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Comment by nfriedly | Hacker News Reader

I used Rufus to make a Windows 11 installer USB drive that bypasses the TPM check and online account setup and a couple of other things. I've been using that along with O&O Shut Up 10++, and Firefox with uBlock Origin to refresh computers for local folks.

With the "requirements" check bypassed, Windows 11 actually runs on the Intel 1st gen Core i-series and newer, as well as any Ryzen CPU and, I think, a couple of earlier AMD generations. (It requires the popcount instruction, which isn't present on the Core 2 and older.)

Anything older gets Windows 10 IoT which gets updates until 2032.

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One of the reasons I made the jump to Linux was the level of effort it took to disable all the shit that I don't want Windows to do. It became easier to just install Linux (Ubuntu, PopOS) and not have to futz with configuration to turn a bunch of unnecessary 'default on' stuff off - just get on and use the thing.

Yay Linux.

I switched for the same reason.

Company insisted that I upgrade to Windows 11, I decided Linux was better.

> bypasses the TPM check

The caveat with this is that it will fail the check on subsequent version upgrades too and will refuse to upgrade.

Non-Enterprise editions are only supported for 2 years so your 25H2 (or whatever it is) installation will go sour in 2027.

Perhaps, but Windows 11 has been out for 4 years and every version so far has worked without a TPM.

Wait so the TPM check is not some kind of real Windows 11 limitation? They could make an option to bypass this check (with all kind of "I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING" checkboxes I assume), they just chose not to do it? This is madness

Yes. I think that initially there was even official documentation from Microsoft for how to bypass the check, although I can't find that now, just "unofficial" things like this https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2121461/.... (The top two comments have two different ways of bypassing the check: a command line flag for the installer and a registry change.)

They just really, really want to force the use of bitlocker on drives, which makes both "evil maid" attacks and data recovery harder. Coincidentally they're also trying to make everyone put everything in OneDrive.

> everything in OneDrive

Because they want to charge a monthly fee for the profit and share price.

Apple and Android are doing the same thing (using photos backup as the first step to charging monthly).

Time to start hoarding data storage hardware before computer vendors make free, local storage impossible?

That's sweet.

I've never figured out how to best use O&O ShutUp10 so I can use it without constantly having to figure out why something stopped working.

Do you have a setup you'd recommend?

I enable all the "green" recommend options, then go back and re-enable location services, because I like having those for weather and setting the clock automatically.

The one trick I figured out is that things are split between the "Current User" and "Local Machine" tabs, and I have to enable the Location Services on both.

Wish there was a link to this ...

Rufus: https://rufus.ie/en/

How-to guide: https://windowsforum.com/threads/how-to-install-windows-11-u...

Alternative options that don't involve any third-party software: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2121461/...

O&O ShutUp10++: https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10

Firefox: https://www.firefox.com/en-US/

uBlock Origin: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin...

The Rufus way will break on updates. But there is a fully supported version of Windows 11 that doesn't have those requirements. Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC

Afaik you can install Win11 without TPM but you won't get Windows updates then. If I'm okay to not get updates I might as well stay on Win10?

So far updates work fine. It may change eventually, but as I noted in another comment, it's been 4 years, and none of the updates have required a TPM yet.

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