Minimum requirements and tools to check if the Let’s find out together the minimum requirements and limitations of the new version of Windows 11.
Windows 11 was officially unveiled on June 24, 2021, and among the many new features introduced, some system security enhancements stand out, which should make the new Windows more resistant to cyber attacks and the onslaught of next-generation viruses. All this security, however, could cut out many PCs and notebooks released in past years, currently perfectly compatible with Windows 10 but with some “deficiency” that could lead to an error window during the installation of Windows 11.
In the following guide we’ll show you how to check if our PC is ready for Windows 11, also analyzing possible solutions to this problem, which notebooks we can buy now to be definitely ready for Windows 11 and what to do with older computers that show a compatibility problem (waiting for Microsoft itself to remedy by optimizing the minimum requirements).
PC requirements for Windows 11
To install Windows 11, a PC must meet certain minimum hardware requirements. Some of them are the same as the requirements for Windows 10, while others are rather peculiar, so much so that they need to be studied in depth. The minimum requirements for Windows 11 are as follows:
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster with 2 or more cores on a 64-bit processor.
- System firmware: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
- Graphics card: DirectX 12 or later compatible with WDDM 2.0 driver
- RAM: 4 GB
- Disk: 64 GB
- System Firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot compatible
- Partition Style: GPT
You can also read the requirements on the official website, where in the coming days you can also download an automatic tool to check if our desktop PC or notebook meets the minimum requirements for Windows 11. The Microsoft verification tool will tell us if the PC can work with Windows 11 and what to change in case there are problems.
There is also another program to check if your PC is ready for Windows 11, not official, but reliable and it’s called WhyNot11, open source and without any deception. This tool compares the minimum requirements for Windows 11 with the hardware characteristics and configuration of your PC and detects any incompatibility:
- Boot type
- CPU architecture
- CPU Generation
- CPU Core
- CPU Frequency
- DirectX Support
- Disk Partitioning
- RAM
- SecureBoot active
- Storage
- TPM
As for the CPU, there is a list of processors supported by Windows 11 on the Microsoft website (scroll down the list to find Windows 11), with all Intel, AMD and Qualcom processor models supported.
Keep in mind that the indications of these hardware requirements for Windows 11 are not yet final, especially regarding the preesence of SeureBoot and especially the TPM version 2.0, something that most people do not know and of which we go to deepen.
What is TPM and why is it important in Windows 11
As an additional security system Windows 11 requires, in the minimum requirements, the presence of the TPM chip (or Trusted Platform Module) updated to version 2.0. This chip is soldered directly on the motherboard and is responsible for encrypting and storing passwords to access the computer, biometric data (fingerprint or face with Windows Hello) or other sensitive data, so as to protect them from hackers or malware attacks.
This chip is soldered on the motherboard and can not be removed, changed or added later: our computer must therefore be immediately compatible with TPM 2.0, otherwise Windows 11 will not start during installation or upgrade, forcing us to stay on Windows 10 (unless Microsoft’s last-minute decisions).
TPM is an integral part of the system that allows Windows to boot in Secure Boot mode, the special protected environment that prevents the system from launching driver versions and components that are not certified by Microsoft: in fact, it works in sync with TPM to ensure maximum security when booting Windows and when launching new programs.
How to check the presence of the TPM 2.0 chip
If we have a laptop or a fixed PC with Windows 10 we can immediately check the presence of the TPM chip and its version by pressing the WIN+R keys on the keyboard and typing, in the Run window that appears, the command tpm.msc, followed by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard.
In the new window, carefully check the TPM Manufacturer Information section, making sure that the item Specification Version: 2.0 is present. If we find specification 1.0 or no TPM chip on our PC, we won’t be able to install Windows 11.
How to activate TPM and Secure Boot for Windows 11
On PCs with TPM 2.0 you can only run Windows 11 if Secure Boot and TPM are active at the UEFI level (formerly known as BIOS). Before proceeding with the switch to Windows 11 let’s go to the UEFI of our computer, open the Security screen or similar names and carefully check if the Secure Boot, Intel Platform Trust Technology or AMD CPU TPM entries are listed as Enabled.
If the entries are enabled we can exit without doing anything else; if the entries are disabled we select them and use the directional keys to enable them, then go to the UEFI Exit screen and make sure to save the changes, using the Save your settings and Exit item. Now our computer is ready to receive Windows 11.
If TPM is not present, it’s possible that it needs to be purchased (but at the moment it’s better to wait) so that it can be added to the motherboard (but now it’s not necessary).
Notebook with integrated TPM 2.0
If we are going to buy a new laptop, we should immediately look only for models that have the TPM 2.0 chip, so as not to have problems with future updates of Windows 11 and receive the maximum security provided by Microsoft. Below we have collected some very nice models that are already ready for Windows 11, without the need to launch verification as seen in the previous chapter.
HUAWEI MateBook 14
This Huawei Matebook notebook looks great value for money and features 14-inch FullView 2K Display, Intel i5-10210U processor, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, fingerprint reader, Huawei Share technology and Windows 10 Home operating system.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3
A good compromise between quality and performance is the Lenovo notebook, on which we find a 15.6-inch Full HD display with TN technology, AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor, 512GB of internal SSD storage, 8GB of RAM, fingerprint reader and Windows 10 operating system.
ASUS TUF Gaming F17
For those looking for a comfortable laptop for gaming and ready for Windows 11 should definitely go for the ASUS TUF model, which boasts a 17.3-inch FHD Anti-Glare screen, 144Hz screen refresh rate, Intel Core i7-10870H processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB of internal SSD-like storage, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti 4GB dedicated video card and Windows 10 Home operating system.
Install Windows 11 even without TPM 2.0
If we have an old laptop that’s still fast and running Windows 10, it’s a real shame to have to throw it away or change it because of Windows 11 and the TPM 2.0 requirement. Luckily, on the web they found a little trick to bypass the TPM check and thus make it possible to install Windows 11 even on old computers already running Windows 10. To make the operation possible we carefully follow the following steps:
Let’s create a flash drive with the ready-to-use Windows 11 ISO, as also seen in our dedicated guide.
- We connect the USB stick to the old PC and change the boot order to start the system on it.
- We wait for the system installation screen to start and, as soon as it appears, we press the SHIFT+F10 keys on the keyboard.
- From the command prompt that opens, type regedit and press Enter on the keyboard to open the registry editor for Windows 11.
- In the registry window we go to the following path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup, navigating through the entries and the root tree.
- In the right part of the window we press the right button, click on New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value and create two new entries: BypassTPMCheck and BypassSecureBootCheck (let’s create them one at a time).
- After creating these two registry entries, open them both and, in the Value Data field, make sure to change the status from 0 to 1.
- After making these changes, close the registry editor window and continue with the installation of Windows 11, without fearing the absence or obsolescence of the TPM 2.0 chip. The system will be installed and it will be possible to run it without any block, although obviously the level of security offered will be considerably lower (especially for storing passwords, any biometric data or personal data).
Conclusions
Windows 11 is not even “born” and already has made many users turn up their noses: Microsoft seems to want to impose the brand new computers or those purchased in the last 2 years, leaving at the pole all the excellent PCs and notebooks sold during these years and still perfectly compatible with Windows 11. Certainly on fixed desktop PCs it should be possible to add the TPM chip that should be supported, but for laptops the issue becomes much more complicated.
Luckily, while waiting for Microsoft to remove this requirement, there is a trick to bypass this limitation, but we hope that before the official launch of the system, Microsoft will reconsider and make the presence of the TPM 2.0 chip optional for the installation of its new operating system.
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