How to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 on unsupported hardware
If you have installed Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet the system requirements of the operating system, then you face an issue with every new feature update release.
Regular updates install fine on Windows 11 PCs that do not meet the requirements, but feature updates fail. Workarounds existed from the first release, but Microsoft has patched some of them or changed them in other ways.
The release of Windows 11, version 24H2 marks a new adds more roadblocks to the process. Thankfully, there is a way to bypass requirement checks and upgrade an older version of Windows 11 to the 2024 feature update release.
The following paragraphs provide a step-by-step walkthrough on how that is done. The method should also work if you are stuck on a particular version of Windows 11.
Upgrading to Windows 11, version 24H2
Since you cannot use Windows Update, it is necessary to download the Windows 11 24H2 ISO image. One of the best options to do so is to use Rufus.
Note: You need a USB drive with at least 16 gigabytes of storage for that. If you do not have a USB device, use FIDO to download a Windows 11 ISO instead.
Download the Windows 11, version 24H2 ISO
- Open the Rufus project website.
- Download the latest version of Rufus for your system (most may want to pick the Windows x64 Standard version.
- Run Rufus after the download.
- Confirm the User Account Control prompt with a click on the Yes option.
- Switch from "Select" to "Download" in the interface.
- Activate Download after selecting the option. A Download ISO Image prompt appears.
- Select the following options one after the other: Windows 11 -> 24H2 -> Windows 11 Home/Pro/Edu -> Pick your Language -> x64.
- Click on the Download button.
- Select a directory for the ISO image.
This downloads Windows 11, version 24H2 from Microsoft to the local system.
Prepare the ISO using Rufus
All that is left to do now is the following to end the preparition:
- Click on the Start button in the Rufus interface to save the installation files to the USB drive.
- Keep the default Windows User Experience settings. If you modify them, keep the first checked.
- Select OK to start the write process to the USB flash drive.
The upgrade to Windows 11, 24H2
If you run the update directly now from the USB Flash Drive, for instance by clicking on setup.exe in its root directory, you will only come to a point during setup.
The upgrade will fail. There is a way around this.
You need to run the following commands for this from the setup directory.
reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\CompatMarkers" /f 2>NUL
reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Shared" /f 2>NUL
reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\TargetVersionUpgradeExperienceIndicators" /f 2>NUL
reg.exe add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\HwReqChk" /f /v HwReqChkVars /t REG_MULTI_SZ /s , /d "SQ_SecureBootCapable=TRUE,SQ_SecureBootEnabled=TRUE,SQ_TpmVersion=2,SQ_RamMB=8192,"
reg.exe add "HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup" /f /v AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU /t REG_DWORD /d 1
The best option is to create a new .bat file in the same directory. I have uploaded the file here. Note that the storage is temporary.
Place the file in the root directory of the USB Flash drive. Now do the following:
- Right-click on the .bat file and select the "run as administrator" option.
- Confirm the UAC prompt. This makes a few changes in the Registry that are required to bypass the compatibility checks.
- Once done, double-click on setup.exe to start the upgrade.
- Follow the instructions to upgrade to Windows 11, version 24h2.
This should go through now without issues.
Is your PC compatible with Windows 11? Have you upgraded to the latest version of the operating system? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
There are other ways, although they are not official.
That is, to use the ISO of 23H2.
However, it depends on the CPU.
CPUs are limited to the following:
First generation i3 or later
Celeron, which has higher-end models
Atom X5 or X7
Use Rufus to save 23H2 to a USB memory stick.
You can use either MBR or GPT.
Also, check the box to disable TPM2.0, etc.
Create a folder on your desktop and copy the contents of the USB memory stick to it.
For example, name the folder 24H2Success.
Do the same for 24H2.
For example, name this folder 24H2Old.
Open the 24H2Success folder and the 24H2Old folder on your desktop.
There should be a folder called sources folder, so open it.
The 24H2Success folder should contain install.esd (or install.wim).
Delete this.
Copy install.wim from the sources folder in the 24H2old folder to the sources folder in the 24H2success folder.
This completes the upgrade data for the old computer.
Copy the 24H2success folder to the computer you want to upgrade and run setup.exe to upgrade to 24H2.
This is how to upgrade to 24H2 using the 23H2 setup.
23H2 can be downloaded from a site called UUP dump.
Tested computers: Dell, HP, Lenovo, NEC, Fujitsu, Panasonic
Legacy BIOS & UEFI
However, for Japan
I can’t speak English, so I used Google to translate.
I’m sorry if there are any problems with the translation.
I hope my heart is conveyed…
From Japan
Konya-
Got it on the 2nd try. My old Lenovo T530 is now running 24h2 flawlessly!
On the first try, I got to the “commands” part of the tutorial and tried entering them manually (instead of using the batch file). Thank god for ‘restore points’ is all I can say. 2nd try I used the batch file and all went well and is still working fine. Thank you Mr. Brinkman!
