Come November, 2025, Windows 10 will stop receiving security updates. Those updates typically include 50-75 patches for flaws discovered in the past month that compromise Windows security. Cybercriminals analyze those fixes to develop malware for copies of Windows that haven't been updated yet -- why spend time & effort finding vulnerabilities when Microsoft will tell you exactly what they are. Since Windows 10 & 11 share most of their programming code, most malware based on Windows 11's monthly fixes will work on every copy of Windows 10. The only bright spot is that scams like phishing work, so cybercriminals may see no need to improve.
TD;LR
If you're still using Windows 10, whether your PC/laptop/tablet meets the Windows 11 requirements or not, the easiest choice is to upgrade to Windows 11. If it meets the Windows 11 requirements you've probably seen the option to upgrade to Windows 11 on the Windows Update page of Settings. Microsoft also offers a tool to check compatibility, and there's at least one 3rd party alternative. If it doesn't qualify you can use a free tool, Rufus, to create a setup USB stick that will work just fine.
support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/can-i-upgrade-to-windows-11-14c25efc-ecb7-4ce6-a3dd-7e2e24476997
github.com/rcmaehl/WhyNotWin11
It also wouldn't hurt to check for compatibility issues with the latest version of Windows 11, 24H2, though most have been fixed.
learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-11-24h2
The best long-term solution is to switch to Linux, *if* you can still do what you want/need using it. That's because Microsoft may throw more BS our way, like it did with the arbitrary hardware requirements for Windows 11. The low effort high risk choice is to continue running Window 10. Microsoft will still patch it for 3 years, but even if you get those fixes, expect Microsoft to throw more roadblocks in your way. The most expensive choice is to buy a new device or upgrade the one you're using now. You won't have to worry about running unsupported hardware, which some people will worry about, and if your device is really old, or you've outgrown it, you'll get the nice boost of having something new. Note however, that while you'll see a big boost moving up 4 or more CPU generations, moving up 2 might have you wondering why you bothered. You'll probably see a bigger difference moving from a lower powered, cheaper CPU to a more expensive CPU close to or at the top end.
* * *
To recap, if you have a PC, laptop, tablet etc. that doesn't meet the requirements for Windows 11, the choice requiring the least effort is to do nothing, which is expected by many to be the most widespread response. Some people will get hit with malware in November, and some won't, & you can play the odds for as long as you want. There's also a slight chance that you'll get a reprieve & the Trump admin will force Microsoft to share the 3 years of continued updates they're selling corporate & education users [consumers will be able to buy just the 1st year's worth for $30]. 0patch provides another alternative at 0patch.com . Software, including Windows, reads files on your hard disk into memory [RAM] and executes them there. When Microsoft patches a file it replaces the existing file with a new one -- 0patch applies the necessary fix every time unpatched files are read into memory. The cost today is 24.95 EUR +tax per year for one PC/laptop.
There is already at least one hack available to enable all 3 years of extended updates, though you won't know if it works until November, 2025. It's also possible that Microsoft will fight back, making sure that this and similar hacks won't work, setting off a cat & mouse game with new hacks followed by new fixes. Microsoft also makes an extended servicing version of Windows 10, which is not available to consumers but you can find it online. It comes with almost no apps, and no Store, but you can add that stuff if/as you want. Both of those routes violate the license agreement, though according to some ex-Microsoft employees, Microsoft doesn't really care too much. Let your conscience be your guide. zdnet.com/article/can-you-really-get-windows-and-office-for-free-these-hackers-say-yes/ [The PowerShell script the article talks about also includes 3 years of extended updates, which will not work on Windows 10 Home, but there's an option to upgrade to Pro, and an option to activate once you do.]
For the other strategies dealing with the end of 10 you'll want/need a bit of lead time before November hits. You can buy new hardware, or upgrade what you've got to meet the Windows 11 hardware requirements, but with this year's Very uncertain markets & pricing you'd probably want to start shopping Now. You can wait a bit if you're thinking of switching to another OS like Linux, but you don't want to wait until the last minute either.
There are Many Linux flavors or distros to choose from, so you'll likely want to try more than one to see which is the best fit -- thankfully you can do this without having to actually install anything. You'll also want to make sure that there are Linux apps that can take the place of the software you're using now. If not, Linux has the Wine and Proton compatibility layers [for apps & games respectively], which may or may not work to let you keep using your current software &/or games -- you can check this online at winehq.org and protondb.com . If Wine won't let you run the apps that you want/need, you *might* be able to use them in a VM [Virtual Machine]. A VM uses emulated hardware [software pretending to be hardware components], which works for most but Not all apps, and it uses some of your host PC's/Laptop's hardware resources, so you'll need enough horsepower to run both the host OS [Linux] and the VM. You can get a good idea of if it will work, and how well, by installing VirtualBox software in Windows, creating a Windows 11 VM -- don't waste a key activating it yet, since you'll need a new key to activate the copy in Linux -- and trying your apps there. If it works OK you can easily enough add VirtualBox to Linux and set up the Windows 11 VM you used there.
There also a 99%+ chance that you can simply upgrade to Windows 11 regardless your hardware not meeting the requirements. It will not work if the PC/laptop/tablet requires a 32-bit OS, it might not work if the PC/laptop is too much more than 10 year's old, it might not work with some older apps, and it might not work, at least well, with some older peripherals like printers. While the upgrade itself *usually* takes 2-3 hours, you'll need enough lead time to make sure everything you want/need works well enough for you, and have enough time leftover to go a different route if needed. You *might* be able to do a relatively painless trial run by booting to a Windows To Go drive. You can create a Windows To Go drive using Rufus -- select Windows To Go rather than Standard Install -- and a Windows 11 ISO. It works MUCH better if you use an SSD in an external USB housing rather than trying to run it from any USB stick. What you'll get is a copy of all the Windows 11 files/folders identical to what you get running setup for a fresh install but before the final restart, before any hardware drivers have been added. If Windows setup can find *working* compatible drivers in Microsoft's database, it will install them when you boot to the Windows To Go drive, and you'll proceed to setting up or entering your Microsoft account data and so on -- personally I like to use a Windows Enterprise ISO [downloaded as an Insider] skipping that. If it works you'll be running Windows 11 so you can check everything out. If it does not work that doesn't mean your PC/laptop cannot run Windows 11 -- during an upgrade, setup will try to migrate all the existing Windows 10 software and drivers, which *usually* works.
