in-place upgrade from 21H2 to 22H2 on 2 HP 255 G7 notebooks, but it failed to work on my HP 8000 Elite and dc7800.

Runs fine to a point and suddenly returns to the 21H2 desktop.

Hopefully your method will be better. 

Regarding my reply being edited as spam, that will be the first and last time I ever offer any suggestions to him, that's for sure.

Cheers, 

Paul 

[SDH]

Paul, new update... up to 100% first time with two more... an Elite 8300 and an old Dell E5530 laptop. Have a very old Dell 6410 laptop and a HP laptop to go tomorrow to finish the testing here at home.  I have also a Z440 I'll get to here maybe tomorrow too. I'll get you the HowTo first for your testing shortly.... day or two. I'm not in this for click-throughs but some have to live on that currency.

So far it seems to be working well. Please consider saving those last two you mention for this method.

Agree... that seemed out of character for him. Your good experience based on his method got me going finally on this project.