Windows 11 will be a free upgrade from Win10, *** BUT...

As a reminder:   if you can't upgrade to Win11, Windows 10 will continue to be supported for another 4+ years, until 14 October 2025.

There's a program called WhyNotWin11 available from MajorGeeks
https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/whynotwin11.html

I just ran it, and have included my results:

CAVEAT:   Because this is an essentially "unknown" program,  I had to "go through contortions" to run it.   Windows attempted to block it --- both from downloading AND from running --- which I had to explicitly override.   And my antivirus also blocked it, until I set-up an exclusion.   I did so because I trust MajorGeeks as a reliable site.   There is no indication that the program performed any actions other than those it indicated it would be doing.

Slightly newer version, with some additional information:

@ky331  That .exe ran without any problems for me. All I had to do was click "install anyway" on the Microsoft store box that popped up. Didn't look like it even installed anything into Win 10 because the results appeared instantaneously.

Secure boot is disabled on my PC so Win 11 won't like that. I won't worry about it until 2025...

Users who have installed a "retail" video card upgrade are going to have issues, because most of those GPUs require Secure Boot to be disabled.

Trusted Platform Module

Microsoft have stated that your computer requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) of Version 2.0 or later. A TPM is a component soldered onto the systems motherboard, that securely generates a cryptographic key. The cryptographic key is used as a security feature currently used for Bitlocker Device Encryption, Windows Hello, Measured Boot and Credential Guard.

The TPM was designed with the potential for much more but wasn't really realised as Windows 10 supported older hardware without this technology. Likely Microsoft will link the TPM to the Microsoft Store for the purposes of software license enforcement. i.e. software may use the computers unique TPM and a Microsoft Account for Product Activation.

OEM licenses for example will be tied to the computer and multiple computer licenses may only be activated on a handful of unique TPMs at a single time. Users will be able to associate Windows Devices (with unique TPMs) to their Microsoft Account. The intent is likely to make the Microsoft Store more flexible and actually useable for the full array of software available for Windows i.e. with the ability to provide executable programs (.exes) and not just the Metro Apps like in Windows 8.x or Universal Windows Platform Apps in Windows 10 that were more geared towards Windows Phone.

Microsoft have also purchased GitHub, which is an online (mainly open source) software repository and are following in Linux footsteps with command line base software installations. System administrators will therefore be able to setup a new Windows installation with a command line based script to download and install the latest version of all the required software packages towards the end of the Windows installation.

It is likely these software avenues will be expanded to commercial software vendors and the TPM will be used for product licensing/product activation/product evaluation periods.

6th and 7th generation processors have a TPM Version 2.0 however a legacy TPM Version 1.2 is usually the default setting in the Dell UEFI BIOS as it was the standard at the time:

"As of March 2017, all Dell Skylake platforms support TPM 2.0 mode and TPM 1.2 mode on Windows 7, 8, and 10 (Windows 7 requires Windows Update KB2920188 in order to support TPM 2.0 Mode). In order to swap modes on a TPM, you must flash the firmware."

How to troubleshoot and resolve common issues with TPM and BitLocker | Dell UK

For a Dell system you will need to press [F2] during power up to enter the UEFI BIOS setup. Go to the Security Tab. Highlight the TPM 2.0 subtab. Ensure TPM 2.0, Attestation, Key Storage, SHA 256 are checked and at the bottom that Enabled is checked.

Unified Extensive Firmware Interface with 2020 Patched Secure Boot

To give Windows 11 a stronger baseline security looks like a Unified Extensive Firmware Interface (UEFI) with Secure Boot is mandatory. A UEFI Boot allows more than 4 partitions on the Boot Drive and therefore Windows 11 will use multiple recovery partitions reducing the likelihood of Boot Issues which plagued earlier Windows versions.

An updated Secure Boot requirement will greatly remove the likelihood of preboot malware from crippling a Windows installation. Windows 11 will therefore likely only work on Dell systems manufactured in 2016 hardware or later.

Secure Boot was released in 2012 however there was a GRUB2 Security Exploit in 2020 that rendered Secure Boot essentially useless. OEMs released UEFI BIOS Updates for 6th Generation Intel Processors (2016 hardware or newer) and later to address this Security Exploit. Older systems manufactured before this time (end of life systems) were not patched and therefore be unlikely to pass the Windows 11 elevated Secure Boot requirement system requirement.

