Creating a Windows 11 24H2 Installer USB for Unsupported PCs with Rufus

• To generate a bootable USB for Windows 11 24H2 on unsupported devices, launch Rufus. Select your USB drive, click “Select,” browse for the ISO file, hit Open, click “Start,” and opt for “Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0” as well as “Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account” . Finally, click “OK.”
• USB boot media allows for a fresh installation. For an in-place upgrade, registry edits are necessary before starting the Windows Setup.

UPDATED 10/7/2024: The Rufus application enables users to create a bootable USB drive for installing Windows 11 24H2 on unsupported hardware. This guide will walk you through the entire process.

If you are using a computer with Windows 10 or an earlier operating system version that doesn’t fulfill the Windows 11 24H2 (2024 Update) hardware prerequisites, the Rufus utility lets you craft custom installation media that circumvents many of these hardware checks, including the memory threshold, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0.

This tool also provides options to bypass internet requirements, allowing you to set up Windows 11 with a local account instead of a Microsoft account. Additionally, starting from version 24H2, the setup automatically activates BitLocker during installation, but Rufus offers a choice to prevent this feature from being enabled if desired.

It is essential to have at least a TPM 1.2 module and a CPU that supports the “POPCNT” instruction. If these features are absent during the 24H2 upgrade, your device may not boot correctly.

This guide outlines the steps to utilize Rufus for creating a bootable USB to install the Windows 11 2024 Update on nearly any hardware.

• Create Windows 11 24H2 USB for unsupported hardware using an existing ISO file
• Create Windows 11 24H2 USB for unsupported hardware downloading the ISO file

Create Windows 11 24H2 USB for unsupported hardware using an existing ISO file

To create a Windows 11 24H2 bootable USB drive using an existing ISO, first connect a USB flash drive with a minimum capacity of 8GB and follow these instructions:

1. Visit the Rufus website.

2. Download the most recent version from the “Download” section.

3. Run the executable file to open the program.

4. Select your USB flash drive from the “Device” dropdown.

5. Click the Select button.

   

6. Locate and select the Windows 11 24H2 ISO file.

7. Click the Open button.

8. Proceed with the default settings following the selection.

9. (Optional) Customize the drive name in the “Volume label”field.

10. Press the Start button.

11. Enable the “Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0” option to create the bootable USB for unsupported hardware.

    

12. Enable the “Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account” option to skip the internet requirement and establish a local account.

13. (Optional) Check the “Create a local account with username” option and provide a username for automatic account creation.

14. To prevent automatic BitLocker activation, check the “Disable BitLocker automatic device encryption” option.

15. Click the OK button.

After completing these steps, Rufus will prepare the USB boot media that bypasses hardware limitations for the installation of the Windows 11 2024 Update on a wide range of devices.

Create Windows 11 24H2 USB for unsupported hardware downloading the ISO file

To create a Windows 11 24H2 bootable USB for unsupported PCs by downloading ISO files using Rufus, follow these steps:

1. Visit the Rufus website.

2. Click the link to download the latest version in the “Download” section.

3. Double-click the executable to launch the application.

4. Select the Settings icon (third from the left) at the bottom of the window.

   

5. In the “Settings” menu, set the “Check for updates” dropdown to Daily.

   

6. Click the Close button.

7. Click Close again.

8. Restart Rufus again.

9. (Optional) From the dropdown menu, select the USB flash drive as the target for the installation media under the “Device” section.

10. Set the “Boot selection” to “Disk or ISO image” .

11. Click the down-arrow next to the button and choose the Download option.

    

12. Hit the Download button.

13. Choose the Windows 11 option.

    

14. Press the Continue button.

15. Select the “24H2” option under the “Release” section.

16. Click the Continue button.

17. Choose either the Windows 11 Home/Pro/Edu option.

18. Press the Continue button.

19. Select your preferred Windows 11 language.

20. Click the Continue button.

21. Select the x64 architecture.

22. Press the Download button.

23. Designate where to save the Windows 11 24H2 ISO file.

24. Follow the default settings when prompted.

25. (Optional) Provide a name for the drive in the “Volume label” field.

26. Click the Start button.

27. Check the “Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0” option for installing version 24H2 on unsupported systems.

    

28. Check the “Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account” to create a local account without internet.

29. (Optional) Check the “Create a local account with username” option and set a username for automatic account creation.

30. To disable automatic BitLocker encryption, select the “Disable BitLocker automatic device encryption” option.

31. Finally, click the OK button.

Upon completing these steps, the tool will start generating the installation media for Windows 11 24H2 for unsupported hardware.

In-place upgrade bypass commands

workaround that necessitates executing several commands to modify the Registry prior to executing the “setup.exe” file to commence the upgrade. Future iterations of Rufus will automate these commands.

Exercise caution, as incorrect registry modifications can result in system instability. Always back up your system before making changes.

To initiate the Windows 11 24H2 installation process on unsupported hardware using the USB boot media created with Rufus, adhere to the following steps:

1. Access the Start menu.

2. Look for Command Prompt (or Windows Terminal), right-click the first choice, and select Run as administrator.

3. Execute the command below to remove the “CompatMarkers” key, and press Enter:

   reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\CompatMarkers"/f 2>NUL

4. Run the following command to remove the “Shared” key:

   reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Shared"/f 2>NUL

5. Execute this command to eliminate the “TargetVersionUpgradeExperienceIndicators” key:

   reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\TargetVersionUpgradeExperienceIndicators"/f 2>NUL

6. Add a new multi-string value to “HwReqChk” under “AppCompatFlags” with the command below, and press Enter:

   reg.exe add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\HwReqChk"/f /v HwReqChkVars /t REG_MULTI_SZ /s, /d "SQ_SecureBootCapable=TRUE,SQ_SecureBootEnabled=TRUE,SQ_TpmVersion=2,SQ_RamMB=8192,"

7. Add a new DWORD value to “MoSetup” under “Setup” using this command, and press Enter:

   reg.exe add "HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup"/f /v AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU /t REG_DWORD /d 1

After executing these commands, you will have removed specific registry keys from the “AppCompatFlags” section. The “/f” parameter enforces deletion, while “2>NUL” suppresses any error messages.

In addition, the “HwReqChk” value is added as a multiple string (“REG_MULTI_SZ” ) indicating certain hardware requirements while a “MoSetup” entry is made with a DWORD value to permit upgrades even on devices with unsupported TPM or processor configurations.

To revert the changes, recreate the deleted keys with the following commands:

• reg.exe add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\CompatMarkers"
• reg.exe add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Shared"
• reg.exe add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\TargetVersionUpgradeExperienceIndicators"

And then, remove the added values using these commands:

• reg.exe delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\HwReqChk"/v HwReqChkVars /f
• reg.exe delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup"/v AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU /f

Update October 7, 2024: This guide has been revised for accuracy and to reflect the latest developments in the installation process.

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