Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

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FlyingPenguin
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Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

Post by FlyingPenguin »

Interesting experience.

I decided to try installing Win11 on my old workstation as an experiment, since I need to wipe it anyway and set it up as a PC I'll probably give away to someone.

This is an Asus Z170-A mobo (same one you have on your main PC, Exec, if I recall) which I confirmed absolutely has no built-in TPM, even version 1.2. It has a Core i7-7700K (not supported by Win11), 16GB of RAM, and an M.2 512GB SSD.

Just for giggles I used the standard Win11 installer first, and it of course complained that my mobo failed to be compatible because of the CPU and no TPM 2.0.

I tried the Microsoft registry hack, but that only bypasses the CPU restriction - you still need at least TPM 1.2.

I tried using RUFUS, which now SUPPOSEDLY has a feature to create a USB installer that bypasses the restrictions, but for some reason it didn't work. It bypassed the CPU restriction, but kept complaining that I didn't have TPM 2.0, so I suspect all RUFUS does is enable the Microsoft registry hack that I already tried.

I finally came across this article which has instructions on using the Unofficial Media Creation Tool from Github: https://makmodo.com/install-windows-11-without-tpm/

It creates a bootable USB that completely bypasses all restrictions. The only down side is that, as far as I can tell, you can't do an upgrade, only a clean install by booting from the USB (it does give you the option to save your old OS files if you want).

This worked. It easily, and quickly installed Windows 11 with no restriction complaints. I did enable both Secure Boot and UEFI in BIOS, but according to the instructions, all you need is UEFI enabled as this bypasses the requirement for Secure Boot.

So my next question was "What about activation?" If it's a clean install, instead of an update, I ASSUMED that Win11 would want a key, and I had my old Windows 8 Pro key handy, that I had originally installed on this PC, before upgrading it to Win10, in case I needed it. HOWEVER, it wasn't necessary. Surprisingly, the Windows 11 activation server knows if your PC was activated for Windows 10. As soon as I connected to the Internet and opened the Activation window in Settings, it checked the activation server and activated it.
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

Post by FlyingPenguin »

I also confirmed I am getting security updates. The October security update was available and I installed it.

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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

Post by Executioner »

I heard when you do a clean install to have the internet disabled. After the install and you're at the desktop, then you can enabled your internet connection and it should activate just like it does with 10.
This is an Asus Z170-A mobo (same one you have on your main PC, Exec, if I recall) which I confirmed absolutely has no built-in TPM, even version 1.2. It has a Core i7-7700K (not supported by Win11), 16GB of RAM, and an M.2 512GB SSD.
Yeah same mobo. I have no intentions of replacing it. I've had zero issues with the board. I'm not planning on upgrading to 11 since 10 is good until 2025.
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

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Yes, I did have the Internet disconnected when I installed it, but I do that for the same reason I do it for Win10: to force the OS to use a local user account, and not nag me about any of the social/phone home crap.

It's not required for activation. You just click on the 'I don't have a key' button of you're connected to the Internet, and it still, installs. Then it activates when it boots up if your hardware is already authorized.
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

Post by FlyingPenguin »

Oh, BTW, same issues as with Windows 10 generic drivers. Win11 installed some generic drivers, one of which was for the ASmedia 3.1 USB port, which, just like Win10's generic driver, doesn't work at all.

So I installed the factory Win10 drivers and they worked fine and solved all the problems.
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

Post by FlyingPenguin »

BTW: I actually like the new Start Menu. It's a vast improvement over the bloated Win8/Win10 tile start menu. It's simple, it lets you pin your favorite programs, and has a quick search feature.

I would probably still use Open Shell because my work flow revolves around the classic style menu. You still can't easily drag shortcuts to/from the start menu to/from the desktop, which I do a lot.

Also, the new taskbar is really a deal breaker for me. It wouldn't bother me so much for my gaming PC, but on my workstation in would be a pain. I despise the grouped taskbar icons with no app titles. They have also completely eliminated the Taskbar Toolbar, which I use for a toolbar that contains all my commonly used folder and network drive shortcuts (see below).

Fortunately I have read that there are registry hacks to get all that back, but it's a shame it's not just an option in settings.

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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

Post by Executioner »

I have a Dell Inspiron 15R 5537 laptop which is 7 years old, and I'm going to attempt to install 11 on it following that link. I'm going to pull the existing HD out and do a fresh install with the HD formatted as a GPT.

So some questions:
1. In the BIOS, I'm going to enable UEFI first. It's currently installed as a legacy so secure boot is disabled and can't be changed.
[youtu]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSlgQ9ozZQo[/youtu]

2. On a blank SSD, is there an option to format the drive as GPT?
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

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The Windows installer will default to creating a GPT partition if the drive is blank, and UEFI BIOS is enabled. It actually can't boot from anything but a GPT partition with UEFI enabled. Secure Boot is not required if you use the installer I linked to, but enabling it won't hurt anything.
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

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I downloaded the ZIP file but there are only 2 files in the ZIP:
.. MediaCreationTool.bat ..md
.gitattributes

I don't see all the other files as shown in the screen shot.

Then I found this web site: https://makmodo.com/how-to-bypass-windo ... uirements/

I got the ISO file from MS's site, and got the latest portable version of Rufus.
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

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Update: got it installed using option #2 from above using the MS ISO file and Rufus. I did have to go back into the BIOS and enable UEFI so it can boot to 11 and continue the installation. Some things I noticed:
1. I had to connect to my wireless. I did not see an option to skip it.
2. After connecting to my wireless, I had to log into my MS account to continue.
3. Got it all updated with the latest updates.
4. I had 3 items in device manager that were not installed. I thought Windows would download drivers automatically, but apparently not. I had to go into optional updates and download all 9 that were listed.

When using Rufus, the completion percentage got to almost 100%, but the green bar was not all the way at the end. After it hits 100%, it goes in and removes the requirements from the USB/ISO file. Not sure which one it would be.
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

Post by FlyingPenguin »

I didn't have wireless built into that PC, I just left the CAT5 unplugged. I suppose it could be deactivated in BIOS, but that's slimy. I suspect there is a workaround.

You can still change it to a local user and lose the MS Account:
https://www.elevenforum.com/t/switch-to ... s-11.1219/

I just like to do that from the install, when possible.
----
Found the workaround for connecting to Wifi:
https://hothardware.com/news/bypass-win ... al-account
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Re: Got Win11 installed on an Asus Z170-A mobo without TPM

Post by Executioner »

Thanks for those links. I made a note of them. Hard to believe how fast this laptop boots compared to 10 since the laptop is 7 years old.
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