There are of course no guarantees if you run Windows 11, whether your device meets the hardware requirements or not -- we're dealing with Microsoft, a company that tolerates you solely as a potential source of revenue for one or more of its subscription services. With Windows 10 dead, Microsoft could release the next Windows version. Windows 12 was reported by multiple sources to be scheduled for a 2024 release, then the guy in charge of it got into a disagreement and left Microsoft. No one's written anything more about it since. Microsoft latest push was to get together with Qualcomm and heavily promote ARM powered Copilot+ laptops. They use an NPU [Neural Processing Unit] for greater battery life, because it can do *some* of the work normally done by the GPU [Graphics Processer] while using less electrical power. Microsoft has & is spending billions on AI, so it hypes the NPU in a Copilot+ device as enabling AI, adding a few AI powered Copilot+ exclusive gimmicks to Windows 11. There's some speculation that a new version of Windows could add an NPU to the required hardware list. That's almost pure marketing BS. AI works best using a GPU -- Open AI uses millions of them -- and for over a year people have been using AI on PCs & laptops using GPUs. But, the more powerful the GPU the more it costs, the more power it uses, and the hotter it can get, so lots of laptops use a low powered GPU built into the CPU, and so far that's the only place an NPU makes sense. It's also possible that Microsoft could add something new to Windows 11 that uses one or more of the required parts or specs -- currently that's limited to BitLocker [which most individual consumers do not use] working best with a TPM. It's doubtful, since Microsoft's been steadily Removing [Not adding] features since Windows 7, but if it were to happen my guess is that legacy booting would no longer work, at least without a workaround, since Microsoft's been trying to rework Secure Boot for years. And that change, if it were to happen, would effect Very few users, since devices have been using UEFI booting since 2009.
* * *
Upgrading to Windows 11 hardware meeting requirements...
If your PC, laptop, or tablet meets Windows 11's requirements, The best, most reliable way to install or upgrade to Windows 11 is to download the ISO. Using Windows Update, the upgrade assistant tool, and the Microsoft tool to create a USB stick with the setup files *usually* all work, but their failure rate is much greater than using an ISO. Download it here: microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11 . If 24H2 is a problem, the easiest way that I'm aware of to get an ISO of the earlier version, 23H2, is to sign up for the Insider program, which gives you several ISOs to choose from. You Do Not have to enroll your copy of Windows as an Insider.
To upgrade right-click that ISO file and mount it -- if you don't see the option to mount it look for open with Windows Explorer. Then navigate to the ISO -- it'll appear as a DVD inserted in a drive -- and double click setup.exe. The directions are easy to follow, though I suggest that when given the opportunity, you choose Not to download updates during setup. If you already have a Microsoft account, you might want to have your sign-in data handy, though you shouldn't need it.
You can alternatively install a fresh copy of Windows 11 without all of your files & software. Upgrading is usually safer... Windows setup will attempt to migrate everything you have now, including software and hardware drivers that may not be available &/or may not install in a new copy of Windows 11. But, while upgrading will get rid of most of the old garbage, it will not get rid of all of it the same way as a fresh installation. To install Windows 11 fresh you'll prepare and then boot from a USB stick. You can use the Microsoft tool, but I prefer and recommend Rufus for being quicker and more reliable. Download the free Rufus app from rufus.ie . Insert a USB stick and start Rufus, then make sure the USB stick you want to use is selected in the top box. Then click "Select" to open a window where you can browse to the unmounted ISO file. Under "Image option" you want Standard Windows installation. Under Partition Scheme you want GPT. Under Target system you want UEFI. If you want you can change the Volume label for the USB stick you're going to create. When you click the Rufus Start button a menu will pop up with options to bypass checking hardware requirements etc., and after checking any of those you want -- it doesn't hurt to leave the defaults -- Rufus will create a bootable USB stick with Windows setup files. To use that USB stick to install a fresh copy of Windows you need to boot to the USB stick instead of Windows on your hard disk [booting is the process of starting a PC/laptop from a powered off state]. Here's How...
The motherboard or main board in a PC/laptop/tablet has a BIOS chip that looks for a boot loader, which in this case will either start Windows on your hard disk or Windows setup on the USB stick. You need to tell the BIOS to look for the boot loader on the USB stick. There may be a hot key that will bring up a boot drive menu -- you press that key repeatedly on startup from power off to get a menu where you can select the USB stick. You can check online, check the docs for your PC/laptop, or just try each of the F keys. If that doesn't work you'll have to enter the BIOS setup menus, usually by using another hot key. It's often F2 or Delete but may be one of the other F keys, again pressing it repeatedly while starting from power off. Like the boot menu hotkey, you may find out which key to use online or in the docs for your PC/laptop or just try all of the F keys. Another method that *may* work, is to go to Recovery in Windows Settings and select the advanced startup options. The device will restart and you'll get the same Windows boot menu that you get if Windows fails to start 3 or 4 times in a row. That may or may not include an option to go into the UEFI or firmware [BIOS] settings. In the BIOS settings menus you may see a boot override menu where you can select the USB stick as the boot drive *just one time*, which is the preferred option. Otherwise look for a Boot Drive Order menu with a list of all of the attached drives and select the USB stick as the first or top option. Then find the option to save that new setting and restart, booting to the USB stick and running setup.
If the USB stick isn't on that list of drives try creating another USB stick -- USB sticks can have compatibility issues. If that doesn't help, resetting the BIOS to its defaults should help, but **BEFORE** you do that take notes [or photos] of every setting on every screen of the BIOS setup menus, because *YOU* will have to put everything back the way it was. You should see an option to reset the BIOS to its default values, and after a restart you'll need to change any settings that don't match what you recorded. Select the USB stick [which should now be listed] as the 1st boot drive, save the results and exit the BIOS settings, which should cause a restart. The device should now boot from the USB stick and run Windows setup. In some cases the USB stick can persist as the 1st boot drive after you've removed it. If so, the PC/laptop will check any USB stick that happens to be inserted before it starts Windows. If that's a problem for you go back into the BIOS and make sure Windows boot loader is first in the list.
* * *
Upgrading to Windows 11 Not meeting hardware requirements...
