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Greeble101

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Greeble101

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December 24th, 2022 05:00

17 R5, Windows 11 support

I am aware that this 2018 released laptop, for reasons unknown, is not officially supported for Windows 11. I can tell you that it WILL run just fine on Windows 11. Most of the upgrade Windows did itself and the rest of the Intel drivers came from Intel and not Dell. I can also tell you that the Command Center software available for my 17 R5 (Windows 10) also works as of this time.

My question is: Why is this laptop not on the list for Windows 11?

  • crimsom

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    Posted December 24th, 2022 06:00

    Hi @Greeble101 welcome to this free user-to-user Alienware laptop discussion forum. 

    Dell has not tested and does not provide drivers for Alienware 17 R5 and does not support Windows 11 on Cassini (end of series) Alienware 17 R5 because there is no Alienware 17 R6. Corporate Dell has decided that there will be no further Dell Revision updates, System Board (aka Motherboard) design is just too old. 

    Alienware 17 R5 supports the Windows 10, 64-bit Operating System | Dell US 


    [This user does not work for Dell and volunteers their free time. Please remember to say thank you by clicking on my thumb up icon.]

  • JOcean

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    Posted December 24th, 2022 06:00

    Interesting that you state it is not supported for Windows 11 as the Dell support page for the M17 R5 lists the Windows 11 drivers. That would seem to show that Dell does indeed support that system as Windows 11 compatible. However you posted about the M17 R5 but the picture you display is the 17 R5 which is not supported. So the question becomes which system do you have, the 17 R5 or the M17 R5 as they are not the same system.

    Also can you post the exact type of CPU that is in your system. Using that it is possible to track down the reason that the system is or is not on the Microsoft list of compatible processors.

    The 17 R5 has an 8th gen Intel CPU which should be supported but you also need TPM 2.0 and I am not sure if the 17 R5 has that feature in the BIOS and if not you should have PTT. But even with TPM 1.2 Windows 11 would run fine though possibly not show as supported if you run the PC Health app.

    I am not a Dell employee...I am forum volunteer

    Serious work on an E5430 and constantly building and working on an i5-6500 Desktop

  • Greeble101

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    Posted December 24th, 2022 07:00

    Indeed you are correct... Mine is an 17 R5. It does have the TPM 2.0, It is an 8th gen, i7-8750H processor and I believe a 1060 GPU. In testing, the very first versions of Windows 11 caused a shutdown hang but with later updates it was resolved. It is currently running Win 11 22H2 with no problems. Really the purpose of the post is to help others that have a similar laptop. Being an MCSE, I have long learned to check my specs against Microsoft's and it is compatible. My question is why wouldn't Dell also support it?

  • nGrencz

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    Posted February 8th, 2023 13:00

    I have been running windows 11 on mine for some time. I like a lot of the new features, and it is a sore spot for me that dell refuses to offer support for a newer (ostensibly better) version of windows for such an expensive piece of hardware that was purchased not long before its release. I have only encountered a couple of hangups.

    First, the backlit keyboard does not work. Seemingly, it will not work no matter what I try. I think this issue may be unique to my device based on what I've read, but Dell's aforementioned lack of consideration for it's customer base prevents me from getting any help at all.

    Second, the Tobii software and the HelloFace (both use the ir scanner I believe) work intermittently. I've had to reinstall the software for Tobii several times and I've completely given up on HelloFace.

    Third, is Dell's commitment to not respond to any inquiries regarding Windows 11.

    Having spent over $5000 (+ more for continued tech support) on a device that couldn't operate the newest OS a few months after I bought it, I can tell you one thing with certainty: I will never by a dell product again.

  • crimsom

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    Posted February 8th, 2023 16:00

    Hi, my  Alienware 17 R5 (i7-8750H, GTX 1070, QHD) MLK Laptop, has GPT with BIOS/UEFI enabled and Windows 10 x64 Professional version 22H2. All updates installed. 

    Looking at earlier posts in this thread, it is not clear how to enable TPM 2.0 and then install Windows 11 version 22H2.  

    There is another thread at Windows 11 TPM Issue Alienware 17 R5 - Dell Community. Evidently this conversion process did not work. 

    Does anyone have a conversion process that works?  


    [This user does not work for Dell and volunteers their free time. Please remember to say thank you by clicking on my thumb up icon.]

  • Greeble101

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    Posted February 9th, 2023 02:00

    On mine I have the TPM & secure boot Enabled. It is running the current version of Win 11. The lighted keyboard works with the latest Command center. I did not allow any Dell update software to install on this PC and used the Intel updater instead. The firmware is updated to 1.20. The only thing I have enabled is RAID instead of AHCI. Oddly enough, I did not enable the Firmware TPM until after Windows 11 was installed. Maybe Windows 11 just sensed the TPM 2.0 module was present and allowed the install. I also did end up resetting the Secure Boot keys during the process. The only real problem I had was the first version of Windows 11 had a shutdown hang issue that must have been resolved in later updates.

    IMG20230209045504.jpgIMG20230209045532.jpg

  • Greeble101

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    Posted February 9th, 2023 03:00

    As a rule of thumb, I also strip out any software within Windows that does not directly apply to how the PC will be used. Since my laptops are used for DJ work running things like Serato, I remove all software that Dell likes to put on their machines and doesn't serve a function to the laptop. I also use C-Cleaner to totally strip out software that came with the Windows install that doesn't directly apply to what I will use the laptop for. Lastly, I used the NVIDA software instead of the Dell version for the GPU.

  • Greeble101

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    Posted February 9th, 2023 04:00

    I honestly don't get why Dell doesn't just don't fix this... Oh they can give the song and dance about the processor being 'old'. Processor tech has not really changed much from generation to generation for over 10 years (Maxwell's Law). Intel and AMD make you think they made BIG leaps when really they want you to keep spending money for small incremental changes in architecture.

    This also goes for operating systems. The big change for Windows 11 IS the TPM 2.0 module being made mandatory to run it. Have they really changed much from Windows 10? Nope. Same OS different name with a few security updates and some window-fluff.

  • Greeble101

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    Posted February 9th, 2023 11:00

    Try installing the Command Center - Full Install to get the lights working. I tested the latest on mine this morning (Feb 2023) and my lighting is still working. It still won't allow overclocking through the app. I know your pain. The Tobii software doesn't seem to have updates past 2018 for the 17 R5.

  • crimsom

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    Posted February 9th, 2023 15:00

    Hi @Greeble101 thank you for sharing your conversion from Windows 10 to Windows 11 process and BIOS images.

    PC Health Check says Enable TPM 2.0 but my BIOS Security "Firmware TPM [Disabled]" cannot be Enabled. There is no "PPI Bypass for Clear Command" option. There is "UEFI Firmware Capsule Updates [Enabled]". My BIOS Main is similar to your image, but AC Adapter Type is 240 W. 

    crimsom_0-1675985468611.png crimsom_7-1675987148936.png 

    Do not want to brick my 17 R5. Still not sure how to get Windows 11 installed. Seemingly my 17 R5 OS will remain Windows 10 x64. 


    [This user does not work for Dell and volunteers their free time. Please remember to say thank you by clicking on my thumb up icon.]