I've come across some of our machines that were set up for users but aren't listed as compatible with Windows 11. During a recent review of the hardware specs of systems still on Windows 10, I noticed some identical models were unexpectedly running Windows 11. It seems a tech might have accidentally mixed up batches while staging and used a USB to install Windows 11. When I tried installing it on another similar machine, I was surprised to find there were no restrictions preventing me from doing so. Is this common? And besides the risk of future updates failing on unsupported devices, should I be worried about other issues? Just for context, these machines are i5 7th gen Lenovo models and I'm already planning to phase them out but will prioritize replacing the remaining Windows 10 units first.
5 Answers
There’s a known workaround where the installer won't check specifications if you boot up from a USB drive instead of upgrading within Windows 10. It feels like a hack, but it works! However, for production PCs, you might want to reconsider using these methods. Staying up-to-date is crucial, and those machines might face hurdles down the line.
In our case, we have some 7th gen Dells running 11 in our loaner pool. They update fine, but major upgrades can be tricky and might need some manual handling. Just keeping an eye on the lifecycle is key—phasing them out before they become a bigger problem is smart!
It's pretty interesting, right? Tools like Rufus let you bypass those minimum spec requirements when you're flashing an ISO. I’ve also had similar experiences where I installed Windows 11 on older machines without any issues. However, the catch is that Microsoft might stop providing updates for unsupported devices in the future, so it could be a ticking time bomb if anything breaks. It’s probably a good idea to keep those machines at the bottom of your replacement list, just to be safe!
Yeah, that's exactly my concern too! I’m not planning to rely on any of the unsupported setups, just using them for now until we can replace them.
I've done some trials as well, installing Windows 11 on a mix of older PCs just to see if they would handle it. Funny enough, most of them just went through the install smoothly, from 2nd gen to 7th gen Intel. The worry is with future Windows updates that could brick these unsupported devices. Seems like you’re doing the right thing by prioritizing the upgrade of your remaining Windows 10 machines instead of dealing with potential issues later on.
Exactly, and I've noticed that when the updates hit, some older systems have had a hard time keeping up. It’s a slippery slope!
Microsoft did ease the restrictions a bit, and I’ve heard they might have removed some requirements that initially blocked certain devices from running Windows 11. Some companies were caught off guard when they learned those requirements weren't as strict as they thought. So it could be worth checking if your setup will still hold up in the future, especially since changes have been made.
Absolutely, I'm on the same page. Better to plan ahead before they become a burden.