Upgrading from Windows 10 to 11 with non-spec hardware is basically the same as using hardware that meets all the requirements -- the only difference is that instead of mounting the ISO and running setup.exe, you'll create a USB stick using Rufus, then start setup by double clicking setup.exe on that USB stick. Installing a fresh copy of Windows 11 is identical. The only *potential* wrinkle I'm aware of is if your PC/laptop/tablet does not use UEFI booting, which while possible, would be rare. An easy way to tell is to run HWiNFO -- hwinfo.com -- once you close the floating CPU-Z window you'll probably see UEFI present with a green checkmark.
If not, that means your PC/laptop uses legacy/CSM booting, and you've got a decision to make... it's entirely possible to keep using legacy/CSM booting, upgrading Windows 10 with the risk that you might have to change things in the future. Installing a fresh copy of Windows 11 however is recommended, assuming you can turn legacy/CSM booting off in the BIOS & UEFI on. Create the USB stick with Rufus as above, selecting GPU & UEFI, in the BIOS settings turn legacy/CSM booting off, UEFI on, the USB stick as the 1st drive in the boot order, and boot to the USB stick to run Windows 11 setup, clearing the disk, installing Windows 11 fresh to a new GPT partition & using UEFI booting. If you want to upgrade, keeping all your files and software but switching to UEFI you've got some work ahead -- skip down to the very end of this to see just how much.
* * *
Finishing Windows setup...
If you upgraded from Windows 10 to 11, most of your old files & Windows 10 itself will be in a folder named Windows.old so that you can roll back the upgrade -- you might also have a new boot menu entry for rolling back. Check the contents of that folder to make sure there's nothing you need to copy elsewhere and save, e.g. an app that wasn't migrated or some docs or photos. When you're ready, go to Windows Tools and run Disk Cleanup, click Clean up system files, and that should get rid of that Windows.old folder and the new boot menu entry.
Upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11 or installing Windows 11 fresh is *usually* fairly painless, but we are dealing with Windows, and that means installing or upgrading to 11 can fail. During Windows setup you'll have the option to check for updates during the setup process -- choosing No helps. If an upgrade fails, setup should automatically attempt to roll back to the prior version of Windows, and that can fail. You might wind up with a boot menu giving you the option to reset Windows, which can also fail. And when the installation or upgrade does work, you can simply wind up with a bad copy of Windows -- while rare, it's been documented at neowin.net & I've had it happen to me. While there are some more involved ways to try & fix those kinds of problems, it's generally just a matter of trying again, & maybe again after that. I like to create a disk image backup beforehand as a failsafe, knowing I can put things back exactly as they were by restoring that backup.
* * *
Switching to Linux...
I think a brief history can be useful to get a better idea of what Linux is & does. Google, Apple, and Microsoft all set out to make computers more like household appliances, something anyone could use regardless their level of skill &/or experience. Linux never shared that goal. Before PCs, computers were run by specialists in biz and universities, and the operating systems [OS] and programming were all about getting stuff done, period. Unix was one of those OSes that was popular when PCs started being sold. When/if ported to a PC/laptop it was more powerful than the competing Microsoft DOS. Linux was developed from scratch to be an open source OS that worked and behaved like Unix, with the same goal to get stuff done. It's now the most widely used OS, though Not on the desktop, where easy and pretty matter. But, it's open source, so Loads of developers have been working to fix that.
The result is that there are plenty of Linux desktops that arguably put Windows to shame, and almost every task can be accomplished today using a GUI just like in Windows. Importantly, all of this work making Linux easier and prettier sits on top of the core Linux code. What that means to you is that you can pick and choose between very many flavors of Linux [called Distros (Distributions)], which are all basically the same underneath, but the parts you see and interact with, and the bundled software, can vary a Lot.
Where Linux is lacking is hardware driver support and proprietary [paid for] software. Most, but not all hardware works, though sometimes not as well as when you're using Windows. And while there's a very large number of apps available, they're not always comparable to the Windows software you can buy. Sometimes you can get around that, sometimes not. The good news is that you can get a very good idea of whether Linux will work for you or not without actually taking the plunge and making the switch. You can run most Linux distros [Live] booting to a USB stick or drive, with the site for those distros usually having the file and directions to do that. Note that there are few 32-bit versions of Linux, & not every version of Linux works with Secure Boot, which is most likely turned on with a Windows machine. You can go more in depth running a Linux VM [Virtual Machine].
To run a VM you first have to install the VM host software in Windows -- the 3 major brands are Windows Hyper-V [not available on Windows Home], VMWare, and VirtualBox. That host software emulates a PCs hardware, so you're basically running a separate PC in a window that you can install an OS to. To make it easier, there are many Linux VMs you can download that are ready to run, so you don't have to install it on a new VM [Google]. The bad part is that running a VM takes more hardware resources including disk space, so a lower end PC/laptop may struggle &/or you may find running a VM impractical.
If you have problems with hardware running Linux, including peripherals like printers, you may be able to Google and find a solution. If you can't find software that does what you want/need, you may be able to install and use Wine to run your Windows software. Wine adds a Windows compatibility layer to Linux, and you can check winehq.org to see if the apps you want to run will work or not. You can also install VM software like VirtualBox and use it to run a Windows 11 VM in Linux. Again, running a VM takes hardware resources, so any software running in it will probably run a bit slower than you're used to. And, not all Windows software will run in a Windows VM, so you might want to first set up a Windows VM in Windows to see if and how well the software runs. If it works you should be able to export that VM with your software and import it into the host software in Linux, so use the same brand host software, and if you're going to activate that copy of Windows wait until you're running it in Linux or you'll waste a key. That said, running a Windows VM in Linux may only make sense if you'll use it less often -- if you're going to spend the majority or all of your time using that VM *maybe* you'd be better off just running Windows 11.
If you're mainly interested in gaming you're in luck thanks to Steam. They went with the more efficient Linux rather than Windows for the handheld gaming device they were creating. And since most games were written for Windows, that meant that they had to create a Windows compatibility layer for Linux that could run those games. You can check this site to see what games work so far: protondb.com . You can add Steam's Proton compatibility layer to an installed copy of Linux: gcore.com/learning/how-to-install-proton-on-linux/ . You can install a Linux distro that already includes Proton, e.g., bazzite.gg . And you can install the Steam OS: store.steampowered.com/steamos/buildyourown .
