Switching Windows 11 without surprises

Dennis Gandasoebrata

PC Health Checker lets you find out the computer’s eligibility

There are several ways to find out if your computer is suitable for Windows 11: with outside help or by checking it manually. With a program such as PC Health Check or WhyNotWin11 (both discussed below) you can quickly get an idea of ​​the feasibility. You can also check the machine manually, using the Device Manager. Finally, in some cases it is necessary to make a number of adjustments to the motherboard yourself before you can install Windows 11.

PC STATUS CHECK
The PC Health Check app (called PC Health Check) from Microsoft helps determine if the computer is suitable. You can use the app for free and you can find the latest version at microsoft.com/nl-nl/windows/ windows-11. Once installed, open the app via the Start menu. Type ‘PC Health Check’ (or ‘PC Health Check’) and open the app. The program window consists of several parts. A summary of the computer is shown on the left. Here you can read how much RAM the computer has, what capacity the hard drive has and how old the computer is. On the right, PC Health Check lists the categories that are also checked: Backup and Sync, Windows Update, Storage capacity and Start-up time. To check the suitability of the computer, click Search now. Afterwards, the results are shown in an overview. Choose Show details to request additional information about the sub-area. Via the button More information request additional explanation.

A number of common links are located at the bottom of the PC Health Monitor window. Through Related Links visit your additional Windows 11 resources. Through Tips on the health of your PC Read how you can still make your computer suitable for Windows. Finally, there is the button More about Windows 11, which gives you access to Microsoft’s product pages.
At the time of writing this article, the PC Health Checker app is still under development. An earlier test version has been taken offline because it gave too little information about the test results of the computer.

WHYNOTWIN11
You are not dependent on the Microsoft channels to find out if your computer is suitable. For example, the free app WhyNotWin11 was created by an independent developer with the aim of showing at a glance whether you can install Windows 11 without any problems. You can find the latest version at https://github.com/rcmaehl/ WhyNotWin11. It’s nice that you don’t have to install the app. After extracting the zip file, double click on the file WhyNotWin11 to start the program. A Windows security warning may appear because the software is not digitally signed at the time of writing. You explicitly indicate that you want to run the program.

The free app WhyNotWin11 checks for suitability for Windows 11

In the main window, 11 categories are displayed, which the program checks for. If the box next to a category turns green, you know that the computer meets the requirements of Windows 11 in that area. Place the mouse on one of the information icons (to the right of each category) for an explanation about the relevant part.

DEVICE MANAGEMENT
In addition to using utilities, you can also manually check the most important parts. Through Device Manager request an overview of the composition of the machine. open it Start menu and type ‘Device Manager’. The components of the computer are grouped into their own categories. Click on a category to expand it and see the categories below. First, check the specifications of the most important components for Windows 11 (in the article ‘Is my PC suitable for Windows 11’ you will find an overview of the system requirements).

click on Processors to see the specification of the processor. Is the section Security Devices present? Then the system has a TPM. Click on the section to find out the version. The required version 2 is denoted as Trusted Platform Module 2.0. In the category Firmware see if UEFI is enabled on the computer. For example, on our test system we find the entry Surface UEFA.

You can sometimes enable TPM through the BIOS settings; the steps depend on the manufacturer

TPM ENABLE
Do you find out that Windows 11 cannot be installed because of the lack of TPM support? TPM may be present on the computer, but the component has been disabled. If this is the case, you can enable TPM support through the BIOS settings. Unfortunately, the steps for this depend on the make and model of the motherboard used. If you have a computer based on an Intel processor, search the motherboard settings for the terms ‘TPM 2.0’ (from ‘Trusted Platform Module’) or ‘PTT’ (from ‘Platform Trust Technology’).

Read the status of the TPM

Are you using a computer based on an AMD processor? Then search for the term ‘fTPM’. In the vast majority of cases, these settings are housed on the motherboard in sections such as ‘Security’, ‘Trusted Computing’, ‘Intel Platform Trust Technology’ or ‘fTPM Configuration’. Do you want to check whether TPM is actually active? In Windows, open the Run window (tip: use the Windows + R key combination). Now type ‘Tpm.msc’ and click OK. A new window will open. in the box Status are you reading The TPM is ready to use. Next, take a look at the section TPM Supplier Information. Bee Specification Version you need to read 2.0.

FOR ADVANCED: UEFI, GPT AND SECURE BOOT
As you read in the “Is my computer capable of running Windows 11?” article, Windows 11 requires the use of UEFI with GPT and Secure Boot. In some cases, the computer does not use this yet. For example, you cannot enable UEFI mode if the computer uses an MBR partition table. You can enable UEFI mode with GPT yourself and install Windows 11 with it. However, this is only for the more advanced user and only if you have a complete, external backup of your precious data. If something goes wrong, you should be able to go back to the original situation and not be surprised if Windows doesn’t boot anymore. So check the backup before proceeding. After this, restart the computer in the BIOS settings and check if the UEFI option is present at all. Do not switch this mode yet, but restart Windows 10.

Disk Management provides more information about the partition table

Are you using an MBR partition table? open it Start menu and type ‘Disk Management’. Open Disk Management and right click on the startup disk (Disk 0). Choose Characteristics and open the tab volumes. Read at partition style which mode is activated. There has to GPT to stand. are you reading MBR, then you can switch the partition mode.
To convert the disc, open it Start menu and right click on Command Prompt. Choose Run as administrator. Now type ‘Mbr2gpt.exe/convert/allowfullOS’. After this, restart the computer and enter the BIOS settings. Now enable UEFI (the steps for this depend on the BIOS used). After this you immediately switch the option Secure Boot in. Find this setting in the BIOS: Again, the steps depend on the BIOS.

SUPPLIER
Not sure whether your computer is suitable? You will usually find a specification of the computer configuration on the official purchase receipts of the computer. You can also use the model number of the computer to find more information about the original composition of the machine online. Use the same information to find out if the computer is Windows 11 compatible on the hardware manufacturer’s website.

When in doubt, consult the hardware supplier or manufacturer