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.
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) and a UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot patched to address the GRUB2 Security Exploit. The Insider Preview installs without incident on an OptiPlex 7040 (6th Generation Intel Processor) and OptiPlex 7050 (7th Generation Intel Processor).
I have not tested it with the OptiPlex 7020 (4th Generation Intel Processor) or OptiPlex 7010 (2nd Generation Intel Processor) but my suspicion is 6th Generation Intel Processors will be the actual minimum system requirements.
That being said, Microsoft are suffering a substantial backlash over the system requirements and have already removed the PC Health Check App:
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.
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?
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?
"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.
Thanks, Brad. Especially thanks for providing the Microsoft link to driver compatibility. I had not run across that previously, and only suspected that it was the case. Or more precisely, I had glossed over that one sentence on driver compatibility.
The real problem with Windows 11 is that neither Microsoft, nor Dell, appear to have any interest in keeping slightly older PCs in the running. When Windows 10 was introduced, Microsoft had a different attitude. It went out of its way to make as many existing PCs compatible as it could, even when Dell was telling us to forget about Windows 10, on that PC. I don't know what others think, but to me, obsoleting PCs that are just over 3 years old, and sometimes even less than that, is truly unconscionable. Especially is this era of so-called "sustainability."
So, as I've concluded previously, it seems like a wait and see game, as to whether Windows 11 will continue to be viable, on my OptiPlex 7040. Works perfectly fine for now. Updates and all.
Responding specifically to this question from HS100:
"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 ?"
As far as I've been able to determine,
1. It is not Dell's decision. It was Microsoft's decision. Microsoft decided what CPUs should be admitted, and which ones rejected. It all hinges on CPU generation, across all brands of PCs.
2. It's not just about TPM 2.0. It is also about the capability of the CPUs in question to support UEFI BIOS, secure boot, and virtualization based security, in addition to TPM 2.0.
3. Most importantly, Dell is probably happy to have Microsoft give them an excuse to sell millions of new PCs. There's no particular reason why Dell should work toward any other goal.
My personal experience, with the OptiPlex 7040, Intel Core i7 6700, is that it runs very well with Windows 11. Furthermore, I was very glad to get the recent series of BIOS updates from Dell, as they seem to have resolved the performance hit caused by the initial microcode updates, to mitigate the specter/meltdown threat. So, many thanks for that, Dell!
(I determined this via test program I wrote, for number crunching performance. That same test indicates that at this early stage, Windows 11 is slightly less fast than Windows 10. Very slightly. But then again, the same was true when Windows 10 was first introduced, compared with Windows 7. I guess that over time, these OSs do get improved.)
Most probably, if you are facing some problem related to your windows installing from insider preview. like you are getting some pop-up like TPM is not supported, secure boot option. you need to bypass the TPM 2.0 secure boot CPU and other system requirements. if you want to install windows 11 on your dell computer that does not meet the minimum huddle requirements. check how to bypass the issue. also, you can update windows 10 to 11 on your unsupported dell pc without losing any data.
Dell optiplex 7010 is very capable of running Windows 11. If you go on youtube, you will see people installing windows 11 on What Microsoft call "unsupported" but we call "fully supported" machines. These even get updates. They tried to force people to buy new computers but their strategy has failed. Computers from second generation and up are already fast and secure enough.
speedstep
9 Legend
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47K Posts
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June 24th, 2021 23:00
Because of the TPM 2.0 requirement No.
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
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56.9K Posts
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June 28th, 2021 10:00
Dell computers tested for upgrade to Windows 11
bradthetechnut
7 Technologist
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9.4K Posts
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June 28th, 2021 18:00
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
Philip_Yip
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16.1K Posts
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June 28th, 2021 23:00
Microsoft have released the first Dev Insider Preview Build of Windows 11. It looks like they have a traffic light system with:
For more details see:
bradthetechnut
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9.4K Posts
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June 30th, 2021 14:00
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?
HS100
2 Posts
0
July 21st, 2021 14:00
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.
HS100
2 Posts
0
July 22nd, 2021 10:00
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).
JOcean
9 Legend
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12.6K Posts
1
July 22nd, 2021 14:00
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.
Bert22306
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17 Posts
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September 20th, 2021 20:00
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!
bradthetechnut
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9.4K Posts
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September 21st, 2021 13:00
"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
Bert22306
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17 Posts
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September 21st, 2021 14:00
Thanks, Brad. Especially thanks for providing the Microsoft link to driver compatibility. I had not run across that previously, and only suspected that it was the case. Or more precisely, I had glossed over that one sentence on driver compatibility.
The real problem with Windows 11 is that neither Microsoft, nor Dell, appear to have any interest in keeping slightly older PCs in the running. When Windows 10 was introduced, Microsoft had a different attitude. It went out of its way to make as many existing PCs compatible as it could, even when Dell was telling us to forget about Windows 10, on that PC. I don't know what others think, but to me, obsoleting PCs that are just over 3 years old, and sometimes even less than that, is truly unconscionable. Especially is this era of so-called "sustainability."
So, as I've concluded previously, it seems like a wait and see game, as to whether Windows 11 will continue to be viable, on my OptiPlex 7040. Works perfectly fine for now. Updates and all.
bradthetechnut
7 Technologist
•
9.4K Posts
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September 21st, 2021 15:00
Hopefully it all works out. Many PC's with 7th gen certainly aren't cheap.
Bert22306
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September 22nd, 2021 14:00
Responding specifically to this question from HS100:
"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 ?"
As far as I've been able to determine,
1. It is not Dell's decision. It was Microsoft's decision. Microsoft decided what CPUs should be admitted, and which ones rejected. It all hinges on CPU generation, across all brands of PCs.
2. It's not just about TPM 2.0. It is also about the capability of the CPUs in question to support UEFI BIOS, secure boot, and virtualization based security, in addition to TPM 2.0.
3. Most importantly, Dell is probably happy to have Microsoft give them an excuse to sell millions of new PCs. There's no particular reason why Dell should work toward any other goal.
My personal experience, with the OptiPlex 7040, Intel Core i7 6700, is that it runs very well with Windows 11. Furthermore, I was very glad to get the recent series of BIOS updates from Dell, as they seem to have resolved the performance hit caused by the initial microcode updates, to mitigate the specter/meltdown threat. So, many thanks for that, Dell!
(I determined this via test program I wrote, for number crunching performance. That same test indicates that at this early stage, Windows 11 is slightly less fast than Windows 10. Very slightly. But then again, the same was true when Windows 10 was first introduced, compared with Windows 7. I guess that over time, these OSs do get improved.)
sahin005
1 Message
0
October 3rd, 2021 11:00
Most probably, if you are facing some problem related to your windows installing from insider preview. like you are getting some pop-up like TPM is not supported, secure boot option. you need to bypass the TPM 2.0 secure boot CPU and other system requirements. if you want to install windows 11 on your dell computer that does not meet the minimum huddle requirements. check how to bypass the issue. also, you can update windows 10 to 11 on your unsupported dell pc without losing any data.
yankeebis
1 Rookie
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17 Posts
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October 13th, 2021 16:00
Dell optiplex 7010 is very capable of running Windows 11. If you go on youtube, you will see people installing windows 11 on What Microsoft call "unsupported" but we call "fully supported" machines. These even get updates. They tried to force people to buy new computers but their strategy has failed. Computers from second generation and up are already fast and secure enough.