Upgrading an 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - for free

Tux

kraigo wrote a diary today — Windows 10 end of support

There are some excellent suggestions in the comments there. Instead of adding to his comments section I thought that I would post this as a separate diary.

FWIW, I personally use Linux Mint XFCE for both my desktop and laptops — linuxmint.com. I can’t recommend this enough. I have a solid operating system that doesn’t try to sell me crap and isn’t a vector for malware or corporate spyware. It allows me to run those programs I need without any fuss. I have been using Linux for about 20 years.

However, I do keep one mini-computer running Windows for testing purposes. It currently has Windows 10 on it and I will need to upgrade it to Windows 11.

The links below are all from ZDNet and can help you to upgrade to Windows 11 even if your computer is a few years old. If your hardware is still working then there is no reason why it shouldn’t be able to continue running. MS’ Windows 11 hardware requirements are a marketing issue and NOT a hardware issue.

This free tool installs Windows 11 on unsupported PCs - without any bloatware — www.zdnet.com/…

How to install Windows 11 your way (and avoid Microsoft's restrictions) — www.zdnet.com/…

How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - for free today — www.zdnet.com/…

If you aren’t locked into Microsoft’s environment with their tools, apps and online activities, then again I would STRONGLY recommend considering a move to Linux Mint.