Month: June 2021

Microsoft is releasing its first Windows 11 preview build today. Windows Insiders can download the Windows 11 preview (build 22000.51) right now, which includes access to the new Start menu, multitasking features, and overhauled Microsoft Store. Unlike the previous Windows 11 leak, this official preview also features an updated File Explorer that replaces the ribbon with a command bar to simplify file management a little more.

Most of the Windows 11 visual changes that Microsoft revealed last week will be available in this initial preview. The new Start menu with its centered launcher-like interface is part of this build, alongside rounded corners throughout the OS and improvements to the notification center, volume flyouts, and more. If your PC has an accelerometer, the Windows 11 lock screen will also include a parallax motion effect.

Windows 11’s new themes and dark / light mode improvements are also part of this preview, alongside the new Widgets feature. All of the new themes — Glow, Captured Motion, Sunrise, and Flow — are designed with the centered taskbar in mind, and Microsoft has coupled them with new sounds in Windows 11 as you use the OS.

Two big Windows 11 features are missing, though: Microsoft Teams integration and Android apps on Windows. Both are still being developed and tested by Microsoft but will appear in later preview builds.

This Windows 11 preview also includes Microsoft’s new Snap Groups and Snap Layouts features, to improve multitasking across a variety of screen sizes. These new Snap features build on a lot of the multitasking features that have been in Windows for years but make them easier to discover and more useful — particularly in multiple-monitor scenarios.

Microsoft is also overhauling the Settings section of Windows 11. This preview build include changes that make it easier to navigate around and find the setting you need. Settings now has a left-hand navigation panel that persists throughout, making it quicker to switch between sections. Microsoft has built new “hero” controls at the top that offer quick access to information or settings that are relevant for each section.

Alongside the Windows 11 preview today, Microsoft is also releasing a preview of its Office refresh for Windows 11. The updated UI includes rounded corners in Office apps to match Windows 11 and some changes to how the dark and light modes work.

If you’re interested in testing the Windows 11 preview build, you’ll need to enroll in the Windows Insiders program and then navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program on a Windows 10 device to enable the Dev Channel and obtain Windows 11 builds.

You’ll need a compatible machine, although Microsoft says it’s waiving its new hardware requirements during this preview period for those who have been testing Windows builds prior to June 24th. Otherwise, you’ll need to use Microsoft’s PC Health Check app to see if your system is compatible.

Microsoft has updated its documentation around the minimum Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security requirements for installing Windows 11, saying now that PCs will be required to have a TPM 2.0 chip in order to run the operating system.

In the updated documentation, Microsoft has removed the reference to a “hard floor” for Windows 11 that would’ve allowed PCs with TPM 1.2 to still install the new OS.

Microsoft’s original documentation had characterized TPM 2.0 as a recommendation rather than a requirement. According to the original documentation, as long as a PC had at least TPM 1.2 – which was released in 2011 – it would meet the minimum security requirements for Windows 11. Microsoft had said that devices with TPM 1.2 would “receive a notification that upgrade is not advised,” but wouldn’t be prohibited from installing Windows 11.

For Intel Core chips, support for Windows 11 starts at the eighth-generation line, meaning that PCs with seventh-gen Intel Core chips and older would not be compatible with Windows 11, based on Microsoft’s disclosure.

The first builds of Windows 11 will begin rolling out to Windows Insider testers early next week, and Windows 11 will be generally available this holiday as a free update for compatible Windows 10 PCs, Microsoft said. Windows 11 will only see one major feature update per year, in contrast to the twice-a-year feature updates for Windows 10, the company disclosed.

Check for compatibility
Use the PC Health Check app to see if your current PC meets the requirements to run Windows 11. If so, you can get a free upgrade when it rolls out.

Download App here

Direct Download link on the official Microsoft website

You may also verified that your computer have the minimum TPM 2.0 installed by opening TPM.msc

You may need to activated it in your Bios option if it’s available.

Enjoy!

I will post a workaround method to be able to install windows 11 on older unsupported computer soon! Stay tuned 😉

To be able to install Windows 11 on unsupported computer you will need :

Install Windows directly into your existing OS, insert your USB key and just run setup

Workaround method 1

1. Windows 10 ISO decompressed files
2. You will need to go into the “sources” folder of windows 10 install
3. Then you will need to delete the “install.esd” file and then copy the “sources” folder into your Windows 11 installation “sources” folder. “overwrite all files”
4. Now you will be able to start the installation process of Windows 11 on your unsupported computer
5. To bypass the account creation unplug your internet connection and select “sign-in options”. Select “Offline Account”, this will allow you to create a local account.
6. Finish the installation setup

🙂

Workaround method 2

1. Download the fix zip file here that contain appraiserres.dll
   (Download here)
2. Unzip and copy & replace the appraiserres.dll files in the /sources folder of your Windows 11 installation
3. Run the install and you should be good!

This is not for production and it’s only for you to see the new windows 11 on your unsupported computer.

Note that many device driver will not work yet!

Workaround method 3

Modify Registry

The first method involves simply editing Windows Registry during the installation process of the new operating system. On unsupported devices, if you try to install the new OS, a message will appear on your screen stating that the computer isn’t compatible.

At that screen, you need to press Shift+F10 to open Command Prompt window and modify the registry. In Command Prompt, you need to run regedit.exe and create a new key “LabConfig” under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup. In the “LabConfig” key, create two new entries:

• BypassTPMCheck=dword:00000001
• BypassSecureBootCheck=dword:00000001

Save the changes and compatibility errors will disappear.

Otherwise, you can also create a .reg file with the following line of code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig] “BypassTPMCheck”=dword:00000001 “BypassSecureBootCheck”=dword:00000001

Save this (.reg) file in a USB drive and perform a clean installation of Windows 11 when it is officially released. During the installation process, press Shift + F10 and type notepad and hit enter.

In Notepad, open the file menu and locate and apply the reg file. This will bypass the TPM+SecureBoot requirements.

Here is a view of Windows 11 installed on Acer Aspire One with TPM 1.2

• Open an elevated command prompt (Run as Administrator)
  
• Enumerate the 3rd party drivers with the following command:
  pnputil /enum-drivers
  
• Find the driver with the Original Name of wdcsam.inf (if the incompatible driver was wdcsam64_prewin8.sys) and note the Published Name for the driver, which is oem##.inf
  
  
  
  
• Run the command to uninstall the driver:
  pnputil /delete-driver oem##.inf
  
• Back at the Memory Integrity setting, click Scan Again and it should allow you to enable Memory Integrity
  
• After enabling Memory Integrity, you’ll need to restart your computer