Even though Microsoft has pushed back the end of Windows 10 support by another year, at some point there will be no more security updates for the popular Windows operating system. When that time comes, you’ll have few options on how to proceed.
What can you do if you want to move up to Windows 11 but your current Windows 10 PC is so old that it isn’t eligible? One thing you can try is to use a free app called Flyby11, which was recently updated to version 3.0 and is available for download on GitHub.
From the version 3.0 changelog:
Flyby11 now supports the Media Creation Tool as a download source. […] If the Fido downloader doesnt work for you or the ISO language doesnt match your system, it’s recommended to use the Media Creation Tool instead. It always downloads the ISO in your system language and “gives you the best chance of keeping files, settings, and apps.”
With Flyby11 version 3.0, you should be able to install Windows 11 on computers that don’t meet Microsoft’s hardware requirements for the operating system. In other words, a lack of TPM and/or Secure Boot or an old processor shouldn’t stop you from installing Windows 11.
That said, even though you can use Flyby11 to install Windows 11 on an older Windows 10 PC, our security expert Mike Danseglio doesn’t recommend it. Not only is Flyby11 not supported by Microsoft, but Mike’s take on forcing Windows 11 onto incompatible hardware or using third-party Windows 10 security patches is simple: “Hard no.”
Further reading: Don’t toss your Windows 10 PC! Try KDE Plasma