HP 8000 Series Mobile Workstations Not Compatible with Windows 11

[Mad_Max011]

For those folks like myself who own an HP 8000 series Elitebook running Windows 10 (I own the 8770),  we will not be eligible for the upgrade to Windows 11, because even the most powerful CPU you can  get for these notebooks (Intel I7-3920XM) is considered inadequate to meet Microsoft's (MS) eligibility list for Windows 11. I talked to MS and they confirmed that any Intel Core CPU series lower than the 5000 model will not be making the list, because this Win 11 OS upgrade requires compatibility not only with Windows 11, but also future OS version upgrades already on the horizon, not yet announced.

Since Windows 10 support ends officially in 2025, this will require those who wish to continue running the Windows platform (with support) beyond '25, to say goodbye to our 8000 series notebooks.😫

I am a die-hard HP user, and while I have accepted the bad news of having to replace my beloved 8770w after 12-14 years of use, I am already starting to look at HP mobile workstations currently available which are equivalent to (or better) than the 8000 series standard and upgrade capability we have all come to enjoy.

For now, this is just in anticipation of making the eventual switch to a new HP machine and I may wait until 2023-24 before actually making the switch, but I like to start watching  the technology and market trends, well before making an informed purchase.  

So my question is simple:  When looking at the current market, what would be considered the equivalent workstation to the 8770w (or greater than) when looking at CPU speed, component upgrade capability, overall features and most importantly, adaptability to future technology anticipated over the next 10 years.

Mad Max

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

The HP ZBooks are now the mobile workstations sold by HP in various configurations.

HP® ZBook Workstations

If you are interested, I can give you two easy ways to bypass the W11 hardware checks so you can run W11 on your 8770w, and a way to easily go back to W10 after the default 'go back to W10' period expires, in case W11 doesn't work right on your particular PC.

I have an old HP Elitebook 6930p with an Intel P8700 processor and it runs W11 just fine.

[Mad_Max011]

Hey Paul,

sure I would be interested in bypassing the W11 hardware checks for now, since I have no doubt my machine would run W11 with no issues; in fact  I was really surprised to see so many high end CPUs not making MS's eligibility list. 

I am guessing I should expect the bypass may only allow the initial builds of W11 to run on my machine, before I eventually run into W11 incompatibility issues after a few years, right?  But at least until then, I would get the benefits of W11, plus allow me to use my 8770w for a few years beyond  '25. 

So if you can let m know how best to bypass the check, I'll give it a try

Thanks.

Max.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Max.

Yes, we will have to wait and see what the future brings regarding the subsequent annual updates of W11.

Here you go...

If you want to install W11 on your PC as is, you can bypass the W11 hardware requirements using two easy methods.  The first one is the easiest.

I would make a system image of your current W10 installation prior to updating to W11, so you can easily reinstall W10 in the future.  I used the free Macrium Reflect software to do that, under the Backup at Home section. 

Along with the system image, make sure you create the bootable DVD or USB rescue drive you boot from to access the system image stored on your portable hard drive.

Macrium Software | Reflect Free Edition

Read and follow the instructions at the link below.

Windows 11 Upgrade Hack on Any Hardware | Dong Knows Tech

No registry changes needed.  No need to create installation media.  Just download the W11 ISO file, and the guy's zip file.

I used the first procedure to do an in-place upgrade an old HP Elitebook 6930p notebook made in 2010 to W11, and I was able to keep my old Office 2010 Starter program that came with the notebook when it had W7 on it, along with all of my other programs, files and settings.

The notebook met none of the enhanced W11 hardware requirements.

That is the 11th unsupported W11 PC I have upgraded to W11, and not one of them have had any issues whatsoever.

They have all gotten all the Windows 11 updates released thus far.

I check those against a PC I have that is fully supported to run W11.

There is also this way you can upgrade to W11, bypassing the hardware checks...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02mgrA51974