“5.Switch from “Select” to “Download” in the interface.” — And where exactly do you do that?
There is a down-arrow icon next to Select in the interface. Activate that and select Download.
That’s weird, I don’t have it and I’m using the latest version.
https://i.imgur.com/VhpdCv7.png
Best paper i have discovered in mt long hunt
for a useful tool
Managed this morning to to update my
Acpire Car E5-57G to win 11 pro from win10 Pro
Some complains during the installation was ignored or accepted
However it look like that you need a lot of free space
on the drive where windows is installed
I selected 27 GB on that drive but after installation of win 11 only
10 gb was available
It look like that all programs running on windows 10
now work perfect using win 11 24 h2
Thanks for the paper
Ove Dahl
Yes our new pc’s are running windows 11. We had years to save up for them, and we did.
No we don’t apply feature updates right away, we wait at least four months.
I installed ZorinOS (a free linux distro) on one of the old unsupported (Z87, i7-4790K, GTX 980Ti, no tpm) PC’s and it’s working quite well. It’s “The right tool for the job”. (If you use wifi, make sure your chipset is supported, many are not)
Why people want to shove square pegs in round holes is beyond me. I realize some people are stuck with old hardware. I would reccomend they stick to the OS that runs best on it and expend their energy keeping that as secure as they can rather then forcing unsupported software onto it.
Congratulations. First Recall code is installed in this update. You can not remove Recall after this update without breaking File Explorer functionality. Recall is not activated yet, but my guess they will embed it in other Windows functions. This way, you literally have to break Windows if you want to uninstall Recall.
Personally, I’m not in too big of a hurry for updates/upgrades. A few headlines here and there suggest the 24H2 upgrade is problematic.
Keep a full system image, maybe–or simply take the risk and trash a computer system with all of those precious files.
Before this technique, 5 hardware errors were displayed during installation, now shows 2 errors:
This PC’s processor doesn’t support a critical feature (PopCnt).
This PC’s processor doesn’t support a critical feature (SSE4.2).
Microsoft treating ARM devices like third class again. There’s no ISO for ARM64.
Yeah now for everyone on 24h2 do scannow at the command prompt & it will come up with errors found and repaired them
Do the same scan it comes up with the same results
Its a new bug that’s has being discovered & should have being fixed at the latest windows update
Nope. This doesn’t work, Martin. Ends with a serious error that it can’t verify the computer can run Windows 11.
Back to the drawing board.
Followed the instructions ALMOST 100%, in Rufus I also checked to remove the Bitlocker crap. This laptop is not compatible because of the TPM chip, the rest is ok. So dunno. The other trick you wrote before, using the Microsoft assistant ended the same way. First it congratulated me for having a compatible computer, chugged along promisingly.. and then it betrayed me during the install phase. No biggie, this is a testing stuff laptop and that what it did. It tested stuff.
Funny, I don’t see a reason/need to install prepare the .iso using Rufus. Running the upgrade from a USB is painfully slow.
Could try keeping it simple and use a tool like Daemon, mount the .iso, and run the update from the, hopefully, speedy SSD.
Gosh, I haven’t prepared an .iso for any Windows upgrade–I don’t think ever.
@VioletMoon
Or you know, just right click and mount the .iso… We’re not on Windows 7 anymore.
Yes, I don’t use the MS feature, so thanks for the reminder. For some reason, I find a third party tool infinitely more reassuring for performance and reliability than anything MS throws into their system.
Still, just mounting the .iso gets you nowhere. You need to make a .iso that has all the Rufus tweaks baked in. I don’t think usb installs/upgrades are painfully slow at all, usually takes like 15 minutes or so and then you can remove the usb stick. All that other stuff Redmond are setting up after that takes what it takes..
Tried this on two test systems, one with W11 22H2, one with W11 23H2. Both incompatible, and it worked for both. Strange.
Would this procedure also work the same for upgrading win 10 to win 11 24H2?
Last time I checked, all you need is to set this in Registry and then try Windows Update or use Rufus to create installation media and run the setup.exe.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup]
“AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU”=dword:00000001
The best “how-to” about Windows 11 upgrading, with well explained and easy steps to follow.
Thanks for the article! :]
Seen on Microsoft’s downloading site :
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11
“Not all devices running Windows 10 are eligible to receive a Windows 11 upgrade. See the Note below for details.
WARNING: If you proceed with installing Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet the requirements, that PC will no longer be supported and won’t be entitled to receive updates.”
Have someone read that before ? Does someone ever noticed that after installing Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet the requirements his computer doesn’t receive updates anymore ?
It literally says that in the first sentence.
For info the workaround:
setup.exe /product server
as stated here:
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/10/this-single-command-bypasses-windows-11-hardware-checks/
is surprisingly still working…
source
https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/1fkfo4u/you_can_install_windows_11_24h2_without_tpm/
This is what I did. Works great. Way easier than having to use a USB stick. Just mount the ISO and run a powershell command. Got this tip from neowin.net.