Dell computers tested for upgrade to Windows 11

Adding to what speedstep said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2021/6/25/22550376/microsoft-windows-11-tpm-chips-requirement-security 

Microsoft have released the first Dev Insider Preview Build of Windows 11. It looks like they have a traffic light system with:

• Green: Meeting Windows 11 Hardware Requirements. i.e. 8th Generation Intel Processors and newer.
• Amber: Not Meeting Windows 11 Hardware Requirements but Meeting Minimum Requirements for the Windows Insider Program. Installation works on 6th and 7th Generation Intel Processors.
• Red: Not Meeting Requirements for the Windows Insider Program. Likely the case for 5th Generation Intel Processors and earlier that don't have a TPM Version 2.0 but I haven't tested.

For more details see:

With these minimum system requirements in mind, the PC Health Check app was intended to help people check if their current Windows 10 PC could upgrade to Windows 11. Based on the feedback so far, we acknowledge that it was not fully prepared to share the level of detail or accuracy you expected from us on why a Windows 10 PC doesn’t meet upgrade requirements. We are temporarily removing the app so that our teams can address the feedback.

Hi @Philip_Yip,

Good post as I said elsewhere you posted.  Please remember Optiplex 7010 is 3rd gen, not 2nd.  I wouldn't want it inadvertantly tested with 2nd gen.  I look forward to the results.

If you post the results alone, as in not in a thread I already answered in, could you please include @bradthetechnut?  Thanks.  Though not supported, or yet anyway, I too wonder if a 7010 can run Win11.

Or, better yet, may be the results could be posted at the top of the Optiplex forum as a sticky?

Chris M,

Why has Dell decided to abandon such a HUGE portion of existing Dell PCs simply for the lack of a .5 TPC version difference?   Can't Dell simply release an firmware update ?

There must be a massive number of Optiplex 3000, 5000, and 7000 series machines in the x010 - x040 range still in active use, many purchased from authorized MS Refurbishers quite recently, as well.

Is there -that- much of a hardware difference between, say, a Optiplex 5040  /  i5  / 8GB / 500GB and and a Optiplex 5050 / i5  / 8GB / 500GB  ??

A lot of people (and especially businesses) are going to be very disappointed when they discover that they have a floor(s) full of cubical dwellers using very adequately performing 3040's, 5040's, or 7010's .... that are now unable to be upgraded (to Windows 11) ..... save for a .5 version difference in ONE feature of the firmware.

Maybe there's more to the technical differences between a 5040 and 5050, so pardon the rant if so.  However, if this is just an arbitrary cut line, on behalf of thousands (millions ?) of very loyal, otherwise satisfied Optiplex users, PLEASE reconsider.

A quick edit/correction to my own rant/post above, the comparisons between Optiplex example models should read 5050's vs 5060's  or 3050's vs 3060's  (etc).  

Keep in mind that MS has decided to not only require TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot but any system with a pre generation 8 CPU will not be supported. So in this case even if it were possible to update a BIOS with TPM 2.0, the CPU restriction rules out any possibility of an update. This is a MS requirement which Dell and other manufacturers have no control over. It is possible that the CPU requirement and other requirements may change by the time RTM is available.

I've been running Windows 11 on my OptiPlex 7040 Intel Core i7 6700 for some time now, very well indeed. Before installing Windows 11, I made sure all of the hardware security requirements were met: UEFI BIOS, secure boot, TPM 2.0, and virtualization based security (VBS). Also installed all of the latest Dell driver updates.

Turns out, these 6th gen Core i7 CPUs check off all the requirements for Windows 11, but are still classified as non-compliant.

The problem I see for the future, post October 5, is updates. Not just updates from Microsoft, but also driver updates from Dell. Microsoft is very unclear about updates to uncompliant machines, implying maybe there will be none. And Dell has stated that no, they won't provide driver updates for Windows 11, on my OptiPlex 7040.

So here's my question:

Should users like me stop checking for driver updates from Dell? Or, are the Windows 10 drivers compatible with Windows 11? Or, is there just no reasonable way to keep using Windows 11, on the OptiPlex 7040, after October 5th?

Thanks!

"Should users like me stop checking for driver updates from Dell? Or, are the Windows 10 drivers compatible with Windows 11? Or, is there just no reasonable way to keep using Windows 11, on the OptiPlex 7040, after October 5th?"

Up to you if you want to keep checking for driver updates.  I run Win10 Pro on a 7010 and never get around to checking for driver updates, even if some may view that as incorrect.  Win10 came with all the drivers I need.  I don't have any GPU cards or any other accessories that require driver updates.

"Most accessories and associated drivers that work with Windows 10 are expected to work with Windows 11. Check with your accessory manufacturer for specific details."  https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/windows-11 

Will a Windows update kill Win11 on a 7040 with a 6th gen CPU after Oct. 5?  That I don't know.  Some users might have to experiment and keep us informed, which is also keeping the public informed.  Some articles came up when I Googled:  https://www.google.com/search?q=will+a+windows+11+update+kill+windows+11+on+a+6th+generation+processor&oq=will+a+windows+11+update+kill+windows+11+on+a+6th+generation+processor&aqs=chrome..69i57.38864j1j4&client=ms-android-americamovil-us-revc&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8