Retro Tech: Adopting Windows 11 on Pre-2021 Models

If you have installed Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, the upgrade process will be a tough task. When you try to look for an update, Windows 11 shows everything as up to date and has no option to install the 22H2 version.

While you can use the ISO-based clean install method, the upgrade process lets you install the latest version without deleting your apps and other data. Here’s how to upgrade to Windows 11 22H2 on unsupported hardware using the Windows 11 setup file.

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How to Upgrade to Windows 11 22H2 on Unsupported Hardware

Windows 11 runs a hardware compatibility check during the upgrade process. To perform a successful upgrade, you’ll need to work around this hardware compatibility assessment. To achieve this, we’ll replace the appraiserress.dll file in Windows 11 ISO with the appraiserress.dll from Windows 10 ISO.

If you have Windows 11 22H2 and Windows 10 ISO available, skip to the third step below. If not, follow all the steps to download the necessary ISOs and then perform an upgrade.

While these steps shouldn’t cause any issues, it is better tocreate a backup of any important Windows 11 data on your system drive just in case something goes wrong and you need to perform a clean install.

1. Download the Windows 11 22H2 ISO

You canlegally download the Windows 11 ISO from the Microsoft server directly or using Media Creation Tool. For this guide, we’ll use Media Creation Tool to download the ISO image file.

1. Go to theMicrosoft Software Download page .
2. Click onDownload Now underCreate Windows 11 Installation Media.
3. Run themediacreationtool.exe file and accept the license terms.
4. Review the selected language and edition. To change the language, uncheckUse the recommended options for this PC and select your preferred language.
5. ClickNext .
6. Select theISO file option in theChoose which media to use dialog.
7. Select the download location and clickSave . Make sure the selected partition has enough space available.
8. Media Creation Tool will start downloading the ISO to your local drive. This process may take some time, depending on your Internet connection. So wait for the download to complete.
9. Once the download is complete, clickFinish and follow the next step to download Windows 10 ISO.

2. Download a Windows 10 ISO

You’ll need to modify the Windows 11 ISO by replacing the appraiserress.dll with a version available in Windows 10 ISO. This DLL file is responsible for performing a hardware check during an upgrade.

To download Windows 10 ISO:

1. Go toWindows 10 download page .
2. Click theDownload Now button underCreate Windows 10 installation media .
3. Run themediacreationtool.exe file to open Windows 10 Setup dialog.
4. Click onAccept .
5. In theWhat do you want to do screen, selectCreate installation media and clickNext .
6. Check if the language, edition, and architecture preferences are set correctly. If not, click onUse the recommended options for this device and set your preferences.
7. Next, select theISO file option and clickNext .
8. Select the download location and clickSave .
9. The downloading process may take several minutes to complete. So wait for the process to complete and clickFinish once done.

Once you have both the ISO files saved, follow the next step to extract and modify the Windows 11 ISO.

3. Modify the Windows 11 ISO to Bypass Hardware Check During the Upgrade

The following steps involve extracting the Windows 10 ISO and copying the appraiserress.dll file. Next, move the copied DLL file to the Windows 11 ISO’s sources folder. Here’s how to do it.

1. Right-click on theWindows 10 ISO file and selectMount . This will create a new virtual DVD Drive and open the ISO folder.
   
2. Open theSources folder and locate theappraiserres.dll file. Copy theDLL file and move it to a different folder.
   
3. Next, extract the Windows 11 ISO to a different folder. You canuse WinRAR to extract the Windows 11 ISO file.

Click here

4. Open the Windows 11 ISO’s extracted folder and then theSource folder.
5. Next, copy and paste theappraiserres.dll file copied from Windows 10 ISO into Windows 11 ISO’sSources folder.

1. SelectReplace the file in the destination to confirm the action.
   
2. Next, disconnect your PC from the Internet. This prevents the setup from downloading updated files during installation and overwriting the modified dll file.
3. Once the Internet is disabled, open the extracted Windows 11 ISO folder and double-click on theSetup file . ClickYes if prompted by UAC.
4. In theWindows 11 Setup dialog, click onChange how Setup downloads updates.
   
5. Next, selectNote right now. This will prevent the Windows setup from finding and installing newer updates causing the upgrade process to fail on unsupported hardware.

6. In theChoose what to keep screen, selectKeep personal files and apps.
7. ClickNext and then click onAccept .

8. Next, click onInstall to install Windows 11 version 22H2 while keeping your personal files and apps.

9. Leave your computer idle until the installation process is complete. After the restart, you’ll have the latest Windows 11 22H2 running on your computer.

To check your Windows specification:

1. PressWin + I to openSettings .
2. In theSystem tab, scroll down and click onAbout .
3. Under Windows specifications, you’ll seeVersion 22H2 if the upgrade was successful.

4. Go Back to the Previous Version

If you run into an issue after the upgrade, you can use theGo back option to undo the update and restore the earlier version of Windows 11. However, the “Go back” option is only available for seven days since the upgrade. After that, the option will be greyed out.

To go back to the previous version:

1. PressWin + I to openSettings .
2. In theSystem tab, scroll down and click onRecovery .
3. Click onGo back underRecovery options . Then, follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the Windows 22H2 update.

Installing Windows 11 22H2 on Unsupported Hardware

It is easy to bypass the Windows 11 system hardware requirements when you want to perform a clean install. However, to perform an upgrade, you’ll need to modify the appraiserress.dll file and then run the setup.

While the upgrade is possible for now, the lack of future automatic Windows updates makes maintaining the PC a complicated task. If upgrading to Windows 11 is not a must, you can stick to Windows 10 on older hardware, which will continue to receive support until late 2025.

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