Why can't I upgrade to windows 10 my Dell Latitude E6420?

Question

WHy can't I Upgrade to windows 10 or Windows 11 my Dell Latitude E6420?

I found my old laptop from a decade back.

It had following spec

i5 2nd Gen
2GB*2 (4GB Ram)
500GB HDD
Windows 7 installed

I tried to upgrade it

4GB*2 (8GB) and 500GB SSD as primary
removed the old DVD drive and replaced it with the existing 500GB HDD using a caddy.
cloned entire HDD to SSD (using dd) and then wiped HDD
Updated BIOS from A08 to A25

I thought this upgrade would make it more suitable to support windows 10/11.

Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 and secure boot so that is out of the question

But Windows 10.

Created a bootable USB
Started installation wizard from boot by usb technique
Got error: no drivers available

I tried to solve it by using different port, and also tried using Intel Rapid storage technology thing. It still said no driver available.

What could be the reason? and also can I upgrade the processor too?

ejn63 · Answer

Windows 11 will never be supported on this system -- the CPU is too old and does not meet the Windows 11 requirements, above and beyond the TPM requirements. There is no CPU you can use with this system that will meet Windows 11 requirements.

Windows 10 will run on the system, but with only 4G RAM it will be very slow going, even with an SSD. You will want to upgrade to 8G (the most this system can take) and start with a clean install of Windows 10 rather than an upgrade.

Bryce hoyr · Answer

At that point I'd just upgrade to an office pc

Platinum Sprinter · Answer

I've successfully installed Windows 10 and Windows 11 (bypassing the TPM requirement) 2 different Dell Latitude E6420's. Not only does it run really good, but there is also driver support. That said, I have upgraded both laptops to 16GB of RAM and installed Solid State drives in them for speed. I highly suggest at least 8GB of RAM and a Solid State drive before you attempt to install Windows 10 or 11. For 16GB and a decent sized SSD, you'll spend somewhere around $70. It'll be even less if you get them from Amazon.

The best way to install Windows 10 or 11 on these laptops is by creating a bootable USB using the program Rufus. With the Windows 11 ISO, you're given the option to create bootable image without secure boot or TPM. Use the MBR partition scheme, NTFS File System, and let it create a bootable disk. Before you boot from it, make sure in your BIOS settings that its set for Legacy boot and not UEFI. For whatever reason, creating a UEFI bootable drive and UEFI BIOS settings leads to a slow boot before loading quickly into Windows. Then you can proceed to boot from the USB. It'll go through the entire windows installation. I've posted some screenshots (pardon the subpar image quality).

ceeman2 · Answer

@Platinum Sprinter​ cant seem to get win 11 going on my e6420. bootable usb asking to hit any key to boot from usb but no keys work at that point. tried external keyboard also.  have ssd and 16gb ram. win 10 runs flawless

Platinum Sprinter · Answer

@ceeman2​ Hey there. Are you still having problems? If so, just double check that you used MBR for the partition scheme in Rufus when you create the bootable thumb drive and also make sure the boot sequence in the BIOS is set to legacy mode. If those things are done, try different USB ports and try creating the bootable installation on another thumb drive. Also, when it gets to the point where you hit any key to boot and nothing happens, is the system frozen? No lights if you hit the caps lock or number lock? Only other thing I can think of is to try flashing the latest BIOS. My systems were on the latest BIOS when I did the installation. I hopw you can get Windows 11 loaded. Best of luck and keep me posted.

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Why can't I upgrade to windows 10 my Dell Latitude E6420?

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