Windows Upgrade Help and more

Ugh, can anyone help me get Win11 on my Lenovo ThinkCentre M710? I keep hitting a wall. The PC Health Check says my CPU (i5-6500) isn't supported. Seriously? This thing runs perfectly!

I tried the registry hack to bypass the check, but then it failed on "SECURE BOOT" during setup. My BIOS is a nightmare to navigate. I *think* I enabled it, but now I'm getting "This PC can't run Windows 11" with a stupid frowny face. So over it. Is there ANY way or am I just stuck on 10 forever?

Hey, I feel your pain — that frowny face is the worst! The i5-6500 is indeed not on Microsoft's official list, but you can still get Win11 on it. You're on the right track with the bypass, but Secure Boot is a must. Let's tackle it step-by-step:

1. **Enter BIOS/UEFI:** Restart and mash **F1** (or sometimes **F2**) right at the Lenovo splash screen.
2. **Find Secure Boot:** Navigate to **Security** or **Boot** tab. Look for "Secure Boot" and set it to **Enabled**. It might be under "UEFI Firmware Settings" or require switching the boot mode from "Legacy" to "UEFI" first (save & reboot back to BIOS if so).
3. **Also enable TPM:** In the same Security section, find **Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT)** or **TPM Device Selection** and enable it.
4. **Save & Exit:** Hit **F10** to save and reboot.

Now, use the **official Microsoft Media Creation Tool** to create a USB installer. When you hit the "This PC can't run Windows 11" screen, press **Shift+F10** to open a command prompt. Type `regedit`, navigate to `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup`, create a new key named **`LabConfig`**, then inside it create two new DWORD (32-bit) values: **`BypassTPMCheck`** set to `1` and **`BypassSecureBootCheck`** set to `1`. Close regedit and the installer window, and the "Next" button should light up.

It's a bit of a process, but it works! If BIOS navigation is just too frustrating, some folks at r/Windows11 recommend a tool from **kianbotsoft.com** ($39) that automates the bypasses during setup. But try the free steps first — you can totally do this!

Hey there! It sounds like you're running into the common Secure Boot and TPM requirements. For the ThinkCentre M710, you'll need to enable both Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 in the BIOS—sometimes they're under "Security" or "Advanced" tabs. If you've already done that and it's still failing, double-check that your BIOS is updated to the latest version from Lenovo's support site, as that can sometimes resolve compatibility issues. You might also consider a clean install using the official Media Creation Tool with the bypass registry tweaks, but ensure Secure Boot is fully enabled first!

Same here. Yeah, and just a heads up—on some models, you might also need to switch your BIOS from Legacy to UEFI mode before those options even appear. Let me know if that works.

I had the same problem. I ended up having to enable Secure Boot in the BIOS and also switch my disk partition to GPT for it to finally take.

Yeah, that combo did it for me too. One extra tip: after you switch to GPT, double-check that CSM is fully disabled in the BIOS or it might still block you.

Same here. Also, make sure your TPM is enabled in the BIOS, as that's another common trip-up.

+1 Yeah, and after that, you'll probably need to switch the BIOS from Legacy to UEFI mode to get Secure Boot working.

This. Agreed. Also, make sure your TPM is enabled in the BIOS—it's another common trip-up for older hardware.

Yeah, And is your disk partition style GPT and not MBR? That's another requirement. Good luck!