What I learned from 3 years of running Windows 11 on “unsupported” PCs

Using windos is like being in an abusive relationship where your partner goes through your phone all day every day, you pay all the bills, you don't get to have sex or laugh, and you're reminded every day that you're paying too little and that there is so much more you should buy for your partner.

Just install Linux already. Yes, Linux has its problems too, but they are less and easier to fix than this turd

Alternative title: "Follow these 17 convoluted steps to stay in your abusive relationship longer."

And feel like an idiot when Windows 10 support inevitably gets extended in a year anyway.
- Or Microsoft kills the work around to get non supported cpus running win 11
Well there are 3 options and they are all bad.

pay to upgrade your PC (or for extended 10 support)

stay on 10 and go without security updates

jump through hoops to update to 11 unsupported

It’s almost like being on Windows is all bad.
- 4th option....(Microsoft's favorite one) Buy a whole new computer compatible with windows 11. Vista style.
- Use another OS (I hear temple OS is even better then 11 these days)
  
  I would vote for 2. myself, its not like the security updates have been deal breakers before (nothing is secure anyway).
- You think Linux is any better? I have to upgrade my Mint install every two years! And I have to wait for them to get their update tool ready. And then it takes like 15 minutes or so to complete! My time does not grow on trees!

That poor x220 deserves a coreboot and a good OS

Libreboot*
- Yeah libreboot is the right coreboot distro, but meh I felt like letting others decide. I personally have my x220 with libreboot and Guix system
- Doesn't that only work on three IBM laptops from 2014 ?
~~Can you run a virtual machine?~~
- Yes, why?

That workaround for your bi-yearly feature update on an unsupported PC is more complicated than installing Linux.
There, I said the bad word.

You obviously didn’t read the article as it makes no such claim and its not an issue unless you have a 20 year old computer. This superior smug answer based on lies is part of why Linux has a bad reputation. Yeah mb 10% of you guys are world class, and another 25% are competent, but that still leaves the majority of Linux supporters looking like ignorant idiots, like you could have at least read the article you replied to.
- The article doesn't need to explicitly state that, because it's a simple comparison to make.
  
  its not an issue unless you have a 20 year old computer.
  
  Plenty of computers have been made without TPMs in the last 10 years, as well as built by people who have no need for one, or else they simply disabled it.
  
  The article states;
  
  Without Secure Boot or a TPM, though, installing these upgrades in place is more difficult. Trying to run an upgrade install from within Windows just means the system will yell at you about the things your PC is missing. Booting from a USB drive that has been doctored to overlook the requirements will help you do a clean install, but it will delete all your existing files and apps.
  
  If you're running into this problem and still want to try an upgrade install, there's one more workaround you can try.
  
  Download an ISO for the version of Windows 11 you want to install, and then either make a USB install drive or simply mount the ISO file in Windows by double-clicking it.
  
  Open a Command Prompt window as Administrator and navigate to whatever drive letter the Windows install media is using. Usually that will be D: or E:, depending on what drives you have installed in your system; type the drive letter and colon into the command prompt window and press Enter.
  
  Type setup.exe /product server
  
  That is objectively not much different than the majority of Linux installs in terms of what you're having to do just for an upgrade. That's the point the person above was making. You can't click a button, you have downloaded an image, mount it, and run through a setup.
  
  You want to talk "smug", yet you're the one being triggered enough by seeing Linux mentioned in a perfectly valid comparison to the point you have to hop on your soapbox about "why Linux has a bad reputation".

I wish Roblox would stop having their fight with Linux and I just convert my kids over.

They absolutely don't need Windows for anything but Roblox at the moment.

Otoh, Roblox is evil and you could just use the switch to Linux to be like, "oh no, I guess we can't have Roblox anymore!"
- My home is more of a democracy than a dictatorship. I could of course forbid them from playing, impose whatever sanctions, But they have fun doing it and they have a bunch of real life friends that join them.
roblox works on linux https://sober.vinegarhq.org/
Have you tried using sober?
- It's been a little while since I tried last thing I tried was the bottles method and it was not going well.
  
  I'd be willing to give it another shot, But if I do find something else that works I've got to make sure that continues to work. If somebody changes something and They miss out on a Halloween or a Christmas live event I'll never hear the end of it.
- Have you looked outside ? No
Run a Windows VM in <insertYourDistroHere> and run Roblox?
- They're not on the finest of boxes and a lot of the Roblox games actually need some decent resources.
  
  When we get closer to the drop dead date I may give it a shot. I'm kind of hoping Roblox will get around too not being pig-headed about it.

