I need advice about Windows 11 on my old computer

[Paper Roses]

I have an old Dell Desktop computer that has been updated from Win 7 to Win 10 .Do I have to buy a new computer? I did a system check this AM and the message said this desktop would not support Win 11.Should I try to find a reconditioned computer that will have Win 11??
The repair folks who helped me prior to this have both gone "corporate". They no longer will fix PC's, nor will they do house calls.
As an old timer who cannot even lift this tower, I'm sunk. I can't take it so a repair shop.
Don't know what to do or if this machine can somehow accept Win.11.
Any advice for this old timer who is a very simple user?
Except for a messed up "Hotmail" layout, everything I use works fine.

I'm afraid that I have to get a new machine and it is impossible now since I live on SS and that may disappear.
Keeps me awake, no wonder my blood pressure is up.
Any ideas will be appreciated.
Thanks,
PR

[SARose]

1. From my hubs

He’s a retired IT guy. Best recommendation is get a new computer. However, you can find a reconditioned or used tower that already runs Win 11. He said try EBay.

Hope this helps!

[Mosby]

2. Windows 10 will have support thru oct 14 2025.

You can't upgrade to 11. I would let it ride for a while. Even without MS support the OS should work for a while after October.

[hlthe2b]

5. If there is sufficient backlash/outrage it is conceivable that date might get extended...

It has before when MS tried to do away with an operating system.

[Mosby]

7. 👍

[LuvLoogie]

3. What programs do you currently use?

What is your budget for an updated/new/refurbished devise?

[hlthe2b]

4. Most computers approaching that decade mark are not eligible. Go to the Microsoft site and

there will be a way to check your model of computer to see. My laptop automatically told me it was not eligible via pop-ups when WIN 10 updates. Maybe yours does too and you haven't noticed them?

[Egwinsi]

6. Requirements for Win 11

Windows 11 has a few requirements, one of those being "Secure Boot" with a Trusted Platform Module or a TPM chip.

Given that you have had your computer for a long time, since Windows 7 (wow!), it will be impossible to meet these requirements. Newer hardware comes with these features.

Good news and bad news:

The good news is that Windows 10 will be supported for consumers until October 14, 2025 so you still have some time to use Windows 10 and receive regular updates.

The bad news is that the hardware you have will never be compatible with Windows 11 due to it needing a more secure boot-up process.

Now, there are ways to "bypass" the requirement checks for Secure Boot & TPM 2.0 and install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, but you are risking the security of your computer and it may be a more involved process than you're willing to do.

[bullimiami]

8. I agree with just staying on 10 for the remaining life of the pc.

Even after the security update stop.

Until you’re ready for a new one.

[canetoad]

16. I agree with this

Don't fret about not having Windows 11 (12 will be out soon, anyway). In practicality, you can run it on Windows 10 until it's memory modules drop out!

The main problem is new security exploits that come out and there is no fix being made for Win 10. Keep 10 as long as you like, and keep browsing safely - don't visit dogdy sites or open unknown emails.

[Squeaky41]

9. Try Discount Electronics

They have refurbished towers and laptops with Windows 11 and one year warranty.
Reasonable prices, too.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. This site has been suggested on DU many times.

https://pcsrefurbished.com/sales/categorySales.aspx?categoryID=3

There may be income checks, I was seeking internet service. Still might try again.

[hlthe2b]

11. 👍

[Ol Janx Spirit]

12. I own a small IT shop and will say this:

Since you do not have a business that runs software that will require the latest Windows updates to be compliant, you will be able to ride you current installation of Windows 10 out for quite a while--way after the sunset date--until the applications you depend on stop developing for and supporting Windows 10. You will just need to be more careful with your habits since there will not be any security updates for the OS forthcoming. However, being an older computer running a conventional hard disc drive (spinning drive,) you should be anticipating a failure at any time. Yes, that is also true for new computers with solid state drives (so back up your data at all times everyone,) but especially true for any old hardware. People tend to make more hasty decisions when they are up against a failure that has left them without any computer--and those decisions are almost always more expensive. You are always better off transitioning to a new PC in a controlled manner before a failure. The good news for you is that so much processing power is being developed for gaming, virtual reality, and AI, the baseline price of a PC perfectly capable of handling the types of tasks you are probably doing is coming down all the time. There are a couple of things to be aware of however: First, you will see a lot of inexpensive PCs out there with ridiculously small primary drives--32 GB and even 16 GB. These are usually eMMC memory devices and that storage is integrated with the motherboard and not upgradeable. Avoid these at all costs. Eventually you run out of storage and cannot do updates to the OS. While you can still store files on other drives or in the Cloud, the inability to update OS or upgrade the main drive is crippling. Second, a tower PC--even a small one; as opposed to a laptop or micro-pc--is always going to be a better bang-for-your-buck and will be much more easily upgraded and serviced in the future. One note on tower PCs however: look at the video output to make sure your monitor is compatible or you will either need an adapter or a new monitor. Many of them now only have HDMI or Display Port (DP) outputs which will require you to have the right cable or adapter to use with older monitors.
Basic specifications I would look for:
Decent processor: Intel Core i5 or i7 or equivalent.
Good main drive: 1 TB SSD
Enough memory: 16 GB minimum RAM
Latest OS: Windows 11 (But don't be afraid to get Windows 10 if it is eligible for a free Windows 11 upgrade.)

You will either be forced to upgrade due to the operating system or a failure eventually, so start planning and saving now and it should not be a stressful thing.

My two cents....

[Kali]

13. pppffftttt

my computer is a win 7. works fine. most of the time.

