The beta version of Windows 11 can be installed quite easily on any PC, even if the processor is not officially supported and without the machine integrating the TPM 2.0 module.
Officially, the installation of Windows 11 is only possible on certain computers scrupulously respecting the specifications of Microsoft. But for the installation of the Preview of its new operating system, the Redmond firm has released a little ballast and has chosen to authorize its installation on machines that are in principle not compatible.
However, to take advantage of it, you had to have a PC registered in Microsoft’s Insider program, in the Dev channel, before June 24. Beyond this date, it was in principle no longer possible to officially receive updates to Windows 11 pre-releases on computers that did not meet Microsoft’s criteria.
However, there are several solutions to overcome the limitations put in place by the American company to install the Windows 11 Preview on an officially unsupported machine. One of them is also quite simple to set up since it suffices to launch the installation of Windows 11 from a USB key and to modify a few values in the databases of the registry.
If you want to embark on this adventure, be sure to perform the manipulation on a machine already equipped with Windows 10 that you will dedicate entirely to it. Note that while this solution works for the moment with the beta of Windows 11, there is no indication that it will not be blocked by Microsoft in the final stable version of the operating system.
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1. Download Windows 11 Preview
To download the Windows 11 Prewiew installation ISO image, you must first join Microsoft’s Insider program.
When this requirement is met, go to the Windows 11 Preview download page, click Sign in, and sign in with the Microsoft account you used to join the Insider program.
Scroll down the page, choose the version of Windows 11 to recover – Windows 11 insider Preview (Beta Channel) – and click Confirm.
Then click on Select the product language and choose the language of the ISO to retrieve. Click Confirm to go to the download link.
Finally, click on the 64-bit Download button to retrieve your Windows 11 Beta installation disk image.
2. Check if your PC has BIOS or UEFI
From the Windows 10 PC where you want to install Windows 11, check if your machine is in BIOS or UEFI. To do this, use the Windows keyboard shortcut + R then, in the run window that appears, type MSinfo32 and click OK.
In the System Information window that appears, locate the BIOS Mode line and note the value indicated there: Legacy or UEFI. This data will define the type of bootable USB key that you will need to create later to start your PC on it.
3. Create a bootable USB stick
Download and install the Rufus utility on your computer, launch it and connect a USB stick of at least 8 GB to your PC.
The USB key is in principle automatically detected by Rufus (Device line). Then click on the Select button, then in the file explorer window that opens, select the disk image in Windows 11 ISO format that you have just downloaded and validate by clicking on OK.
You must now select the Partition Scheme corresponding to the Destination System. If in the previous step, the BIOS mode indicated was Inherited, choose an MRB partition scheme. If instead the BIOS mode indicated was UEFI, choose the GPT partition scheme.
Then fill in the name of your installation USB key in the Volume name field and click on the Start button to start the creation of the USB key.
Once the Rufus Status bar is completely green and says READY, click the Close button.
4. Boot from the USB stick
Insert the bootable Windows 11 installation key into your PC. To quickly boot from an installation USB key from your PC, you must first access your machine’s BIOS. To do this, you must press the key to access the boot menu of your PC as soon as it starts up. Usually this is one of the keys F1, F2, F3, Del, etc.
Refer to the instructions provided by the manufacturer for the procedure to follow.
5. Open the command prompt
Your PC should now boot from the Windows 11 beta installation USB key you just created and display the first installation setup screen in which you are prompted for the installation language.
Before you start installing Windows 11, open Command Prompt. To do this, use the keyboard shortcut Shift + F10.
6. Launch Registry Editor
In the Command Prompt window that appears, just type regedit and hit the Enter key on the keyboard. The Windows registry editor should then open.
7. Edit the registry
In the Registry Editor window that appears, in the left column, double-click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SYSTEM, and finally Setup.
Then right click on Setup, then in New create a Key that you will name LabConfig.
Make sure you are in the LabConfig directory you just created, then in the right pane right click, select New, then click 32 bit DWORD value.
Give it the name BypassTPMCheck and press Enter. Then double click on it, then in the window that appears, replace the value 0 by 1 in the field provided for this purpose and click OK to validate.
Still in the right pane, right click again, choose New and create a 32bits DWORD Value again.
Name it BypassSecureBootCheck and press Enter. Then double-click on it, then in the window that opens, replace the value 0 by 1 in the Value data field, and click OK to validate.
Then close Registry Editor and Windows Command Prompt.
8. Start the installation
You can now start the installation of the Windows 11 Preview on your incompatible PC.
Wait while the installer proceeds to install Windows 11 on your machine. The PC should restart several times during the installation before displaying the various configuration screens to set your preferences in Windows 11.