*bites the tongue as hard as possible to not say The Thing*

Install Hackintosh MacOS

/s
Go ahead... you can whisper it to me
- Find God and switch to templeos. /s
  
  Jk. Everyone knows Hannah Montana Linux is the next big thing.
- ᴵ ʷᵉᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵉᵈ ˡᵃˢᵗ ⁿᶦᵍʰᵗ

I mean, the real danger is they shove out an update that straight up breaks on your PC, as in won't boot even in safe mode because it does something with the TPM, and it'll be your own fault for deliberately circumventing the requirements.

Non-geeky people will generally run things until they actually stop working completely. They don't care what OS it runs as long as it runs all their shit.

Non-geeky people will generally run things until they actually stop working completely.

Geeky people, on the other hand, may either adopt a new OS while it's still half-baked, or jump through hoops to keep an old one running long past the point where a non-geeky person would have given up. Some of us do both, just for the lulz. Windows 11 on unsupported systems offers a new and exciting(?) way to scratch the same "can I make this work, just for the hell of it?" itch.
Just kill windows update and windows update medic service.
- That kind of defeats the whole purpose of moving from 10 to 11 though. Stopping security updates for 10 would be like 99% of the point, unless somebody has suddenly found a use for DirectStorage...
- You can just stay on Win10 if you aren't gonna do updates anyway. The solution is obviously linux.
Quite funny how that's true for the software side, but on the hardware side, geeky people (especially on the foss side) are the ones running things until they accumulate failures to a point that no workarounds will do any good anymore.
Yeah cuz Linux has never had updates that break basic system functionality....lmao

TFW you continue fucking around with Windows rather than learn Linux

One thing doesn't exclude the other.
- I suppose that's a little like working to save the earth and working for big oil. Yes, one could do both but . . why?
Sure as soon as I can take my software with me.
- Can't you do that with Wine for the most part?
- No, learn the alternatives.

ITT: People who talk about Linux (as if that was the subject) because they just can't accept that some people actually need or want to use Windows and might find articles like this one useful.

If you need Windows, don’t run it on hardware that doesn’t support Windows 11. If you need it, do it the right way, so you can count on it working.

Now, what do you do with your old hardware? There are plenty of good ideas in the comments here.
- Or instead of installing Linux as a workaround and having to learn how to use a new OS and having to troubleshoot a ton of inevitable issues to make it work as well as the setup you're used to just... Use a workaround to skip the hardware requirement! In the end both are a way to work around Microsoft's requirements, one is something you need to deal with once just requiring you to follow a guide and you're done, the other will be an ongoing learning process.
It's so annoying to see in literally every thread about windows
Sure, and the article exists for those who want to go that route.

Comments are comments, as in discussion about and around the topic. In this case, people are discussing Linux as an alternative, because it is a viable alternative for most people, especially the type for whom this article is too complex. Discussion about Linux as a viable alternative is therefore absolutely welcome and should be encouraged.

I also welcome discussion about macOS as well, especially since they have a really good track record for supporting their hardware with software updates.

If this pisses you off, just know that Microsoft will probably make more changes like this that will piss you off. They're trying to take more control over your computer little by little, and right now they're doing it in the name of "security," but eventually they'll likely drop that and just make changes for the sake of lock-in. So if this pisses you off, you should consider alternatives if they'll work for you.
- The thing is, it's impossible to have a discussion about Windows on Lemmy because they automatically get hijacked by people who only have one thing to say "Install Linux you idiot.", they add nothing to the conversation and are off topic.
Its part of their personality.

They remind me of my devout jehovah witness neighbor who's been doorknocking and dropping flyers in my mailbox for 20+ years to remind me I'm going to burn if I don't convert.
I think a lot of people have switched to Linux and realized it was just a lot better, myself included. It took me a bit to let the differences soak in, just like when I got my first smart phone but after a bit of using it and trying things out you realize you should have done it a long time ago
ITT: Stockholm Syndrome victims defending the abusive relationship they have with their OS.

Newsflash, honey: she doesn't respect you; she only wants to exploit you. It's time to break up!
- Yes because never ever an user had abused their OS.
  
  Newsflash honey: it's a fucking tool, it doesn't have feelings. It's your own choice to use it or not.
  
  Man fuck these half baked parasocial analogies.
Who needs Windows? You need to use better applications. And if work requires Windows, this article still doesn't apply because it is the company's responsibility, not yours, and running on an unsupported machine is a security risk.
- Because of course there's absolutely no program a regular person outside of work could possibly need Windows for. None at all. Not a single application. Not a single game. Not a single piece of hardware they're using (like many laptops with hardware needing specific drivers that don't exist for linux).
  