I believe that the best starting point to look for software and directions on running Linux is often the site for the Distro you've chosen, since the GUIs and software installer/Mgr. can vary. You'll find a list of Linux distros here: distrowatch.com/ . And you can try several distros out in a browser window here: distrosea.com/ . A final note for anyone tending paranoid, or maybe realistic, it's quite possible that the US gov has a backdoor built into or that they've discovered in Windows, e.g., we've seen very public legal battles with Apple to access data from iPhones, but never a hint of difficulty with Windows PCs/laptops. Now between DOGE & the inexperience of many political appointees there have been security breaches, increasing the odds that if that access does exist, it will fall into the hands of cybercriminals. While it's possible the gov has that sort of access with Linux, given the huge number of independent developers involved, the odds are Much greater that it would have been found or detected by now.
* * *
VMware's ESXi...
Something tentative I have not personally explored, VMware has recently reintroduced its free version of the ESXi server software. Its purpose is to run VMware VMs, and the hardware requirements seem rather modest. If you found that you need to run a Windows VM to use your software, i.e., Wine won't work and there are no equivalent Linux apps, but your PC/laptop doesn't have enough horsepower to run the VM in Linux at the desired level of performance, you could try ESXi. While the OS does use some hardware resources, it should be less than the resources used by Linux, letting you allocate more for the VM. As above, note that running a Windows VM rather then just running Windows 11 may only make sense for more occasional use. It's possible to install ESXi to a USB drive, so by using an SSD in an external enclosure you should be able to find out if & how well it works, or just keep running it there.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article?legacyId=2004784
* * *
Flex...
Google developed Android [based on Linux] for cell phones. Then they developed a version of Android that runs on PC hardware that they call Chrome, using it for their Chromebooks. Flex is sort of their generic version of Chrome that works on a limited number of devices and comes without their Play Store. The idea is biz can use it to run mainly in-house web apps. If you can get away with using a web browser, and apps running in that browser, then Flex may work for you as an alternative to Linux & Windows. chromeos.google/products/chromeos-flex/
* * *
Upgrading your hardware to meet Windows 11 requirements...
You can certainly buy a new PC or laptop, but you *might* save some money and avoid contributing to a landfill by upgrading your desktop PC -- you *might* be able to upgrade a laptop too, but your options are more limited. Check the sale prices and reviews for mini-PCs, laptops, and desktop PCs so you have a rough baseline before you start pricing the parts you'll need to upgrade -- you cannot buy the parts as cheaply as companies like Lenovo or Dell. The official list of requirements is here: microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifications
The first 4 requirements below, RAM, hard disk space, GPU, and display mainly eliminate low cost tablets and PC sticks. Most PCs and laptops will meet or exceed these requirements.
Windows 11 requires 4GB RAM [memory], and if necessary you can normally upgrade the amount of RAM in a PC, and in several laptops. While desktop PCs are generally straightforward -- depress the catch(s) for the existing memory sticks, then insert the new ones until the catch(s) re-lock -- for laptops look online for instructions &/or service manuals. Be careful, checking the PC, laptop, or motherboard manufacturer's docs for a list of compatible memory sticks, or at least the specs of what's installed so you can match it. You can also get the specs using CPU-Z from cpuid.com . It helps to buy from a retailer that has easy returns just in case.
Next on the list is 64GB of disk space, which should not be a problem since the smallest drive you can buy is 120GB. Replacing the hard disk/SSD should not be a big deal with most desktop PCs, and is doable in most laptops, but do look for directions &/or manuals online. You'll need to know the physical form factor of the existing drive, M2, 2.5", or 3.5", or the required form factor if you have the option to add a 2nd drive. If you're replacing a 2.5" drive/SSD, the cheapest & easiest way normally is to buy an inexpensive USB drive housing [~$6] and with it attached, clone the old drive to the new one. Then swap them out. Drive docks, M2 drive housings, and 3.5" housings are more expensive, so you may want to consider creating a full disk image backup to an external drive if you have one available, swapping the drives, then restoring that backup to the new drive after booting to the backup software's USB stick. A more involved method with a desktop PC is to connect the new drive internally and then clone the original drive to it. If you're going to swap the drives you don't need to mount it. If you keep both drives go into the BIOS settings menus to set the boot loader on the new drive first on the boot drive order list, then start Windows. Initially you'll probably need to start Disk Management to get a new GUID assigned to the original drive -- cloned drives will have the same GUID, and Windows will not allow that.
I don't think most people will have any problem meeting the GPU requirements: "Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.", but you can add a graphics card to most desktop PCs. [Given the high prices of graphics cards however, you might find it cheaper to upgrade the CPU.] The display should also be: "High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel.", which again I wouldn't expect to be a problem. While you can't change a laptop's display [at least reasonably easily], with a desktop PC you can buy a new monitor.
Windows 11 requires a TPM. I think any CPU on the qualified list is going to have a TPM built-in. You can use HWiNFO to tell you if it's there & enabled, or you can right-click the Start Button, click Run, enter tpm.msc in the box & click OK to run the TPM console. AFAIK there's no way to tell if the TPM's available but turned off short of going into the BIOS settings. You can Google to see if your device comes with a TPM chip, or if the installed CPU includes a TPM -- HWiNFO or CPU-Z can tell you the CPU's model ID. If there's no TPM chip & the CPU does not include one you *might* still be able to add one to the motherboard. To turn on a TPM that's disabled you have to go into the BIOS settings and look for TPM, or fTPM [AMD], or PTT [Platform Trust Technology] for Intel.
Windows 11 requires the device to be "UEFI, Secure Boot capable.". If it was made in 2009 or later it almost certainly qualifies, but like the TPM it may be turned off. It would be rare, but if you upgraded from an *early* version of Windows 7 to Windows 10 it's possible the device uses legacy/CSM booting. You can use HWiNFO to make sure. If it does not show UEFI present with a green check mark your PC/laptop does use legacy/CSM booting. You should be able to go into the BIOS settings and turn legacy/CSM off, UEFI on, and then install a fresh copy of Windows 11, clearing the existing partition(s) for Windows in Windows setup. If you can't turn on UEFI booting the device is likely old enough you need to think about replacing it. It's quite a bit of work to both switch to UEFI & keep your existing files and software, which I discuss at the very end of this.
