CPU Needs Updating for Windows 11. How do I do that?

Hello,

Your CPU is the "brain" of the computer. Depending on the motherboard, it can be in different places.

If you have a desktop, you can usually upgrade the CPU, since the motherboard is upgradable. In this case, if you could provide me with your motherboard make and brand, I can look into where the CPU is located for you.

But, since your CPU is a 4th gen Intel Core i5, it might be better to upgrade the whole PC in general. The CPU that you have was released in 2014, and Windows 11 needs an 8th gen Intel processor or higher (you need an Intel Core CPU released after 2017).

Hope to hear back from you.

My name is Jonathan Deives. I'm an Independent Advisor and I will be happy to help you.

Are you using a laptop?

Unfortunately, upgrading a processor in a laptop is difficult because it is usually soldered to the motherboard, so it is not possible to replace the processor in these cases.

Ask Microsoft CoPilot about: free Extended Security Updates (ESU) until 2028.

Please do not upgrade you CPU until more clarification of what Microsoft will do between October 2025 (switch over) and October 2028, when the ESU expires. Half of their users use Win10 and most of them will be business of government civil service who simply cannot do the CPU upgrades, or they just won't do it because the CPU tech Microsoft wants is major overkill for the tasks their machines do.

So, use the free Extended Security Updates (ESU) until 2028 and maybe either upgrade your CPU then or see what Microsoft are doing with Win10 when there is still like 30-50% of people using it. They can't just let it burn with so many machines using it, that would be very irresponsible.

Backlash would also be huge in the coming years because what they are asking people to do is unreasonable. Most simply do not need better than Intel i5. I know I don't.

Hello,

As I said with the people above, you have three options:

The first option is to buy the Extended Support Updates from Microsoft for $30 a year for every year you go past 10/2025 (more can be foundhere).

The second option is to upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. Although not recommended, you can upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported hardware by making some registry edits. You also might run into compatibility errors as well as a slow system.

The third option is to purchase a new motherboard or even a new PC in general. This option is actually more recommended since you can enjoy better hardware.

If you do decide to upgrade your entire PC in general, since the 7th gen Intel Core processors don't support 3xx motherboards (they only support 1xx and 2xx motherboards), you will be able to enjoy a fast and snappy experience with Windows 11 as well.

Now back to the second option:

To install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, I would first recommend making an entire backup of your system just in case something goes wrong, and then once you are done with that, follow the steps below.

Open Registry Editor and push File > Export and then make sure All is selected under "Export range". Save it to a location anywhere on your computer, and then press Save.

After that is done, at the navigation bar on top, type this: HKLM\System\Setup\MoSetup and push enter. After that, right-click inside that screen and press New then "DWORD (32-bit) value". After it is created, give it the name AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMorCPU exactly as written, and then press Enter. Press enter again and give it the value 1. Make sure that Hexadecimal is selected as the base, and then press OK. Make sure to type everything as written.

Then, restart your computer and then use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, the Windows 11 ISO, or the Media Creation Tool. All three of these options will get you to Windows 11, version 24H2.

To use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant and then run it. You should see some prompts telling you about Windows 11 and what it'll install. Let it download and install 24H2.

To use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, and run the MCT. Once it finishes loading, push "Upgrade this PC Now". Let the MCT install the Windows 11 installation files, and then let it check for updates, and then let it install Windows 11.

To use the Windows 11 ISO, download the Windows 11 ISO, (you can find it here, scroll down to where you see ISO for Windows 11 x64 devices), mount it, and then run setup.exe (if you see a UAC prompt, push yes). Follow the prompts on-screen and then let setup.exe update and install Windows 11, 24H2.

All of these steps will get you to 24H2 and will take a while to install. It's best to do this at night when you're not doing anything important. Just make sure to save your files before you start.

For more information about unsupported processors, you can refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors to learn more about supported processors for Windows 11.

Hope this helps.

Hello,

There are three main practical options:

The first option is to buy the Extended Support Updates from Microsoft for $30 a year for every year you go past 10/2025 (more can be foundhere).

The second option is to upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. Although not recommended, you can upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported hardware by making some registry edits. You also might run into compatibility errors as well as a slow system.

The third option, is to purchase a new computer. This option is actually more recommended since you can enjoy better hardware.

Now back to the second option:

To install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, I would first recommend making an entire backup of your system just in case something goes wrong, and then once you are done with that, follow the steps below.

Open Registry Editor and push File > Export and then make sure All is selected under "Export range". Save it to a location anywhere on your computer, and then press Save.

After that is done, at the navigation bar on top, type this: HKLM\System\Setup\MoSetup and push enter. After that, right-click inside that screen and press New then "DWORD (32-bit) value". After it is created, give it the name AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMorCPU exactly as written, and then press Enter. Press enter again and give it the value 1. Make sure that Hexadecimal is selected as the base, and then press OK. Make sure to type everything as written.

Then, restart your computer and then use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, the Windows 11 ISO, or the Media Creation Tool. All three of these options will get you to Windows 11, version 24H2.

To use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant and then run it. You should see some prompts telling you about Windows 11 and what it'll install. Let it download and install 24H2.

To use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, and run the MCT. Once it finishes loading, push "Upgrade this PC Now". Let the MCT install the Windows 11 installation files, and then let it check for updates, and then let it install Windows 11.

To use the Windows 11 ISO, download the Windows 11 ISO, (you can find it here, scroll down to where you see ISO for Windows 11 x64 devices), mount it, and then run setup.exe (if you see a UAC prompt, push yes). Follow the prompts on-screen and then let setup.exe update and install Windows 11, 24H2.

All of these steps will get you to 24H2 and will take a while to install. It's best to do this at night when you're not doing anything important. Just make sure to save your files before you start.

For more information about unsupported processors, you can refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors to learn more about supported processors for Windows 11.

Let me know how this goes.