Greetings all.
I have been following, well, lurking in this thread for a while, and figured I would try to help re-cap everything mentioned in a clear and concise way so that we all know where we stand with the impending release of Windows 11. If it helps I have been beta testing Windows 11 through the Dev/BETA and Release Preview Channels of the Windows Insider program for the past 5 months and I currently have Windows 11 Build 22000.194 Windows 11 Enterprise Edition installed on my RVIE system.
First of all Compatibility.
When it comes to compatibility for Windows 11 you require a compatible Motherboard and a compatible CPU. Specifically the Motherboard must include a TPM of the Version 2.0 specification. Your CPU MUST support Virtualisation Based Security and given the range of CPU's that Microsoft have targeted their OS at, those CPU's also seem to feature MBEC (Mode Based Execution Control). These features are simply not present in earlier CPU's.
Can I install Windows 11 on an early system that lacks these features?
Yes you can, however this will come at a significant performance cost in time. In time Microsoft will likely leverage more of the new security features embedded in new CPU's. The problem is that older CPU's simply do not have the required instruction registers to execute the security instructions. The end result of this is an eventual significant loss of performance and a potential for data loss since the CPU will struggle to execute instructions it simply doesn't have. When you install Windows 11 on such a system you will not qualify for system and security updates from Microsoft. Those updates are going to be built with the anticipated supported hardware features in mind.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/unsupported-win11-pcs-wont-update
If you own an RVE Motherboard, and I have one with a 5960X, the board contains the headers for a TPM2.0 module, but the CPU's you can equip the board with, are NOT compatible and lack the security features that Windows 11 will require.
If you own an RVIE Motherboard (yes I have one of these too) then it has an embedded TPM2.0 module that simply needs to be activated in the system BIOS. Please note the following 7th Generation CPU's because these ARE compatible with Windows 11.
Intel Core i7-7820HQ
Intel Core i5-7640X
Intel Core i7-7740X
Intel Core i7-7800X
Intel Core i7-7820HQ
Intel Core i7-7820X
Intel Core i7-7900X
Intel Core i7-7920X - This I absolutely can confirm because I have this chip in my system.
Intel Core i9-7940X
Intel Core i9-7960X
Intel Core i9-7980XE
Chips later than these that are available for the x299 platform are also compatible, that includes the 9 and 10 generation CPU's.
IF YOU NEED TO, OR WANT TO VERIFY IF THE CPU YOU OWN IS COMPATIBLE PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/windows-processor-requirements
THE LIST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITH NEW ADDITIONS, CHECK IT AGAIN AT A LATER POINT IN TIME.
What if you don't care about the compatibility risks?
For those of you interested in still trying your luck with Windows 11, Microsoft have revealed that they will not prevent a user from installing it cleanly/manually on a system that is incompatible, so long as it meets the basic requirement of having a TPM1.2 module and secure boot available. HOWEVER BE WARNED your mileage WILL likely vary in time.
For those without even those features there are methods through which Windows 11 can be deployed/installed. However the future risk is real and I'd strongly advise you to stick to Windows 10 or Linux. There is a scripting tool that you can use that will permit the creation of a modified ISO of the release build of Windows 11. It can disable the TPM Check function and the Secure Boot Check function and permit installation. I have used the tool to create an ISO, and the source files that it builds the ISO from are those sourced from Microsoft's own repositories since it is simply a modified Media Creation Tool. I used it to create an ISO that can be deployed to an older system. HOWEVER THE RISK IS ENTIRELY YOUR OWN.
When using the suggested Media Creation Tool, simply use it to create an ISO, then specify 11 from the options. Once it starts permit the powershell script the rights to run. It will Launch a window titled Windows 10 Media Creation tool, however if you selected the 11 build option, you will get the Release Candidate ISO version of Windows 11. If you are interested in upgrading your current Windows 10 installation the Github site I have mentioned below also contains scripts that will disable the check functionality for instalation. FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THEIR FUNCTION AND OPERATION BEFORE USE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
The Media Creation Tool can be located on Github https://gist.github.com/AveYo/c74dc774a8fb81a332b5d65613187b15
I have been following, well, lurking in this thread for a while, and figured I would try to help re-cap everything mentioned in a clear and concise way so that we all know where we stand with the impending release of Windows 11. If it helps I have been beta testing Windows 11 through the Dev/BETA and Release Preview Channels of the Windows Insider program for the past 5 months and I currently have Windows 11 Build 22000.194 Windows 11 Enterprise Edition installed on my RVIE system.
