Enthusiast manages to run Windows 11 on a single-core Intel Pentium 4 chip from 15 years...

[Humza]

The big picture: Microsoft’s shiny new OS has had a mixed reception, not helped by the fact that users considering updating/trying out the OS on their relatively recent PCs were put off by a stringent list of system requirements, accompanied by vague messaging around compatibility and updates for unsupported PCs. This situation has led to some interesting experimentation around Windows 11 installation on older hardware, with an enthusiast getting the OS to run on a 15-year-old Intel Pentium 4 661.

We’ve previously detailed on how you can bypass Microsoft’s TPM and CPU requirements to get Windows 11 running on your unsupported PC. And while that may be running an incompatible chip from just a few years ago, it turns out Microsoft actually supports Intel’s single-core Pentium 4 chip that came out in early 2006.

As posted on Twitter by user @Carloss_SM1995, Windows 11 not only booted on their machine, whose specs are noted below, but also claims to have it updated with Patch Tuesday.

• Intel Pentium 4 661 3.6 GHz
• ASUS P5Q 4 GB DDR2 800
• Nvidia GeForce GT 710
• 120 GB SSD

To upgrade or not? That is the question

Of course, unsupported PCs are getting Windows 11 updates, at least for now, but what’s interesting here is that Microsoft’s Windows 11 Compatibility Tool actually counts the single-core Pentium 4 chip as a supported model, despite Microsoft specifying at least a dual-core CPU in its minimum requirements list.

That processor core count shouldn't qualify but appears to have done it anyway

Although not an ideal experience, Windows 11 on a 15-year-old chip is still possible, and it could only be a matter of time until Microsoft updates its unsupported CPU list and the PC Health Check App in what's increasingly looking like an arbitrary limitation to get users buying new PCs. For reference, the tool regards the more recent (and capable) quad-core i5-4690K as an unsupported chip.

Nevertheless, for interested users having an old, retired PC catching dust somewhere, it might be useful to note that Carlos installed Windows 11 on his test machine with the USB-based Windows 10 PE installer in MBR/Legacy mode and that no EFI emulation was involved in the process.

Images credit: Carlos S. M.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/91838-enthusiast-manages-run-windows-11-single-core-intel.html

 

[Geralt]

MS is a shame. What a bad company we have to suffer to game something.

 

[Dimitriid]

Sounds impressive, until you remember you can run Linux on a toaster. I'm not even kidding about that btw search Amazon for "smart toaster" pretty much all "smart" and "IoT" things run on Linux.

 

[0dium]

Pathetic

 

[Achaios]

Ιf Intel had any control on the matter, we would all be using Intel Pentium 4 Northwood mono-core derivatives today and this generation of CPU's would have been the 20th gneration of single-core CPUs on a straight line from Intel Pentium 4 Northwood of 2002.

I can visualize the suits over at Intel right now cursing AMD.

 

[Thunder6230]

This article has been written yesterday as well

 

[Bullwinkle M]

Windows PE is a gimped Preinstallation Environment
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/winpe-intro

It is NOT a full copy of Windows!

I have a full activated copy of Windows 11 Pro running on a 10 year old Sandy Bridge without TPM or secure boot

It runs on a single MBR partition with an old-school BIOS

With all the current updates, it is much faster that the stock install

 

[VaRmeNsI]

I see no reason to upgrade from W10 at the moment...

 

[Bullwinkle M]

I see no reason to upgrade from W10 at the moment...

You don't have to.....

You can install Windows 11 to Go to a thumb drive

It will activate and you can still download all the updates

You can also run the full (activated) copy of Windows 11 on "ANY" compatible computer while keeping the Windows 10 install fully activated on the original computer

This will give you 2 activated copies of Windows on 2 machines with only a single license

Try it and if you don't like it, simply erase the thumb drive

If you like it but the thumb drive is too slow, make a backup with Acronis True Image and restore the Windows 11 Partition to a Fast Internal SSD

It will still be activated, still be portable, still get updates, and you will still get 2 activated copies of Windows from a single license

Windows 10 will not be deactivated!

