Preparing For Windows 11

Posted by Orbital Computers
on October 12, 2021

TL-DR: Don't Be A Guinea Pig

Windows 11 promises some moderate feature improvements, but the benefit of those promised improvements is far outweighed by the risk of bugs, glitches, and crashes that are very likely for an early Microsoft release. For the average Orbital PC owner who values stability above all, we would advise that you stick with Windows 10 for the foreseeable future (maybe until Mid-2022) before making the jump to Windows 11.

Introduction

With the recent release of the initial Windows 11 build, you may be wondering how to update your current Orbital Computers PC to Win 11. The brief bottom line is that we do not advise upgrading to Win 11 quite yet. There will be bugs, glitches, and other unforeseen issues that are typical for a new major OS release. While Windows 11 promises some decent features, it isn’t worth the risk to update at the moment. We would advise that you let the product mature for a short while, to allow all the major bugs to surface and be resolved, prior to updating yourself.

In this post we will discuss a few of the hardware/software requirements to install Windows 11. These requirements are changing rapidly, and this post will be updated as new info comes out.

System Requirements

CAUTION: This is not a detailed guide on how to perform these modifications. Please understand thoroughly what you are doing before attempting these BIOS modifications. Backup all your data first and be prepared to troubleshoot.

This data applies to most systems we’ve built since about 2016-2017, but some hardware variation may complicate matters.

1. Enable TPM:

Most CPUs and motherboards we’ve used since around 2017 have Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT) built into them, which is a Firmware TPM and usually meets Windows 11’s requirements. Only requirement is to enable it in the BIOS.

– Shut your PC down.

– Hit the power button to power it up and immediately start repeatedly hitting the ‘Del’ key on your keyboard over and over until you boot up into the BIOS screen.

The steps from here will vary based on the specific motherboard and BIOS version you have, but could be generalized as:

– Go to the Advanced mode on the motherboard if available, look for ‘Peripherals’ or ‘Security’, and find the option listed ‘Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT) or AMD CPU fTPM (for AMD systems) -> Enable that option.

2. Enable Secure Boot:

– Find the Security or Boot tab, and look for ‘Secure Boot’ -> Set it to Enabled.
– Find the Exit or Save and Exit tab, then hit enter on ‘Save Changes and Reboot’.

– Your PC should boot back up and should pass the Windows 11 hardware requirements test.

Note that there are additional requirements at this time in terms of the how your SSD is partitioned, and this may become too complex for a generic online guide. Keep checking back over the next few months for additional guidance as Microsoft releases more details and clarification. In the meantime, enjoy Windows 10 which will continue to receive official Microsoft support until 2025!

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