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Key takeaways of zdnet
- Hundreds of readers have completed the upgrade using ZDNET help.
- In general, they report that upgrade is easy, with some issues.
- People who had problems were generally simple improvements.
Microsoft’s warning about the end of the support of Windows 10 is becoming more pronounced as the October deadline approach. Anyone who owns a PC is more than five years old, those messages come with a prohibition that seems to be Ironclad: “Sorry,” Windows Installer shrinks. “You need to buy a new PC because you cannot upgrade this old to Windows 11.”
Also: How to get free Windows 10 security updates through October 2026: Two methods
I am definitely paraphraising, but this is the essence of the message. And do you know what? This is not just true. I have about 400 first firsthand reports from the alone readers this year that prove it. Those readers followed the instructions in my article, “How to upgrade an ‘inconsistent’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – 2 free options,” and were able to fulfill the upgrade without overwhelming majority issues.
All the respondents chose one of the two options to upgrade:
- The option is for 1 PC that was originally designed for Windows 10, but whose CPU compatibility is very old to cut. This technique includes editing a single registry and then running the Windows 11 setup program.
- Option 2 is for old PCs and for those who fail compatibility for other reasons, such as not a safe boot is not able to be able or a reliable platform module (TPM). This method uses third-party rufus utility to create custom installation media.
At the end of that post, I encouraged readers to share my experience via email. What did they say here.
Upgrade is easy
They would like to know you that upgrade is easy, even without technical background. The small numbers that escaped in issues were able to solve them quite quickly. Most of all, they are grateful to save hundreds of dollars or thousands of dollars that Microsoft insisted that they should spend to completely change functional hardware.
Also: How to undo Onedrive Backup and restore your personal files in your Windows 11 PC
Some reports I received were brief; Other hardware, drivers and were filled with useful details about minor disturbances. Here is a sample of what those people had to say:
- “Thanks to the stages that follow the brief, easily. As, I mean, OMG is just the perfect.”
- “Thanks to your instructions. They made the work easy. I am not a computer expert or even a fond, but I enjoyed upgrading this old PC.”
- “Your instructions were well written and it was easy to follow. Everything ‘became smooth as cream.” It took about 45 minutes to complete the download of Win11 Pro.
- “The steps given here worked innocent! I am very happy that I came to this article and managed to overcome my 6 or 7 -year laptop (from 2018 or 2019) for at least a few more years.”
- “Thank you very much for your article! It has truly saved my family hundreds if not thousands of dollars, not our old (but fully functional) not from leaving the laptop!”
- “People give me their old laptops. I renew them and then give them away again, so near its end with Windows 10, I am updating a lot to Windows 11 using your regime.”
Most issues can be resolved quickly
A small percentage of readers wrote in seeking help, and some had questions. All but in a handful of cases, we were able to resolve any issue quickly, nothing more than basic troubleshooting.
The most common problem, till now, was also the easiest for troubleshooting. At least a dozen readers said that they were unable to fulfill the upgrade using the Registry Edit that bypassed the CPU compatibility investigation. The reason for this was an error that he made while creating the required registry edit – selecting a typo, wrong value type in value, or making the required value in everyone’s wrong. As soon as he corrected the typo or moved the key to the right place, the upgrade was normally further.
Also: This free tool installs Windows 11 on the inability PC – without any blotware –
Some readers reported that an upgrade ended with a unhealthy error message ahead of time, stating that the installation had failed. In most of these cases, treatment included downloading a fresh copy of Windows 11 ISO, re -starting the PC and trying again.
Some readers saw a message stating, “Your PC is not yet supported.” This was indicated to a “security personnel hold” imposed by Microsoft due to an app or a problem with the device driver who was known to cause issues with upgrade. Sometimes those issues are documented Windows release health dashboardOther times, keeping an eye on the issue included a test-and-trunk approach, unplugging external devices, and uninstalling the app.
Yes, you will still get updates.
A question that came repeatedly as part of those reports, “Will I still get updates?”
The brief answer is yes, the PCs upgraded using these techniques will still receive security updates. Given that Microsoft encouraged many of its venture customers to upgrade these, it is unlikely that the company will risk suddenly closing the update spigot.
Also: Can’t upgrade your Windows 10 PC? You have 5 options
So far, I have received several reports from the upgraders, who confirmed that the expected security updates were coming every month. This is possible, especially with old equipment, that future features updates may fail to install automatically. In those cases, an in-place upgrade should work using similar techniques described here with the latest installation media.
For more detailed discussion of this subject, see “What Microsoft is really going to cut the safety update for your ‘unable’ Windows 11 PC?”
Why is Microsoft doing this?
The second question in these reports repeatedly is a major feeling of confusion, which is mixed with a little anger, on Microsoft’s decision to implement these compatibility investigations.
“The whole situation is a distant thing,” a reader said, the Dell laptop at the value of which had a CPU that had missed the cutoff date for a few months.
Microsoft has never done a satisfactory job of explaining the reasons behind these compatibility requirements. In the last four years, the company has quoted security and credibility as the main reasons, using such an unclear language, which appeared in one. An official blog post was published shortly after the announcement of Windows 11,
We need a minimum system requirement that enables us to customize software and hardware to maintain coordination with people’s expectations, needs and use the correct value and power of PCs, so that the best experiences can be given now and in future. … Windows 11 raises the bar for safety for the requirement of hardware that can enable safety such as Windows Hello, device encryption, virtue-based security (VBS), Hyperwaizer-Served Code Integrity (HVCI) and safe boot. The combination of these characteristics is shown Reduce malware by 60% On tested equipment. To meet the principle, all Windows 11 -backed CPU has an embedded TPM, support safe boot, and support VBS and specific VBS capacity,
Although those vague statements are true, a more possible explanation for strict CPU requirements is that all CPU spectors and meltdowns of the old list were affected by weaknesses that were discovered in 2018. Those flaws affect each CPU available in the PC market, and in a way a kind of patching microcode is required. A major security organization said that the only definite way of avoiding these serious security flaws was to change the affected hardware.
Microsoft has never officially accepted the relationship between the event and its CPU compatibility list, but the time seems very close as a coincidence. But we will probably never know.
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