Hi everyone! I'm looking for some advice on installing Windows 11 on machines that aren't officially supported. I'm using a modified unattend file from schneegans.de to try and bypass the hardware checks like TPM and Secure Boot. I've been attempting to install from both a Windows PE environment using setup.exe with the /unattend switch, and directly from the desktop. The unattend file is pretty simplified; it's mainly focused on bypassing Microsoft account requirements and hardware checks. While the install from PE works and bypasses those checks, I can't seem to get the option to keep my files and programs from my original Windows 10 installation. I've also heard that using Rufus could work, but I'm aiming to stick with the unmodified MS image. So, is there a way to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, keeping files and programs while avoiding those hardware requirements? Thanks for any help!
2 Answers
Even if you get past the hardware checks, there's a chance you won't receive Windows 11 security updates for those devices. It's worth keeping that in mind when considering this approach.
Honestly, there's not a strong reason to try to bypass those checks for Windows 11. Have you thought about why you feel the need to do this? The next big question is whether the new features or security patches are worth the potential hassle.
People are looking to upgrade for a chance at better features and security rather than being stuck on an outdated OS that's nearing its end of life. That's a pretty good reason!
I've still got a few devices in my Active Directory that can't pass the checks for Windows 11. They may not get new version updates, but they still receive security updates for the currently installed version until it reaches EOL. It's a temporary solution until we can upgrade them.