topic Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11? in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

redsox9 — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 08:49:47 GMT

There are ways of upgrading an old and non-compliant laptop to Windows 11 but there seems to be no guarantee that it will receive future updates and security patches. If so is there any point in upgrading from Windows 10 for which support has just ended?
What is the experience of people who have installed Windows 11 on unsupported hardware? Do they receive the monthly updates?

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Batfrog — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:08:26 GMT

I have installed Windows 11 on several laptops all of which were non-standard installs circumventing the TPM requirement. They were all free and legitimate 'clean' installs and all continue to get upgrades about once a month plus security upgrades at random times.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

redsox9 — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:00:50 GMT

@shutter

Many thanks for your offer but Linux would be too much of a learning curve for me at this stage in life. I also loved Windows 7.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

ITWorks — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:15:15 GMT

I think the leaning curve moving from Windows to Linux is much less these days.

I had not touched Linux till a few months ago , have now moved all my machines a over, was a mix between Windows 10/11 over to Linux and would not move back.

You can also try Linux distros via booting directly from the usb drive (you have put the iso on ) without making any changes to your setup.

I would suggest the most easy switch over is Zorin 18 core (Windows apps can even be installed on Zorin ) then followed by Linux Mint

https://zorin.com/
https://linuxmint.com/

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

shutter — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:29:19 GMT

@redsox9 Yes, Linux is a new learning curve... I started to learn about it before making the switch from Win 7 to Linux Mint.. and all the associated stuff mentioned in my PM... I was 74 yrs old then.. !.. so I don`t know what "stage of life" you are at.... but if retired, and you have time on your hands, it would be worth "having a go"..

Did you have to install windows from floppy discs when you started on computers ???? and get frustrated because you had to do it several times.. ( learning on the fly - so to speak ! ) ... Linux is no different in that case...

Once it is up and running.. it is just as easy to use, ( if not easier, after a while ) as windows is now.( to you )

As @ITWorks says.... Zorin is even easier to use Windows software on Linux... so download it, - burn it to a USB memory stick.

Plug the stick in your laptop. boot up ... and see how it works... it does not install on your laptop... so any "work" you do on the stick will be lost ( unless you have "persistence" on it ) . when the usb is removed.

It does not affect your current O.S.

If you are concerned about microsoft office not working on Linux... Linux has its own version of OFFICE.. currently it is Libre Office Suite.. or the alternative is Open Office suite..

Cheaper than going for a new Winows laptop ! ! .. and more fun !. c

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

jab1 — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:30:43 GMT

Good thinking, @ITWorks . The only real difference I found when I switched from W7 to Zorin was the need to occasionally use Terminal, but there are hundreds of helpful tutorials out there (and the Zorin/Linux forums), should you need them.

I switched to Zorin five years ago, and have never looked back.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

ITWorks — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:33:29 GMT

If you move to linux you will likely find your system runs quicker and smoother on Linux, a big reason for me moving over , is security , less bloatware , and better privacy, as no longer attached to Microsoft.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

ITWorks — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:35:50 GMT

@jab1 have you moved over to version 18, which came out last week , a few nice improvements and new features

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

jab1 — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:36:05 GMT

And, as @shutter has said previously, updates don't take half a day to complete.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

jab1 — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:44:57 GMT

@ITWorks wrote:

@jab1 have you moved over to version 18, which came out last week , a few nice improvements and new features

No, I'm waiting until they roll it out via Software updater in two/three weeks on my 'production' machine, although I did download the beta, just never got round to burning the ISO to try out on my test machine.

Being retired, and fairly active on here and a couple of other forums seems to take up my time. Might see if I get time this weekend.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Champnet — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:26:12 GMT

Having looked after a solitary Unix box in a server room full of Netware, later Microsoft, boxes I have no intention of learning Linux or any variant......

@redsox9 When you say "Upgrade an old laptop" roughly how old ? I've tried many suggestions for my 2012 Thinkpad X200s without success, it fails all checks and all workarounds. I did think about removing the Vista sticker which might be confusing the operation...........