First of all Compatibility.
When it comes to compatibility for Windows 11 you require a compatible Motherboard and a compatible CPU. Specifically the Motherboard must include a TPM of the Version 2.0 specification. Your CPU MUST support Virtualisation Based Security and given the range of CPU's that Microsoft have targeted their OS at, those CPU's also seem to feature MBEC (Mode Based Execution Control). These features are simply not present in earlier CPU's.
Can I install Windows 11 on an early system that lacks these features?
Yes you can, however this will come at a significant performance cost in time. In time Microsoft will likely leverage more of the new security features embedded in new CPU's. The problem is that older CPU's simply do not have the required instruction registers to execute the security instructions. The end result of this is an eventual significant loss of performance and a potential for data loss since the CPU will struggle to execute instructions it simply doesn't have. When you install Windows 11 on such a system you will not qualify for system and security updates from Microsoft. Those updates are going to be built with the anticipated supported hardware features in mind.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/unsupported-win11-pcs-wont-update
If you own an RVE Motherboard, and I have one with a 5960X, the board contains the headers for a TPM2.0 module, but the CPU's you can equip the board with, are NOT compatible and lack the security features that Windows 11 will require.
If you own an RVIE Motherboard (yes I have one of these too) then it has an embedded TPM2.0 module that simply needs to be activated in the system BIOS. Please note the following 7th Generation CPU's because these ARE compatible with Windows 11.
Intel Core i7-7820HQ
Intel Core i5-7640X
Intel Core i7-7740X
Intel Core i7-7800X
Intel Core i7-7820HQ
Intel Core i7-7820X
Intel Core i7-7900X
Intel Core i7-7920X - This I absolutely can confirm because I have this chip in my system.
Intel Core i9-7940X
Intel Core i9-7960X
Intel Core i9-7980XE
Chips later than these that are available for the x299 platform are also compatible, that includes the 9 and 10 generation CPU's.
IF YOU NEED TO, OR WANT TO VERIFY IF THE CPU YOU OWN IS COMPATIBLE PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/windows-processor-requirements
THE LIST IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITH NEW ADDITIONS, CHECK IT AGAIN AT A LATER POINT IN TIME.
What if you don't care about the compatibility risks?
For those of you interested in still trying your luck with Windows 11, Microsoft have revealed that they will not prevent a user from installing it cleanly/manually on a system that is incompatible, so long as it meets the basic requirement of having a TPM1.2 module and secure boot available. HOWEVER BE WARNED your mileage WILL likely vary in time.
For those without even those features there are methods through which Windows 11 can be deployed/installed. However the future risk is real and I'd strongly advise you to stick to Windows 10 or Linux. There is a scripting tool that you can use that will permit the creation of a modified ISO of the release build of Windows 11. It can disable the TPM Check function and the Secure Boot Check function and permit installation. I have used the tool to create an ISO, and the source files that it builds the ISO from are those sourced from Microsoft's own repositories since it is simply a modified Media Creation Tool. I used it to create an ISO that can be deployed to an older system. HOWEVER THE RISK IS ENTIRELY YOUR OWN.
When using the suggested Media Creation Tool, simply use it to create an ISO, then specify 11 from the options. Once it starts permit the powershell script the rights to run. It will Launch a window titled Windows 10 Media Creation tool, however if you selected the 11 build option, you will get the Release Candidate ISO version of Windows 11. If you are interested in upgrading your current Windows 10 installation the Github site I have mentioned below also contains scripts that will disable the check functionality for instalation. FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THEIR FUNCTION AND OPERATION BEFORE USE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
The Media Creation Tool can be located on Github https://gist.github.com/AveYo/c74dc774a8fb81a332b5d65613187b15
what is the easiest way to bypass the CPU check?