Saving the worst for last, I think most PCs/laptops fail to meet Windows 11 requirements because of the CPU -- the official CPU lists are here: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/windows-processor-requirements . A laptop's or tablet's CPU is normally soldered in place, but desktop PC motherboards use a socket so the CPU can be swapped out. To see if you can replace just the CPU, check which CPU socket your motherboard uses. CPU-Z and the similar HWiNFO floating window list the CPU & the platform or CPU socket used. Now check the Windows 11 CPU list to see if any of the CPUs use the same socket. If so, the next step is to check the motherboard or PC manufacturer's docs to see if one or more of those CPUs using the same socket is supported in your motherboard's BIOS firmware. HWiNFO will give you the motherboard brand/model. You may have to update that firmware to a newer version, and both firmware updates and instructions on flashing the firmware should [hopefully] be available from the motherboard or PC manufacturer's site. If that's a go, check online reviews and compare the measured temps for the new CPU(s) vs. the one you're using now, and if there's a big jump, your old cooler may not be up to the task. Some CPUs also come with a new cooler. A new cooler will usually come with thermal paste pre-applied, but if you reuse your cooler you'll need new thermal paste [you can find reviews & ratings online]. Note that some coolers use a special backplate on the backside of the motherboard -- some cases have a cutout so you can install or replace it, but if yours does not, you'd have to remove the motherboard to install the cooler & its backplate. Some CPUs require more electricity [measured in watts] than others, and if the new CPU needs more watts than the current CPU you may need to replace the power supply. You can get a good idea looking at the TDP / PPT column in review charts for both the current and new CPUs. If the new CPU requires more wattage than the one you're using use one of the many power supply calculators online, where you enter the CPU, graphics card if present, number of hard disks/SSDs etc., and it tells you the wattage range of power supplies you should use/buy. Compare that with the rating of the existing power supply to see if it'll work or not. Note that those calculators are based on best practice, which is to use a power supply rated for roughly twice the wattage actually needed -- power supplies work most efficiently at 1/2 load -- so there's a bit of a fudge factor. And note that if you can't find out the wattage rating of your current power supply in the manufacturer's docs, you'll have to open the case and possibly pull the power supply to read its label.
Opening the case for a PC or laptop isn't horrible, though it's obviously easier with a desktop PC. If static electricity is a potential problem, buy and use an Anti Static Wrist Strap. Since there are no standard case designs, if you can find a service manual online it should help. A laptop may use a combination of screws and clips to hold the case together -- you use something called a spudger to pry it apart after removing all the screws [the best way I can describe a spudger is to think of a nylon or plastic putty knife or small pry bar]. Note that some of those clips may break when you snap it apart -- it's not something you want to do more than absolutely necessary. For a desktop PC unplug it first, then press the button to start it to drain any electricity stored in capacitors etc. PC cases commonly have removable side panels held in place by two screws each at the rear of the case. With some you slide the panel towards the rear of the case and then lift it off -- with others you might swing the rear of the panel outward and then pull it away from the hinge point at the front of the case -- but those are just common designs & what you have may differ. It might be somewhat nasty inside, with lots of accumulated dust etc. -- if you're sensitive [or if it's someone else's PC] wear a mask. You can vacuum it -- I use an a small hose that attaches to a regular vacuum cleaner, but you can buy specialized vacuums -- or you can blow it out with an air duster or canned air or a blow gun attached to an air compressor. If you blow it out wear eye protection. Before you buy note that the rechargeable batteries in many air dusters may not be as long-lived as you might expect, or hope.
With a desktop PC you should be able to see the brand and model marked/etched on the motherboard, the brand & maybe model of the graphics card if present, and *hopefully* identify the CPU cooler. That cooler may be hard to identify so you may have to try and match a picture, but unless it uses the original cooler mounts that come on every motherboard [many (most?) do not] identifying it is likely the only way to know if it uses a special backplate. You can look at the photos online of any motherboard using the same CPU socket to see what the OEM CPU cooler mounts look like. The power supply should be labeled with its rated capacity, and may have the brand and model listed too, but you may not be able to see that unless you pull the power supply at least partially out of the case. Power supplies are normally attached to the rear panel of the case using 4 screws, but the hassle is all the attached cables.
Before you replace the CPU, update the BIOS firmware if necessary before you remove the old CPU. Also look at directions and watch videos online so you're familiar with what the empty CPU socket looks like, and how the CPU fits in place -- there's a marking on the CPU & socket that line up, but it can really help to see what you'll be doing beforehand. The first step is to unplug and remove the cooler -- ideally you'll have identified it and downloaded instructions or found the service manual so you know how to do that. If not it *shouldn't* be too hard to figure out, but having the directions is a nice plus. It's possible that the screws holding the cooler in place screw directly into a backplate, and once you remove them that backplate may drop out of place, which is something to watch for and as possible avoid so you don't have to pull the motherboard. Once you've detached the cooler it may be stuck to the CPU because of the thermal paste between the cooler & CPU, so you may have to pull and/or wiggle it a bit to break it free. It's usually helpful to have some alcohol wipes handy, because that thermal paste can get on everything, making cleanup a PITA. To replace the CPU you lift the lever or bar for the CPU socket releasing the old CPU, remove it, then carefully lay the new one in place [if the CPU uses pins, e.g., older AMD CPUs, it can help to make sure the CPU is pressed all the way down, so those pins are fully inserted], then push the lever/bar back down, latching it to lock the CPU in place. A new cooler usually comes with thermal paste already applied, but it you're re-using the old cooler you need to clean the cooler's mating surface, removing any traces of the old thermal paste -- alcohol cleaning wipes usually work well -- then apply thermal paste to the CPU following the directions that come with the thermal paste. Then you attach the cooler and plug it into the motherboard. The fan plugs on motherboards are standardized, normally labeled on the motherboard as fan, and optionally 1 or 2 AIO or pump, and the sockets at the end of the wires from the fan can only be plugged in one way. CPU air coolers may use one or two fans, while water coolers may have 2 or 3 fans plus an identical wire from the pump. Those wires may all be connected so you only have one wire to plug in. If you don't have enough fan plugs on the motherboard you can buy fan controllers and/or cables that have 2 - 4 fan plugs on one end, and just one fan plug socket on the other.