[mpgalloway3]

14. Try Rufus

I have half a dozen computers that are more than 15 years old now. All are not eligible for Windows 11 upgrade.
Using an install free program called Rufus they are all running on Windows 11 pro.
All working great!
Just saying!

[hunter]

17. I wouldn't recommend this. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Windows 10 ain't broke yet.

"Upgrading" to Windows 11, especially to a computer Microsoft no longer supports, isn't going to improve the user experience and could quite possibly make things worse.

I don't run Windows or any other Microsoft product on my personal machines but I'm never going to tell anyone who has a single working Windows 10 machine to install Linux on it.

If people want to learn Linux I always recommend they do it on a spare computer, not their primary computer.

If I needed a Windows 11 machine for work I'd expect my customer or employer to pay for it. I wouldn't futz around with Rufus trying to install Window 11 on some old computer I had in my closet.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. Welcome to DU

[Tadams01KC]

15. Same boat

I was planning on buying my laptop from my company when I retired but they decided they needed $2000 for it. So no thanks. I remembered I put my old desktop running win 10 in the basement when Covid sent us home. So I fired it up and have been using it. It will not run 11 so my plan is to renew the antivirus protection (Avast, it was $50) since windows won’t update ver 10 anymore. I’ll keep riding it out for a year or two!

[Hokie]

19. I will echo what others have said on using Rufus

I have a 2014 HP Envy Laptop that was certainly not eligible for Windows 11. I used Rufus to create bootable USB drive with a Windows 11 iso and installed it on my HP. It has been running 2 months with no issues at all.

My attempts to install W11 on a circa 2010 HP desktop were not successful. It would fail on the 2nd boot and revert to W10. However, the PC has an issue with Windows 10 that causes it to fail to boot quite often. I think it might be hardware related. I finally decided to try Linux Mint and it installed and runs great. Frankly, I enjoy using Linux Mint over Windows for most things.

[hunter]

20. I upgraded my old Windows 10 work computer to Linux and it went very well.

It's a 2014 Lenovo that was probably sold with Windows 8.1 but had been upgraded to Windows 10 by the time I got it.

I wasn't using it much anymore and the last Windows 10 update did not go well, with the machine rebooting itself several times before it claimed to be finished. Over the years this machine has become increasingly sluggish with each update, but this time it was intolerably so.

Usually I can track down the problem, removing whatever cruft Microsoft updates inevitably bring, but I couldn't be bothered to do this again. I'm no longer using any software that requires Windows, not even for work, and the machine was so sluggish it was useless to me.

So I backed up all my files to an external drive, downloaded a net-install iso, fiddled with boot order on the laptop setup screen, and it all just worked, no more Windows 10.

With Linux installed the machine is quick and crisp again, probably quicker than it's ever been.

That's what I like about Linux.

But I never tell anyone who is unfamiliar with Linux to do this with their primary computer. There are too many pitfalls, it's not a trivial upgrade, and things can go wrong. It's best to learn Linux on a spare machine and choose a Linux distribution that has a novice-friendly community. Mint or Raspberry Pi OS are good starting points.

When I first signed onto DU I was using Windows 98SE. That choice was largely determined by the availability of the latest web browsers. When these browsers became available for Linux I quit using Microsoft products on my personal computers and started telling people I'd only use Apple or Microsoft products if they paid me.

[LPBBEAR]

21. Sigh

So many of you are so locked into Windows you can't see the solutions are right in front of you.

1. Microsoft prematurely obsoletes perfectly good systems just to scare and arm twist you into buying a new computer....with a newer version of Windows. (funny how that works) Because of this there are huge numbers of perfectly good computers floating around in thrift stores, yard sales, recycle shops etc. I haven't bought a "new" computer since somewhere around 2010. In fact both my laptops are freebies. (they work fine and both run versions of Linux)

People are basically giving computers away because they've been sold a bill of goods from Microsoft about being more "secure" with each new version of Windows. Oddly each new Windows version still needs antivirus anti malware anti spyware yada yada but somehow its more secure than the previous version. (rolls eyes)

2. As one poster mentioned move your older system to Linux.
Most people don't need Windows specific software. Most users need an up to date web browser, an up to date email program, a word processing program, a few games and not much else. Linux runs many of the same applications you might use in Windows. Linux versions (distributions) release regular updates to those applications so your system stays up to date and secure.

As a mostly retired IT guy my advice is to take advantage of the glut of decent free or cheap used computers out there. Most any computer released during the 2011 to now period will run Linux better than they ran with Windows. Invest a little time in learning some basic computer survival skills such as installing your own operating system and updating software once the system is installed. Its not that hard. If you can change spark plugs in a car or install a kitchen faucet you're capable of learning some computer basics. A little knowledge in this area goes a long way towards saving money. Throwing money at a new version of Windows won't magically grant you better security or solve your computer woes.

After all, if you can find a used computer for free, or cheap, what is there to lose if you dive in and use it to learn the basics? Give it a little time and you can free yourself from the reliance on "New" over priced computers, and, if you can make the move to Linux you'll never have to deal with Windows and all its issues ever again nor send more money to Microsoft.

How nice would that be?

BTW, as long as you keep the software up to date in that old Dell you'll be fine. Just use different software than what comes from Microsoft. For instance Google Chrome or Firefox instead of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Edge. LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office. Thunderbird email instead of Microsoft Outlook. A decent anti-virus software etc. As long as those non Microsoft software vendors release updates your system will be fine. Keep your firewall/router updated as well with the latest firmware updates or replace it should updates cease. If the old Dell is still working, relax. If it starts billowing smoke and making weird clunk sounds...ok....look for another computer.