Windows 11 compatibility

[Gareth57]

I must confess to being staggered to discover my HP Envy cannot take the Windows 11 update. The machine is a few years old now but wasn't cheap to purchase (it was actually bought by my insurance company to replace my previous damaged HP laptop).

I thought that I was being provided with a premier product, so to find it can't run Windows 11 because, from my limited understanding, the AMD Ryzen microprocessor isn't up to scratch had made me feel quite cheated. I've not had a laptop that didn't run an Intel chip before but I'd assumed the AMD would be just as good a product. Perhaps I should have questioned the insurance company at the time but we're all wise after the event.

In summary what I'm after is

1. a simple and non-technical explanation as to why an expensive laptop will only run Windows 10, and
2. can the chip/motherboard be upgraded at reasonable cost.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Here is why Microsoft drew the cutoff at the next gen AMD Ryzen processors...

Why Windows 11 has such strict hardware requirements, according to Microsoft | Ars Technica

It would be cheaper to sell or trade in your notebook than to replace the motherboard, and according to the service manual, there aren't any motherboards that support the Ryzen 3xxx processor series.

HP ENVY x360 15 Convertible PC Maintenance and Service GuideIMPORTANT! This document is intended for...

Fortunately, if you want to upgrade to W11 despite the processor not meeting the requirements, you can.

You can bypass the W11 hardware requirements using two easy methods.  The first one is the easiest.

Before installing W11, 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 last Saturday 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 9th 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 

[Gareth57]

Hi Paul

Thanks for such a comprehensive reply; I must admit a lot of of it is beyond me (especially the article).

As you can imagine I don't want to trade it in or change the laptop as it was not cheap in the first place. Sadly IT does have a limited shelf life nowadays but I still feel a bit cheated.

I have created a Windows 10 USB recovery stick quite recently when my laptop experienced it's second blue screen of death which left me no other option than to create  it via my late father's Dell Vostro and it worked. I might actually try what you've suggested on the Vostro first as its not really used for anything and has no critical data on it, I might elicit my son's help as he's more technically savvy than me.

I suppose this begs the other questions: is it worth the bother upgrading to Windows 11 anyway at this stage; my Envy does all that's required of it and I've not read of any game changers for a humble non-techy user like myself.

But I'm also still left feeling that the hardware manufacturers must have had some inkling of what Microsoft were up to and more effectively future proofed; then again perhaps it's just timing that my Envy was an older model than i had assumed when it was bought by the insurance company.

Again many thanks for such a comprehensive reply.

Gareth

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Gareth.

I think we will be left to our own devices as far as installing W11 on unsupported hardware.

I just upgraded two more unsupported PC's to W11 last night.

Two HP 255 G7's notebook PC's that met all of the requirements, except the AMD A4-9125 processors they had.

It was probably as early as 2 to 3 years ago that Microsoft indicated that W10 would be their last Windows operating system.

This kind of got sprung on all of us.

Perhaps the PC manufacturers got wind of the advent of W11 before the public, but they are in the business of selling new PC's, so I doubt we would get any real help from them to get Micrsoft to change their minds regarding the W11 hardware requirements.

After all, by October of 2025, everyone will have to buy a W11-capable PC if they want to continue to get Windows security updates and whatnot, or find ways to upgrade their existing ones like I did.

What PC manufacturer is going to road block that kind of revenue windfall?

And then in 2027, Microsoft will introduce Windows 12, and the whole mess will start all over again.

[Gareth57]

Hi Paul

All too true I'm afraid

Thanks again

Gareth 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime, Gareth.

Glad to have been of assistance.

Cheers,

Paul