You'll need to go into the BIOS settings the 1st time you start the PC, making sure that the new CPU is properly recognized, that the TPM is turned on, and that virtualization is on if you want/need it enabled. While you're there in the BIOS settings you might want to familiarize yourself with the fan settings... once you get into Windows keep an eye of the CPU temps -- HWMonitor cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html -- and if/as necessary go back into the BIOS to adjust the fan speed curves for the cooler. Generally you set the individual fan curves to increase their speed as the temperature rises for your choice of sensor, e.g., CPU or CPU package for the CPU cooler. You'll likely see preset but adjustable curves with choices like Turbo. You can find out what normal temps for the CPU are online, and if what you see is too far off make sure the cooler fan's working. If so you may need to reinstall the cooler in case something went wrong, e.g., it's not sitting correctly on the CPU. Or the cooler may just not be up to the job and you'll have to buy something better. Optional... Once you get into Windows it's a good idea to install or reinstall the latest chipset drivers, and if you're not using a graphics card, reinstall the graphics driver too. Using DDU is more work but also more thorough at removing all traces of old graphics drivers before you reinstall them -- guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/ . You can also start Device Mgr. [right-click the Start Button], click View -> Show hidden devices, click Processors, then right-click -> Uninstall device for each listing of the old CPU. Assuming your purpose was to meet Windows 11 requirements and then upgrade to or install Windows 11, you can skip the optional stuff if you're installing Windows 11 fresh. If you're upgrading however, Windows setup will try to migrate everything from Windows 10 to 11, and that can include stuff you don't want, like the wrong or old driver installations, so that optional stuff is an added safeguard.
If replacing the CPU isn't going to work because none of the Microsoft approved CPUs use the CPU socket on your motherboard, you'll have to replace the motherboard, CPU, probably the CPU cooler, probably the RAM, and maybe the power supply. To find out if replacing the motherboard is feasible check the standard motherboard measurements here: silverstonetek.com/en/tech-talk/wh11_008 . If not you'll also need a new case.
Replacing the motherboard isn't hard but there are more steps involved. Once you pick out a motherboard compare its photos online to the one that's already installed. See if the number and placement of the screw holes match -- an ATX board for example should have 3 rows of 3, but PC manufacturers can use custom boards that vary from standard. If one or more is missing on the current board, check the backside of the plate the board mounts to and see if there are screw holes for the ones that are missing [you should hopefully be able to see that after pulling the case backside panel]. If so, you can optionally order standoffs -- they look like machine screws with a hex nut in place of the screw head -- to use when you install the new board. Don't worry if the center screw hole has a plastic peg popping up instead of a screw -- that's just to make installation easier. Now look at the upper left corner of the new board... normally you'll see one or two electrical plugs. You need at least one plug from your power supply that matches that connector on the new board. If you don't have a cable from your existing power supply that matches, you'll need a new power supply, though you **may** be able to get away with an adapter cable that plugs into one of the existing cables with a 4 pin socket. As in the above section on replacing the CPU, the power supply also needs to provide enough watts for the new CPU, motherboard, drives etc. The motherboard manufacturer's site should tell you the type of RAM [memory] the new board uses -- DDR4 or DDR5 -- and have a list of compatible memory sticks. Use CPU-Z to see what type of RAM you're currently using, and if it doesn't match you'll need new RAM, which is typically sold in matched pairs. As possible buy RAM based on that compatibility list. Whether your old CPU cooler will work or not depends both on how much cooling it provides and if it's compatible with the new CPU socket on the motherboard. You *may* be able to order the mounting parts from the cooler manufacturer if the existing setup won't work. It's important to make sure that the new motherboard supports the new CPU, and whether that support will require a BIOS firmware update, e.g. the CPU model release date is later than the motherboard's. That's not a problem *IF* the motherboard has the option to flash the BIOS from a USB stick when it's not started or running, but not all motherboards have that. If you will need to go that route, make sure you read the manual to know how it works, and have a USB stick ready with the new firmware.
Also in the prep stage...
Once you have the new motherboard installed you'll have to make several settings in the BIOS. These settings used to be explained at a basic level in the manual, but I've seen 3 boards now where the manual skipped this entirely. Even with the help of a manual the BIOS can be confusing, so download and check the manual for the new motherboard, and if it skips the BIOS settings, see what you can find in reviews etc. to get some idea of what to expect. It can help to have another PC/laptop or a phone handy when you're in the BIOS settings so you can search online for what different settings do and how they should be set.
If you're going to use one or more M2 drives with the new motherboard, read both the manual and the package contents, in case you need to buy the attaching screw(s) &/or a heat sink. It can be useful to download the drivers for the new motherboard. If the motherboard is a new model you can probably use what's available on the manufacturer's site, but otherwise those are going to be sometimes much older than current versions. When you get into Windows you might find something doesn't work until you install a driver, e.g., networking, but you may not be able to download that driver because something, e.g., networking, does not yet work because it needs a driver. You should also figure out your Windows upgrade strategy.
You can upgrade Windows 10 to 11 using a USB stick you prepared with Rufus, then swap the motherboard & CPU, letting Windows 11 automatically search for the necessary drivers on first start. Or you can swap the hardware, let Windows 10 look for any needed drivers, then when Windows 10's running, upgrade to Windows 11. The 1st choice **might** be better if you've got older peripherals like a printer, but there's a chance with either method that you'll wind up with some old drivers that need to be found and uninstalled. The 3rd option is to install a fresh copy of Windows 11 once you've got the new parts in place, which prevents old drivers from hanging around, but also removes all your stuff and installed software. *Technically* the 3rd way's the best, but the other two will work 99% of the time. However you decide to do it, you will need Windows 11 setup files -- I recommend using an ISO with Rufus to stick them on a USB stick -- and probably a new Windows key if you intend to activate it.
