For owners running Windows 11 on their X99 PCs.

[Axle_Grease]

Windows 11 Security Book ( 1st Oct 2021 )

https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RWMyFE

The section on hardware security is very interesting. After reading it, I'm not sure why Microsoft has made Windows 11 so easy to install on old hardware. It is absolutely a retrograde move in relation to the objective Microsoft was trying to achieve with Windows 11.

Those of us with Haswell-E CPUs should keep in mind that on the matter of Virtualisation-Based Security the Haswell implementation blows. Microsoft should not add Haswell to the Windows 11 compatible CPU list. A spineless Microsoft probably would.

Update:
Fixed link. Thanks, BigJohnny.

[PipJones]

mulderfox wrote:
I have a Asus X99-A II motherboard with a i7-6850k. Did standard Win11 installation work for you? PC check and WhyNotWin11 both shows that the CPU is not supported (and that TPM is missing, but I can handle that with an add-on) Or did you install with the CPU compatibility flag turned off?
Also, do you know which X99 supported CPUs officially support win11? I can't really find any..

Thanks.

Hi,

It's running without issue and with a very mild x40 overclock. No TPM.

I installed W11 on my X99 by preparing the nvme on a separate machine, you essentially expand the microsoft image onto the disk.

Not exactly standard. No 3rd party tool or extra download. All done using powershell.

Your 6850K will run it just fine.

[mulderfox]

PipJones wrote:
Hi,

It's running without issue and with a very mild x40 overclock. No TPM.

I installed W11 on my X99 by preparing the nvme on a separate machine, you essentially expand the microsoft image onto the disk.

Not exactly standard. No 3rd party tool or extra download. All done using powershell.

Your 6850K will run it just fine.

Do you have a guide for that? why not install with the no tpm no cpu flags? does it now show the watermark MS instated in the latest update for machines that do not support win11?

thanks

[lasab]

Changed my CPU to a Xeon E5-2697Av4 and fitted a Supermicro TPM-9665V-S (S type not C)

I can now install Windows 11 without any fixes

[mulderfox]

lasab wrote:
Changed my CPU to a Xeon E5-2697Av4 and fitted a Supermicro TPM-9665V-S (S type not C)

I can now install Windows 11 without any fixes

Interesting. Thanks for the tip. My TPM module is of course completely different as it's a Asus board (X99-A II) and so it is 14-1 LPC TPM 2.0 module. But that part is already installed and sorted out. It's only the CPU that's the issue. I have found your Xeon available (and compatible with my board), but it's about 400-450 USD. Currently I don't want to spend more money just to get Win11.

[PipJones]

mulderfox wrote:
Do you have a guide for that? why not install with the no tpm no cpu flags? does it now show the watermark MS instated in the latest update for machines that do not support win11?

thanks

Sure, i have some notes somewhere that I can share. I'm still learning myself. A friend of mine is the real expert. I find it truly mindblowing what you can do once you get your head around it.

You're essentially using this command:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/dism/expand-windowsimage?view=windowsserver2022-p...

The "trick" is to find the right file to expand. You do this by kicking off a "Create Windows 11 Installation Media" from here:

https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11


You open "products.xml" from the temp folder that the download is using.
You read the XML to find the MS download location for the file that you need to expand.
You expand the image
You BCDEDIT the boot settings onto the drive (or your existing drive if you are dual booting)
You boot, and windows 11 does the install process.


You can use the same approach to install W11 into a VHD - and dual boot from that. I'm using this approach to test the insider builds and new drivers on my main X299 system.

[PipJones]

I take no credit for this, all learnt from someone else.

This assumes you know what you're doing with DISKPART, BCDBOOT and dual booting your PC.

Part 1: Media Creation tool

Use the MS media creation tool to build a bootable USB.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows11

While it is creating the USB, open a CMD prompt as Administrator
Navigate to root of C
DIR *.* /AH to look for hidden directories - this is where the MS tool is download stuff to in order to build the USB
On my system it created a folder called "$Windows.~WS"
CD $Windows.~WS\Sources
In here you will find "Products.XML"
Open this file in NOTEPAD
Assuming you wish to install x64 W11 "Professional", look for this entry (or similar). Note the "FilePath" element is an URL to a MS download. This is the file you want.


22000.318.211104-1236.co_release_svc_refresh_CLIENTCONSUMER_RET_x64FRE_en-gb.esd
en-gb
English (United Kingdom)
Professional
x64
3817681269
c84acd54c8c47cb2b04872f812e7cdc02ea3d88d
http://dl.delivery.mp.microsoft.com/filestreamingservice/files/07cc7b77-3054-4aaa-a30e-c65942bee875/...

%ARCH_64%
%CLIENT%
False




*Edit, split into multiple posts. For some reason I could not add all content at once

[PipJones]

Part 3: Expand the widows image


Using powershell:


Use this command to list the contents of the package ...


Get-WindowsImage -ImagePath "C:\W11.Install\"


You need to know which INDEX to use


Expand-WindowsImage -ImagePath "C:\W11.Install\" -Index 9 -ApplyPath "W:\"

[PipJones]

Part 4a: Dual booting (from the VHD)


From a CMD prompt as Administrator, run the following.


Bcdboot W:\Windows


This will give you a bootloader screen with the VHD boot as default entry


OR


Part 4b: Single booting the new drive


This is for when you have prepared the drive in PC #1 to put in PC #2


Bcdboot W:\Windows /S S:\

[PipJones]

Part 2a: Prepare a VHD disk


If you wish to dual boot your PC I recommend this approach. Create a VHD, a 60Gb one will do.


Mount VHD, format as NTFS and assign it a drive letter of W


OR


Part 2b: Attach a new HardDisk to boot from


This assumes you know what you are doing with DISKPART


select disk 1
clean
convert gpt
create partition efi size=100
format quick fs=fat32 label="System"
assign letter="S"
create partition msr size=16
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs lab