Windows 11 on unsupported hardware

[hal_incandenza]

I read the Ars article from October, and a few other sites, and still a bit unclear on running W11 on older hardware. My wife's laptop is a Dell XPS with a 6th gen i5. No TPM 2.0. For her needs it is perfectly adequate, email, web, occasional very simple photo editing, but with only 8 months of W10 left I'm trying to get ahead of things.

As I understand it W11 might not automatically keep up with updates, and I'd possibly need to do an update installation when a major update is released. Also, Microsoft could cripple the ability to run it with software updates. Are my worries overblown and it should be fine? She is not technical at all but I can handle it for her.

Trying to figure out if should get her a Macbook Air, convince her to try Linux Mint or Pop OS on this old laptop, or install W11

 

[Entegy]

There is more chance that Microsoft will enforce the minimum requirements by making mandatory use of features they enable as time goes on. She'll also get notifications about not being able to get the latest feature update due to incompatible hardware.

Don't do this unless you want to be even more of a tech support person for her.

 

[PsychoStreak]

If you want to test it, you can use Rufus to make a USB installation stick for Win11 that will bypass the requirement check.
I recently did this with an inexpensive SSD on my venerable T520 and an T420s It works fine on both of them, but as Entegy mentioned, there's no telling if Microsoft will lock machines out of updates going forward. I don't think they can legally brick the machine, but it will be unsupported and potentially unpatched if they do.
Worst case it pushes having to replace the laptop for a bit, but honestly that thing is long in the tooth as it is so you should be planning to replace it anyway.

 

[Entegy]

Major feature upgrades already won't install with Windows Update telling you you don't meet the minimum requirements. You can still force things with the usual workarounds, for now.

I really don't think it's worth it.

 

[PsychoStreak]

Major feature upgrades already won't install with Windows Update telling you you don't meet the minimum requirements. You can still force things with the usual workarounds, for now.

I really don't think it's worth it.

Agreed. But I think it's worth trying it out on that machine just see how good/bad the experience would be, as precursor to just get a newer machine. I wouldn't go the Linux route unless the Wife is genuinely ok with it and not just indulging you.
Always loathe to recommend the Mac, but again, if she's fine with it, and her usage is that simple, it is an option. Just remember to get the storage and RAM you expect to need in the absolute worst case up front because upgrading isn't a thing with macbooks.

 

[LordDaMan]

Never could get the mac recommendation. The minimum requirements that everyone complins about in Windows 11 is a computer from about 2018, as long as you didn't build it yourself and don't have a TPM 2.0 chip.. The min requirements for the ltaest version of MacOS? A system from 2017/18 and that's only if you bought the smallest barebones desktop (the mac mini) or the most expensive version (mac pro). Laptop? the min year is from 2020.

To really stress the point, the min requirmenst are an Intel mac with a T2 security chip which serves a similar purpose to a TPM 2.0 chip.

 

[singebob]

Dunno if OP is still reading this sequence but listen to Entegy man

And feel free to offer the wife a Mac instead but you will face the same, if not possibly greater, issue as Windows in terms of longevity. It looks like both OS's are now pretty commited to a <10-year viable life so as not to need to support junk, which is probably not a bad thing for average use. For people fully prepared to deal with the issues of keeping legacy around that's fine, but I assume we're talking about a very regular user.

Consumer tech isn't that much of a quantum leap in terms of a learning curve over 5-10 years, and I think that a lot of family members, especially spawns when it comes to their parents or spouses, have this mentality of "if they're using it fine now, it'll be fine forever".

For inexpert users I subscribe to the opposite theory to most that the older people get the less you want to hang around for things to happen despite what they might say. My retired mom certainly bears this out between how she gets things done vs other parents who struggle with what they have despite convincing themselves that the e-waste they've been originally passed from their spawn is fine: I replace her iPhone, iPad and Air just as Applecare+ is about to run out on each without fail. You don't have to do that, I just prefer that she gets the least friction in terms of user experience.

 

[hal_incandenza]

Never could get the mac recommendation. The minimum requirements that everyone complins about in Windows 11 is a computer from about 2018, as long as you didn't build it yourself and don't have a TPM 2.0 chip.. The min requirements for the ltaest version of MacOS? A system from 2017/18 and that's only if you bought the smallest barebones desktop (the mac mini) or the most expensive version (mac pro). Laptop? the min year is from 2020.

To really stress the point, the min requirmenst are an Intel mac with a T2 security chip which serves a similar purpose to a TPM 2.0 chip.

She isn't wedded to any single ecosystem, and I think she'd really like the battery life and premium hardware of a MBA. I wouldn't go newest model, but something an M3 with 16/256 for ~$800 is good value. We also just switched back to iphones after 8-9 years on Android, so if she were going to switch to Mac now would be the time.

 

[hal_incandenza]

Major feature upgrades already won't install with Windows Update telling you you don't meet the minimum requirements. You can still force things with the usual workarounds, for now.

I really don't think it's worth it.

This is the main thing I was worried about, whether it truly is an obstacle or just a minor inconvenience with simple workarounds. Sounds like it's the former and so I'll start looking for a replacement.

 

[hal_incandenza]

Agreed. But I think it's worth trying it out on that machine just see how good/bad the experience would be, as precursor to just get a newer machine. I wouldn't go the Linux route unless the Wife is genuinely ok with it and not just indulging you.
Always loathe to recommend the Mac, but again, if she's fine with it, and her usage is that simple, it is an option. Just remember to get the storage and RAM you expect to need in the absolute worst case up front because upgrading isn't a thing with macbooks.

After posting this I floated the idea of Linux and got a look that shut it down pretty quickly haha

Since I'm going to replace this for her I'll put a distro on it to play around with myself though

 

[Paladin]

Heck, I would look at getting her a nice tablet for those tasks but if she prefers a PC, a used Optiplex from a few years ago will be $300-400 or so and do a great job. Easy to get parts, ongoing updates, etc. Probably even come with a Windows 10/11 Pro license built in.

 

[hal_incandenza]

Heck, I would look at getting her a nice tablet for those tasks but if she prefers a PC, a used Optiplex from a few years ago will be $300-400 or so and do a great job. Easy to get parts, ongoing updates, etc. Probably even come with a Windows 10/11 Pro license built in.

She'd prefer a laptop, she does just enough stuff managing finances and such that a tablet would feel a bit clunky. It mainly lives on the dining room countertop and in her lap on the couch. I have a spare used Optiplex she could use if that were an option, but even less likely now that she's been ordered back to the office (fed) and won't be at her desk at home very much

 

[hal_incandenza]

Well, solved this with a very timely great deal on an open box laptop at Microcenter. $240 for an HP Elitebook 840 G7 with 10th gen i5, 16/256. Not as sleek as the XPS but very nice build quality. This should buy another 5-6 years

 

[continuum]

ooooo, good deal!

 

[Shavano]

Yeah, looking for a new machine to replace the all in one desky I'm using now. I have a laptop that will run W11 but it's small. I bought it because it's small because I wanted something that's easy to toss in a bag when I go on vacations, and it's been good for that.

It has USB 3.0 but not Thunderbolt and the USB 3.0 is on a type-A connector. Are there docks that will support that? (driving the stuff, I'm pretty sure you can't power through a USB 3.0 type A connector).

My choices seem like:
1) tower or mini-tower + monitor
2) laptop + docking station
3) all in one

I've been pretty happy with the all in one form factor. Not into computer games so graphics need is basic, and no real interest in having my computer support AI.