To remove the motherboard you need to 1st remove any cards, along with any case fans that might be in the way, e.g., a fan mounted to the case rear panel. Disconnect any cables connected to any cards. If you have a graphics card the cable plug(s) from the power supply
usually have a catch that needs to be squeezed before you can unplug it. Note that what may look like one plug is actually two side by side, and each may have its own catch. The graphics card slot also has a catch towards the front of the PC, but the way you release it varies by make and model of motherboard. Each card also has one or two brackets that attach with a screw to the rear of the case -- after removing that screw you should be able to just pull the card out, but do remember that catch for the graphics card slot. There is a group of pins on the bottom right edge of most every motherboard where wires from the case switches and LEDs plug in. Sometimes all of those individual wires plug into a sort of frame to make plugging them in easier. If you have that unplug it, but if not, pull just one of the wires to make sure it's labeled. If it's not labeled, as you pull each wire mark it somehow so you know where it was plugged in, and can later figure out what it does by the markings on the motherboard or from the motherboard's docs. Usually along the bottom edge of the motherboard there's also a plug with several thin wires for the audio jack(s) on the front of the case. The rest of the cables plugged into the motherboard are unique for what they're used for. USB, USB 3, & USB C cables for jacks at the front of the case can just be pulled loose. The flat, wide SATA cables that connect 2.5" & 3.5" drives to the motherboard may have a catch on one side of the plug that has to be depressed. The power cables at the upper left and mid right of the motherboard usually have a catch that must be squeezed, and like the power cables to the graphics card, may be split in two with 2 catches. The plugs for any case fans just pull loose. If you're using a water cooler for the CPU the CPU water block needs to be removed -- you might want to clean and then wrap it so the mating surface does not get scratched. If you're using an air cooler you can *usually* leave it in place when you pull the motherboard. Then you just remove the screws holding the motherboard in place. You might have to move the board towards the front of the case to separate it from the panel at the upper left of the motherboard where all the external plugs are before you can lift it out, since there are often spring steel fingers from that snap-in panel that can get stuck in those plugs. You should be able to remove that snap in panel itself with a small screwdriver. If you're replacing the power supply now is a good time with most everything disconnected -- you'll likely just have to remove the power cables from any 2.5" or 3/5" drives, if you have any.
Before you install the new motherboard you'll want to get it ready. I like to lay it on a sheet of cardboard to better protect any slightly protruding component pins on the backside. Check the manual to see which slots you should use for the RAM if you're not using all 4, open the catch or catches for each slot you're going to use, then just insert the RAM, making sure to line up the slot on the connecting edge, and pressing down until the catches lock in place. If you're going to add any M2 drives install those following the directions in the manual. Make sure to read any notes, because using one or more of the M2 sockets often means reduced or shut off bandwidth somewhere else, e.g., one of the card slots. If the new motherboard comes with a holder for those thin wires from the front of the case, insert those wire in that holder. If the new motherboard has a snap in panel for the jacks or outlets at the rear, snap that into place. Now install the CPU, and if it doesn't block any of the screw holes, the CPU air cooler if you're using one.
Laying the motherboard in place to insert the screws and mount it may require pushing the jacks on the upper left edge of the board against a snap in plate or bezel that often uses spring steel fingers to ensure a good ground. If you encounter that make sure that one or more of those fingers don't get bent and drop down blocking one of the ports. It's usually easiest to start one of the middle screws, but don't tighten it, or any of the screws until you get them all started. You want the screws snug, but you're not going to be taking your PC off road [I hope] so there's no need to overtighten them, which can damage the board. There are no rules saying plug stuff in in this order, but I like to get the thin wires for the case switches, LEDs, and audio jacks out of the way first, since they can be harder to get to. Next I'll do the thicker cables from the power supply to the upper left and mid right of the board, because they have less flexibility routing the cables, and because the one to the top left of the board may barely reach. Then I'll reinstall the fan on the rear case panel and plug in the fans, because the location of the fan plugs on the motherboard can be challenging. Any SATA cables are next, because you do not want any severe or sharp bends. The cables for USB jacks at the front of the case generally have more flexibility so you can route them out of the way of airflow as best you can, tying them up as needed with zip ties behind the panel the motherboard mounts to. That leaves reinstalling any cards, and connecting any cables they use. I'll then attach the water block for the AIO to the CPU if using an AIO [water cooler] instead of an air cooler, because the hoses can get in the way of connecting everything else. Then it's just a matter of tying up cables and excess cable to minimize their impact on airflow and make future maintenance &/or replacements easier.
If you need to flash the BIOS before trying to start the PC now's the time, connecting the power line to the power supply, and the monitor to the graphics card or motherboard display output, and making sure the power supply is turned on. Often it's a matter of inserting a USB stick with the BIOS image file into a special jack and pushing a button near that jack. You'll want to connect a keyboard and mouse and maybe a network cable if you aren't going to rely on Wi-Fi -- some will hold off on making a network connection until Windows is installed to make sure they avoid using an account. When you first start the PC it will take a while for the BIOS to sort of take inventory, to see everything it's attached to -- there are often a set of LEDs on the board itself, or maybe a small display that tells you what stage of prep or post the BIOS is in. It's rare that the new board doesn't work at this stage, but possible. If you have a problem double check that the power supply is on and working, i.e. does something light up. Do the motherboard status LEDs or display stop at one stage, e.g., indicating a problem with the RAM? If the RAM might be a problem per the status LEDs you can try replacing it with a different brand/model. And you can try flashing the latest BIOS if the board allows that when it's not running, but you may just have a bad board.
Once the BIOS is ready you'll normally see a screen on your monitor telling you to go into the BIOS settings menu. If you want to be sure you don't miss it you can press the hot key for your board to enter the BIOS setup -- if you have a lighted keyboard start pressing the hot key repeatedly once it lights up. It's likely that most of the settings will be set to auto, which is usually fine, but you need to review them all to be sure, though you can skip the settings for overclocking at this stage of the game. You'll want to make sure the memory [RAM] is using the right settings [i.e. XMP], that the TPM is on, that virtualization is on/off, whichever you prefer or need. You'll want to make sure that CSM is off & Fast Boot is on. If you're installing a fresh copy of Windows you want to select the USB stick with Windows setup files as the first boot device, ideally using an override menu so it's only first one time. If you're using an existing copy of Windows you want the drive with Windows boot loader [probably the drive with Windows on it] as the first boot device always. And once you've got everything set click the option to save your settings and restart, going into Windows setup or Windows.
Do monitor temperatures as above with the CPU replacement. Do update chipset, network, audio drivers etc. If you didn't flash the BIOS earlier, check for a newer version. Check Device Manager for anything that isn't working, If auto updating a problem device doesn't work, you can try uninstalling it and see if it reappears as a problem after clicking Scan for hardware changes. It may work to update the driver by having the update dialog check the folders with the driver files you've already installed -- you'll need to locate the actual drivers, for example in the C:\AMD\ folder after installing AMD chipset divers. You may have to install every driver the motherboard manufacturer provides, even if their versions are older. If you're reusing an existing copy of Windows you'll want to show hidden devices under the View menu, then uninstall / remove any old drivers for the previous motherboard. Then over the next few days it should just be a matter of tweaking settings in Windows and the BIOS for best performance and to met your preferences, things like power to USB ports when the system's off, lighting, maybe making sure hot plugging is off for the drives etc.
