After Rufus, a new utility allows you to install the latest version of Windows on old and officially non-compatible PCs. But if it is indeed feasible, the operation raises several questions.
Microsoft has been very clear: Windows 10 is doomed. This operating system released in 2015 will no longer be supported from October 2025, after ten years of – very – good service. After this deadline, the publisher will in principle no longer publish any updates, not even for its security, which exposes the PCs which are equipped with them to great risks as long as they are connected to the Internet, which is currently This is the case for all computers today. In short, Windows 10 will be completely abandoned, to the great dismay of its many followers who consider it one of the best versions of Windows ever produced.
Windows: the imposed replacement for Windows 10
For Microsoft, the rest of the story must be written with Windows 11. Released three years ago, in October 2021, the successor to Windows 10 represents both the present and the future of personal computing for its creator, even if he did not manage to convince all users. And for good reason: in addition to its chaotic development, to say the least, with disorderly updates that even lose experts (see our article), bugs that accompany them and performance problems that marred its birth, Windows 11 does not does not work on all PCs.
From the start, Microsoft established very strict specifications (see the hardware requirements page). By imposing the presence of a special security chip – the famous TMP 2.0 – and fairly recent processors, the publisher immediately ruled out many PCs that were still perfectly functional. A radical and clearly premature policy which clearly slowed down the adoption of the new system by generating incomprehension, anger and even revolt among millions of users.
And for Microsoft, no salvation outside of Windows 11. The publisher only offers one alternative: update from Windows 10 to Windows 11 for compatible PCs, or buy a new computer! The kind of forced march that is not to everyone’s taste, especially when it is accompanied by countless painful warning messages encouraging change…
Rufus: the best solution for a PC not compatible with Windows 11
Faced with this situation and the diktat of the “Redmond firm” as regulars call it, developers have developed tools to overcome Microsoft’s limitations and install Windows 11 on non-compatible PCs. The best known and most reliable is Rufus, a very popular utility which makes it very easy to install an operating system on a PC from a USB key. And, as we observed when carrying out the operation on fairly old PCs (see our article). this method works perfectly.
Other solutions exist, relying in particular on light versions of Windows 11, such as Tiny11 (see our article). Small but not insignificant detail, the installed system is “tampered”, because certain software components are missing compared to the full version of Windows 11.
Flyby11: a new tool to install Windows 11
And, one year before the end of Windows 10, new methods are appearing, which this time allow you to take advantage of the latest version of Windows 11, the famous 24H2 (see our article), on non-compatible PCs. The first is based on a new version (4.6) of the excellent Rufus and uses a proven technique. The second is based on a different principle. It is about Flyby11a new open source utility developed by a certain Belim and offered for free on GitHub. Like Rufus, this tool – it is actually a script – allows you to bypass Microsoft’s restrictions to install Windows 11 on an old, non-compatible PC. The important difference is that it only proceeds with an update, from a previous version of Windows 11 – which must therefore be installed beforehand. This is not the case with Rufus, which allows a “new” installation, even on an empty or factory-returned computer.
Offering two methods, one of which is by modifying the Windows Registry, Flyby11 remains quite easy to use, even if everything is in English. This should not prevent tinkerers from carrying out the operation to upgrade old PCs to take advantage of the latest version of Windows.
Windows 11 on a non-compatible PC: an unguaranteed future
However, as effective as they are, these diversion techniques pose several problems. First of all, they require some manipulations reserved for “informed” and somewhat experienced users. Then, if Rufus is well known, and without much risk, we do not yet know much about Flyby11 which has just appeared in the “circuit”. The application is not signed, which can, in theory, cause security concerns.
Next, there is no guarantee that Windows 11 will work perfectly on older PCs. In its official requirements, Microsoft requires the use of SSE4.2 and PopCnt compatible processors, which could cause problems with old chips, bugs or crashes. Above all, nothing says that future Windows 11 security and feature updates can be installed on these “doped” PCs. Windows Update could very well eventually refuse to perform them, which would block machines in an unsafe state.
Finally, given the many problems posed by Windows 11 24H2 on perfectly compatible PCs (see our article), it seems unreasonable to carry out this type of development today. Between installation bugs, incompatibilities with certain SSDs and crashes which sometimes lead to the famous BSOD (the blue screen of death, which signals a major system malfunction), it seems prudent to wait for Microsoft to resolve the defects of the official version before considering updating an old and non-compatible PC.
More generally, and as the deadline approaches, it will be necessary to find solutions to manage the end of Windows 10. For those who absolutely want to keep their old PC, the choices will be quite limited: continue to use Windows 10, but without Internet; force the switch to Windows 11 with a workaround method, with the associated risks and limitations; or opt for a different system, like Google’s Mint or ChromeOS Flex, two free Linux-based solutions. Without a doubt, one of the major projects of 2025 for many users.