Finally this will also simplify the installation procedure and lead to general consistency when it comes to creating a Bootable USB. My installation guides had to cover the nuances in the UEFI BIOS Setup when it came to creating a bootable USB for Windows 7/8.x and 10.

To check if you have a UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot. To check this type in [Windows] + [ r ] and then msinfo32:

 

Check to see if your BIOS Mode is UEFI and if Secure Boot is On. Also check to see the Version/Date. If it is after May 2020 you will likely have Secure Boot which addresses the GRUB2 Security Exploit. If it is before this time, check your OEMs drivers and downloads page to see if your system has a newer UEFI BIOS Update and Update to the latest version and then recheck the Version/Date. If it is still older than May 2020, you will likely be below the Secure Boot requirements for Windows 11.

 

You can check to see if Secure Boot is enabled in the UEFI BIOS Setup. Power up your Dell and press [F2] to enter the UEFI BIOS Setup. Expand the Secure Boot tab, check that Secure Boot is Enabled (if Secure Boot is Enabled your system will use a UEFI only Boot without Legacy ROMs):

 

Processor

That being said although 6th and 7th Generation Processors do have the above technologies. Microsoft have only listed 8th Generation Intel Processors and newer as being supported for Windows 11:

Windows Processor Requirements Windows 11 Supported Intel Processors | Microsoft Docs

OptiPlex 7060 (8th Generation Processor Q2 2018):

Intel® Core™ i7-8700T Processor (12M Cache, up to 4.00 GHz) Product Specifications

 

OptiPlex 7050 (7th Generation Processor Q1 2017) with all other requirements satisfied:

Intel® Core™ i5-7500T Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz) Product Specifications

 

The question is whether the list of supported processors is comprehensive or just one that Microsoft quickly obtained from Intel and AMD for the last few years.

Microsoft only list 5th Generation Processors and newer as being compatible with Windows 10 Version 21H1 although 2nd-4th Generation Processors run the Operating System without issue:

Windows Processor Requirements | Microsoft Docs

The Windows 11 PC Check seems to be based exclusively on the processor being in the list.

Microsoft have responded to the feedback I left regarding Windows 11 Installation and the Windows PC Check. You can add a comment to it by pressing [Windows] and [ f ] to open the feedback app, then selecting Feedback and then listing the Feedback by recent.

Support 6th Generation (Skylake) and 7th generation (Kabylake) Processors for Windows 11

The Windows 11 PC Check reports the OptiPlex 7040 (6th Generation Intel Processor) and OptiPlex 7050 (7th Generation Intel Processor) systems to be incompatible. The system requirements are a bit more elevated than I would have expected. I personally would expect Windows 11 to work on 6th (Skylake) and 7th (Kabylake) Generation Intel Processors which are from around 2016-2017. Moreover i5-6xxx, i7-6xxx, i5-7xxx and i7-7xxx have a marginal difference in system performance and technologies available compared to i3-8xxx and are superior to the supported Atom and Celeron products. These processors also meet all of Windows 11 other system requirements and Dell have stated that all Skylake Systems have regarding a Trusted Platform Module (TPM Version 2.0) c.f. Dell Article Number: 000103639 and a UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot patched to address the GRUB2 Security Exploit c.f Dell Article Number: 000177589.

Microsoft Response:

Steve Dispensa @dispensa [VP of PM, Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Windows Commercial] https://twitter.com/dispensa/status/1408577130946994176?s=20 "The chipset requirement is based on a bunch of factors, including supportability, capabilities, quality, and reliability so we can ensure everyone has a great experience. We're working on a blog post with more info, coming soon."

Ran the "WhyNotWin11" app (had to use Firefox, and an end run on Windows blocking) on my 2 year old Win10 XPS desktop, and it passed all requirements, probably because it came with TPM 2.0 and i9 CPU and Secure Boot enabled.

My 5 year old XPS 13 laptop was not so lucky, with TPM 1.2 and an i7.

I was able to find the following recent article on upgrading firmware on certain Dell products from TPM 1.2 to 2.0:
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000132583/dell-systems-that-can-upgrade-from-tpm-version-1-2-to-2-0

Unfortunately the info did not help my old laptop to pass muster.

I won't be in any rush to upgrade to Win 11, free or otherwise.