* * *
Breaking down the Windows 11 hardware requirements [showing that they're BS]...
Windows 11 requires that the device is capable of UEFI booting and Secure Boot. Chances are your PC/laptop already uses UEFI booting -- HWiNFO will tell you -- but Windows 11 works just fine booting with legacy/CSM and using hard disks with MBR partitioning. However, while you can install or upgrade to Windows 11 regardless of how the device boots, it's worth considering switching to UEFI if your PC/laptop is still using legacy booting. Legacy booting and MBR hard disks are OLD, dating to before Windows 3.1. When Windows 7 first came on the scene UEFI booting and GPT hard disks were new, and Windows 7 didn't work all that well with it, but closer to its EOL a fresh Windows 7 install would likely use UEFI & GPT. Because it's so old, every year there's an increasing chance that something won't work, including Windows. If your PC/laptop does use legacy booting & MBR hard disks, switching to UEFI & GPT hard disks is of course up to you but suggested, assuming your device is capable of UEFI booting. [If it's so old that it does not, you should consider upgrading your hardware.] Unfortunately the process of switching both the hard disk from MBR to GPT, and the BIOS to UEFI booting is a messy PITA -- it's much easier to set the BIOS to UEFI and install a fresh copy of Windows 11. Still, at the end of this post I include a couple of ways to make that switch if that's the way you want to go.
Secure Boot [in case you want to turn it on if it's off] is separate from UEFI booting, though it requires UEFI. What Secure Boot does is try to make sure that when you start your PC/laptop only Windows starts, and not any malware. If Windows boot loader is compromised by malware, it can start that malware first, before Windows. That's especially dangerous because that malware can blind Windows to the malware's existence, and make removal hard to impossible. Secure Boot compares the boot loader to a list of keys stored in the BIOS, and if it doesn't match, the device will simply not start. Sadly it sounds better than it is... keys have been compromised, some manufacturers include keys for testing and don't remove them afterward like they're supposed to, and at least one malware exploit is able to roll back the key list, then use a revoked insecure key. Microsoft has been reworking Windows boot loader, but what they're trying to do has potential compatibility issues. If they ever make it mandatory it could break some [many?] laptops & PCs, forcing users to turn Secure Boot off.
The Windows 11 requirements specify 4GB of RAM [memory] & 64GB of hard disk storage, which are both arbitrary. Windows 11 will run on a little as 2GB RAM -- like money, more is better but you can only use what ya got -- and Windows 11 will work fine with just 32GB of disk space. Both requirements target things like tablets and PC sticks since most every PC/laptop is going to meet the RAM requirements and exceed those for hard disk space. The same goes for the display & GPU requirements. CPUs on the Windows 11 required hardware list have a newer feature, so that performance doesn't drop *quite* as much if you turn Virtualization-based Security [VBS] on. VBS is optional in Windows 10 & 11, and is supposed to add protection from malware, though I've never seen any evidence online that it ever worked successfully, and most of the security features it adds are for biz rather than home users. It will slow down your PC [a Lot], so in many cases, e.g., for gaming, Microsoft recommends you keep it turned off, and of course if you have it turned off, the CPU list is irrelevant. The worse that will happen if you do use VBS with a non-spec CPU is that your PC/laptop will lose more performance than if you spent a bunch of money to get a new CPU.
And Windows 11 requires a TPM, though it works just fine without one. If your device has a TPM it *might* be worth it to have it turned on, since Microsoft *may* use it for something else in the future. Today it's used for Windows Hello [log in], BitLocker [hard disk encryption], and Credential Mgr. Most devices have a TPM either as a separate chip or as part of the CPU. You can open Windows Security & click Device security & then Security processor and view the TPM's partial status. Note that on this Windows 11 compliant PC at least 1/2 the time it shows Not ready. You can also check the TPM in HWiNFO or by typing tpm.msc in the Run box & pressing enter to bring up the TPM console. There's no way AFAIK to tell in Windows if the TPM is available but turned off, but you can Google your device or the CPU it uses to see if one's available. To turn it on, or see if it's there and turned off, go into the BIOS settings and look for TPM, or fTPM [AMD], or PTT [Platform Trust Technology] for Intel.
* * *
Switching from Legacy to UEFI booting while keeping your software...
First a few important notes... recommended practice is to turn on UEFI booting and install a fresh copy of Windows. The steps outlined below may or may not work -- I've had both methods work and I've had both fail. Windows setup / install routine does not produce 100% consistent results. PC/laptop BIOS very often do not conform 100% to specs. There are repair tools, some included USB sticks for image backup software, e.g., Macrium Reflect, to repair Windows boot loader [BCD] when Windows will not start, and they will sometimes work, or not. This is all a bit iffy -- you'll often see me use the words usually & normally -- so please recognize that you may be wasting your time. The more data [files & folders] you have on the Windows partition, the longer these processes will take, and the more disk space they'll require. If there's anything you can uninstall or move elsewhere it will speed things up.
I want to start by talking a little bit about partitions. You're familiar with the concept of files and folders, and you can think of a partition as a sort of master or top level folder. Each hard disk/SSD has at least one to function, but each hard disk/SSD can have several. A partition stores the location of every file & folder on that partition, and usually has a drive letter in Explorer. You can add, remove, and change those drive letters in partitioning software or Disk Management. Partitions can be created, removed, resized, and using partitioning software, moved... think of a 1 foot ruler -- you can mark a 3 inch segment starting at the beginning of the ruler and ending at the 3 inch mark -- you can move that segment to start at the 1 inch mark, ending at the 4 inch mark -- you can have (4) 3 inch segments taking up the entire length of the ruler -- you cannot increase the size of the first segment unless you first reduce the size of the 2nd -- you can reduce the size of the 2nd segment so it starts at the 4 inch mark and ends at the 6 inch mark, then shift the first segment so it starts at 1 inch and ends at 4 inches, leaving the first inch free -- you can now create a new segment in that free space.
That's Very basically how you work with partitions, and there are two types, the older MBR and the newer GPT. According to the official specs they're pretty much interchangeable, but the type of partition can make a big difference to the BIOS and Windows. The BIOS will o