Upgrade an old laptop to Windows 11?

[#1]

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?

[#2]

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.

[#3]

@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.

[#4]

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/

[#5]

@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

[#6]

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.

[#7]

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.

[#8]

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

[#9]

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

[#10]

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@ITWorks wrote:

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

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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. 

[#11]

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............

[#12]

@ 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.

[#13]

@Batfrog  Thanks, I’ll persevere……

[#14]

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.

[#15]

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.