I will eventuall get there, next will be my 2010 HP P6525uk tower............

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Batfrog — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:46:18 GMT

@ Champnet. For what it’s worth one of my laptop upgrades to Windows 11 is a Fujitsu A Series AH532/G21 which dates from around 2010 and had [I believe] Windows 7 when new. Its still working quite happily if not the fastest machine on the planet !

Another success story was a Dell Vostro of a similar vintage, only recently scrapped.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Champnet — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:58:35 GMT

@Batfrog Thanks, I’ll persevere……

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Townman — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:34:19 GMT

I'm with @Champnet here- Unix is an utter con, the same now as it was when spawned by the devil. I recall the claims ... if it runs on one unix, it will run on them all. It was a lie back in the day when there was only Berkely and AT&T versions ... followed by a host of non-compatible versions from an array of vendors. I recall all too clearly within our own software division the challenges of getting the same product to function without crashing every hour on the two versions of Unix being used.

Apparently it is still the same today as clearly illuminated by this single topic - I see folks mentioning at least four different versions depending on what you want to do.

Love it or hate it, you cannot get away from the merits of Microsoft being a humongous series of environments from a single software shop.

@Batfrog it would be very helpful to know how you skirted the hardware gotchas which typically inhibit installing / upgrading to Win11. I have several machines I'd like to including a rather nice high spec 32GB Toshiba Satellite ... which is otherwise obsolete on Win10.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

redsox9 — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:30:56 GMT

Thanks for all the replies. My main PC is a modern desktop running Windows 11. But I have a few laptops for the occasional trip and my tinkering hobby. The enthusiasm shown for Linux amazes me. I may well try it one of these days. How times have changed. I started out with an Olivetti equipped with 2 floppy drives - one for the operating system and the other for data. Then a PC with a 20Gb hard drive came along. An expensive luxury at the time.
@Batfrog Thanks for confirming updates and security patches continue.
@Champnet The Thinkpad X200 was one of the laptops I was thinking of upgrading. Surprisingly for an old model I see it is still available new on Amazon's Lenovo Store for £89.99! The other upgrade candidates are a Thinkpad T430 and HP EliteBook 8440p. I managed to sell a Thinkpad T41 on eBay just a few months ago for a tidy sum.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Batfrog — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 16:11:49 GMT

@Townman Attached is the method I’ve used at least a dozen times on various machines. This was found somewhere or other on the internet not long after Windows 11 was introduced.

I seem to recall in the early days of Windows 11 there was a semi-official workaround for testing purposes but I think Microsoft ‘blocked’ it after the official launch ?

The method attached was last used by me a few weeks ago as I tend to do a ‘clean’ install from time to time.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Champnet — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 17:36:26 GMT

Thanks @Batfrog I’ve already been down the Rufus route but with a later version. Some of the options in your PDF were not available so I’ve downloaded the earlier version, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

HPsauce — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:05:02 GMT

I'm another person who's installed Windows 11 on several non-compliant desktops and laptops, all of which generally were sold initially with Windows 7. All get updates as normal EXCEPT the annual yyH2 "revision".

So, for example, a 22H2 installation will NOT upgrade to 23H2 when it becomes available thus starting the "end-of-life" clock ticking where eventually even security updates will cease.

There are various ways of forcing through those "revisions" which Microsoft has tried to close, so sometimes a reinstall is the easiest way forward as the update route is made tricky.

That said, 25H2 has just been released and the process to move to it from 24H2 is ridiculously easy; Microsoft has totally changed the process. Maybe they'll block off the easy process sooner rather than later though. 😓

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Batfrog — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 21:01:06 GMT

@Townman @Champnet @HPsauce

Just for information. I’ve Just tried a clean install using Rufus 3.18 and a freshly downloaded Windows 11 iso version 25H2 and it installs no problem at all.

Needless to say the laptop I used – a Lenovo ideapad 320 fails the Microsoft compatibility test.

Re: Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

Townman — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 21:24:56 GMT

I need to get my finger out on this and give it ago. I’ve potentially got 3 or 4 devices to re-purpose.