I've done this with both Rufus and Aomei Partition Assistant

Try it

 

[Aceseven]

Ιf Intel had any control on the matter, we would all be using Intel Pentium 4 Northwood mono-core derivatives today and this generation of CPU's would have been the 20th gneration of single-core CPUs on a straight line from Intel Pentium 4 Northwood of 2002.

I can visualize the suits over at Intel right now cursing AMD.

But at the same time think about how optimized some games would be, its great having 147 cores but it seems the more power we have the wonkier the games get.

but devs will become f***in savants to get a game to run on the switch? it makes no sense.

 

[netman]

I am buying a new PC, an Intel NUC, not because of Microsoft stunt or to use Windows 11 on it, but because my current desktop is from 2013 with 4th generation CPU...!

 

[Bullwinkle M]

I am buying a new PC, an Intel NUC, not because of Microsoft stunt or to use Windows 11 on it, but because my current desktop is from 2013 with 4th generation CPU...!

Replacing one locked down system with another locked down system?

Why?

Do you have a reason for needing a sidegrade?

My CPU's are from 2011 and I have absolutely no need for a downgrade to any locked down system

 

[y6Tq2RGXEejb]

We used to run Crysis with those specs.

 

[captaincranky]

Wow, just think how great he could get Windows 7 to run on that rig, or for that matter, even Windows 10.

My only question is, but could he get the print spooler to run without getting it infected.

 

[Markoni35]

I used to play a flight simulator on a 4 MHz CPU.

That's 0.004 GHz.

 

[Nintenboy01]

I have an old ThinkPad Edge with an AMD E2-1800, should try getting Windows 11 on there just for funsies

 

[ZedRM]

what's increasingly looking like an arbitrary limitation to get users buying new PCs.

Forcing people to buy new PC's in this pandemic economy further hindered by a world-wide chip SHORTAGE makes about as much sense as Ellen Degeneres voting for Donald Trump. It's seriously insane and a notion lacking all mental acuity.

 

[ZedRM]

My only question is, but could he get the print spooler to run without getting it infected.

If that service set to "manual" it only runs when needed and shuts down otherwise. This has shown to be an effective counter-measure to that vulnerability.

 

[captaincranky]

Forcing people to buy new PC's in this pandemic economy further hindered by a world-wide chip SHORTAGE makes about as much sense as Ellen Degeneres voting for Donald Trump. It's seriously insane and a notion lacking all mental acuity.

Both an interesting and thought provoking analog.

Sometime in the past, I believe that Rosie O"Donnell and Trump had an intense feud going on as well.

 

[ZedRM]

Both an interesting and thought provoking analog.

I really wanted to strike the stupidity home...

It seems very clear that whomever is making the decisions to force those completely artificial and lame-brained limitations/requirements is not the same people making the improvements to Windows via version 11. So all of this BS is likely a result of the left-hand not knowing or being powerless to stop what the right-hand is doing. I say take a rubber-mallet to that "right-hand" until it(they) have some sense knocked into things.

 

[captaincranky]

@ZedRM Well, like I've been saying, the new requirements for Windows 11, were likely worked out in executive washrooms around the globe, in discussions about how to introduce "planned obsolescence" into the world of desktops.

And from the looks of things, it didn't take many worms to bait the hook either.

 

[ZedRM]

Those "people" either need to pull their heads out from where the sun doesn't shine or make an exit from ms

 

[captaincranky]

Those "people" either need to pull their heads out from where the sun doesn't shine or make an exit from ms

So why is it then, if, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks, "but addicts and imbeciles are so easy to train"?

In summation, I think those heads will stay put, and their proud owners will just think it's night time.

 

[ZedRM]

Yes?

 

[captaincranky]

Yes?

Did I overdo the metaphor thing? I did throw in an "old adage", to break things up a bit.