How to Install Windows 11 on an Old PC?

What you should know about Windows 11

Microsoft has officially released Windows 11 on October 5, 2021. This time, Windows 11 is very different from the previous Windows OS. In addition to the new UI design, Windows 11 also pays more attention to user safety, so it has higher requirements for computer installation conditions.

Many users have upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11, but some users are still using older Windows OS or PCs, and they cannot upgrade to Windows 11 due to the configuration requirements, so these users may want to know how to install Windows 11 on an old PC. Don’t worry, this article will provide you with some solutions.

How to install Windows 11 on an old PC step by step?

If you want to install Windows 11 on an old computer, you can only perform a clean installation. Different from upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11, a clean installation of Windows 11 can avoid the Windows 11 check tool to detect whether the PC’s hardware meets the minimum requirements of Windows 11 (such as UEFI boot mode and TMP). Therefore, users of old PCs and old Windows OS can use this method to install Windows 11. Next, I will show you how to install Windows 11 on an old PC.

│Part 1. Create Windows 11 installation media

First of all, you need to prepare an empty USB (larger than 8 GB) to create the Microsoft Media Creation Tool.

Step 1. Connect the USB to the PC to ensure that the computer can detect it. Then download the Windows 11 media creation tool.

Step 2. After the download is complete, open it at desktop.

Step 3. Select the edition and language here and click Next.

Step 4. Select the method of creating a USB flash drive, and then click Next.

Step 5. Choose your USB and install Windows 11 Setup on the USB.

After all, your Windows 11 installation media has been created successfully. You can plug this USB into any PC to install Windows 11.

│Part 2. Install Windows 11 for old computer

Step 1. Now, plug in the USB and restart the computer. Follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen to enter the BIOS. Use the arrow keys to move the boot sequence of the USB to the first one in the boot sequence list. Then press ENTER to save the changes and press ESC to exit (Different computers operate according to the different prompt keys below).

Step 2. Restart the computer again. At this time, your computer has booted from the USB.

Step 3. Wait a moment, you will see the Windows 11 installation interface. Set language, time and input method and click Next.

Step 4. Click Install now button.

Step 5. Now, please enter the product key. If not, please click “I don’t have a product key” and click Next. But this will prevent you from using some functions.

Step 6. Select an edition you plan to install and click Next.

Step 7. Accept the License Term and click “Next”, click “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)” in the next window.

Step 8. Select the disk you want to install Windows 11 and click Next.

Step 9. After the installation is over, your computer will enter the Windows 11 interface.

This is how to install Windows 11 on an old PC. Do you think a clean installation of Windows 11 is too much trouble? Then I will introduce you another method.

Create a Windows 11 bootable USB drive

Creating a portable Windows 11 USB allows you to use Windows 11 on any computer without installation. Because Windows To Go does not support Windows 11, so I suggest you use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to create Windows 11 bootable USB. This method will also bypass Windows 11 detection procedures.

This powerful and popular software has a built-in “Windows To Go Creator” function, which is specially designed to make different bootable devices, it allows users to use the Windows OS they want at all times.

What you need to prepare:
1. A USB drive larger than 13 GB. If there are important files on the USB, please backup in advance. Because this operation will delete all USB data.
2. Download the Windows 11 ISO file.

Step 1. Plug the USB drive into the computer. Make sure it is detected by your PC.

Step 2. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. On the top pane, click "Tools" > “Windows To Go Creator”.

Step 3. Choose “Create Windows To Go” for personal computer and click “Next”.

Step 4. Choose the first option “Create Windows To Go with system disc/ISO”. Click the folder icon to select ISO manually. After that, click “Next” to continue.

Step 5. Select a USB drive as target and click “Proceed”.

Step 6. You will receive a message that all data on the USB will be deleted, click Yes. After a while, the Windows 11 bootable USB will be set up.

After that, you need to plug the Windows 11 bootable USB into your computer. Enter the BIOS interface when restarting, and change the boot sequence of the USB to the first one. Then restart, your computer will display the Windows 11 interface.

Further reading: Migrate Windows 11 to an old PC

There is another way to avoid a clean installation, which is to migrate a Windows 11 from one PC to another PC. You need to connect the hard disk of the old PC to the PC with Windows 11, and then select Migrate OS to SSD on the interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Follow the instruction to complete migration.

After completing the migration according to the steps, install the hard disk back to the original PC. See if it can start normally. If it cannot start normally, use Universal Restore to restore the operating system to a computer with different hardware.

Conclusion

How to install Windows 11 on an old PC? You can only perform a clean installation. This article provides you with detailed steps to install Windows 11. If you think the new installation is troublesome, then you can also use AOMEI Partition Assistant to create a portable Windows 11 USB or migrate Windows 11 to an old PC. Please choose a method according to your actual needs.