  Nope, absolutely nothing a regular user could have a need for Windows.
- I use Linux and none of the programs I need for structural engineering work on Linux.
  
  Trust me, I would totally ditch the dual boot if I could, but sadly, I can't
- I'm sorry but "you need to use better applications" is very funny to read when most of the time the Linux open source alternative will never be as good as the product made by the company that has hundreds of paid employees working on it.
- Linux doesn't have several programs I use to control my peripherals, the mobo RGB profile, and GPU fan control from Sapphire. It also doesn't have a proper AMD adrenalin as far as I've checked, nor firmware updater for SSD/NVME, and the list goes on and on. I also heard controlling high refresh rate displays on linux is a nightmare.
  
  If I want to use the gaming PC I built to its full potential then I need windows...
  
  The article is still dumb though, anyone left behind using old hardware should not go through the pain of forcing win11 to run. They all should switch to linux

As of 15 min ago, my dad has decided to install windows 11 on his 12 year old home pc. Oh boy.

I'm running Windows 11 on a 12 year old X79 platform. Runs just fine.

But it was definitely top of the line in its day and 48GB of RAM keeps any system relatively snappy.
- It's an i5-2430m powered AIO PC with a HDD and 8 gb of ram (its only saving grace). It's fine for what my dad uses it for, which is largely web browsing for work and excel.
I'm glad I put mine on Mint years ago. His Mint 21 install is still supported until 2027 and I only have to help him like twice a year with smth
Tell him you'll have to do it for him and install Linux mint
- I made that comment to my mom this morning. Also I have tried Linux on that machine and its weird. It has a very old digitizer that sort of works. (Sony Vaio AIO). Disabling it is a #1 priority.
  
  He's technically inclined enough to install it himself entirely.
  
  Other issue is the wireless card. It's an old Qualcomm card (not ath9k).
  
  We'll figure it out once windows 11 stops working. Or if the drive dies.

I ended up taking my unsupported computer and turned it into an Unraid server. Bought some refurb enterprise drives on eBay to get it set up, and now I have an awesome home media server/NAS.

Why should I be curious about unraid (I have a case and a bunch of drives btw)?
- It's a low friction way to set up a home server with NAS and docker containers. The "Unraid" portion is the configuration that lets you set up an "array" with parity drive(s), but without striping so each disk has a complete filesystem and files accessible even when removed from the array. Everything can be managed through a web UI, and there's a robust "app store" of docker containers.
  
  The downside is that it's not free, and they recently moved towards monthly/yearly licensing and increased the cost of new lifetime licenses.

just use linux

I only ever use Windows on my work computer, and only when I need access to a resource that requires our Windows-only VPN.

But seriously, "just use linux" is worthless advice. Lots of people use Windows for specific applications that don't exist in the Linux ecosystem. For example, there are no Linux applications that come close to AutoCAD, and it simply doesn't work on Linux.

Better advice would be to get new (or newer used) hardware if possible, if you absolutely need to use Windows, since this workaround will inevitably be "corrected" by Microsoft. Then you can do whatever you like with the old hardware, such as install and learn Linux at your own pace.
- "just use linux" is great advice. Not everybody has the money for PC upgrades. And the amount of people that require specific Windows programs and can not switch to an alternative that works on Linux is extremely small.
- Just wondering, what kind of VPN is windows only? FortiNet? GlobalProtect?
- you are talking about a small minority of users. what percentage of users use autocad at all?
Give me a good Linux distro that's great on a tablet PC
- ubuntu. anything with gnome, really.

Hmm, I wonder if the server install trick would fix my issue with upgrading to 24H2. On my desktop system, when it reboots for upgrades, it bluescreens saying it can't find the storage device. I'm guessing it's something to do with the RAID driver.

Edit: nope lol

I need to try that actually for my old laptop. It blue screens if it updates past 1809

Has nobody heard of a vm? Who the fuck runs windows on bare metal thats fucked.

14 billions computers probably
- Ud think people would learn after they all blue screened.
Just spitballing here, but I think the vast majority of the United States corporate workforce?
- I struggle to have any sympathy for them.
You can use VMs even more ambitiously. If your wi-fi is not supported by FreeBSD - there's a wifibox port, basically it runs a minimal Linux with PCI passthrough.

And of course if I need Windows, it won't be bare metal.