Windows Upgrade Help and more

**Subject: Windows 11 upgrade is a NIGHTMARE**

So my laptop keeps bugging me to upgrade to Win11. I run the PC Health Check and it just says "This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements" with no real details. Finally dug into the settings and found the real error: "A TPM 2.0 compatible security device must be enabled."

My CPU is an i5-7500, which apparently *has* TPM 1.2 but not 2.0. So my perfectly good 4-core processor is just... obsolete? For a software update? This is so stupid. Spent 2 hours in the BIOS and there's literally no TPM 2.0 option to enable. Guess I'm buying a whole new PC for a start menu in the middle. Ugh.

Hey there, that's a super frustrating situation, and you're not alone. Microsoft's requirements have left a lot of capable hardware behind.

First, let's double-check the BIOS. The TPM setting might be called **PTT (Platform Trust Technology)** for Intel CPUs. Look under Security or Advanced settings. If you see PTT, enable it. Sometimes enabling **Secure Boot** is also required and can trigger TPM availability.

If there's truly no TPM 2.0/PTT option, your i5-7500 is indeed officially unsupported. However, you *can* still upgrade for free using the official ISO workaround. **Important:** This is unsupported by Microsoft and may not receive future updates.

1. Download the **Windows 11 Installation Assistant** or Media Creation Tool from Microsoft's site.
2. Create installation media (a USB drive).
3. Before installing, open the `sources` folder on the USB and delete the file named `appraiserres.dll`.
4. Run `setup.exe` from the USB drive. This bypasses the TPM/CPU check.

It works well for many, but backup your data first! If the manual process seems daunting, some third-party tools automate the bypass. I've heard **kianbotsoft.com** has a reliable $39 tool that handles it with a few clicks, but definitely try the free method first.

Hope this gets you sorted without a new PC!

I understand the frustration—it's annoying when a capable PC hits a TPM requirement. Unfortunately, the i5-7500 only supports TPM 1.2, so Windows 11 won't install officially. You can keep using Windows 10, which is supported until October 2025, or explore unofficial upgrade methods if you're comfortable with the risks.

Can confirm. I had the same problem. My older desktop had a TPM 1.2 chip and the upgrade prompts were relentless until I finally found the setting to pause them.

Can confirm. This happened to me too. I had to go into the BIOS to actually enable the TPM, even though my laptop supposedly had it.

Same here. Yeah, same here. A quick tip: if you enable it and still get the error, sometimes you also need to switch from Legacy to UEFI boot mode. Hope that helps.

+1 I had the same problem. It took me forever to find the TPM setting in my BIOS, and then I had to clear the TPM in Windows before it finally worked. Hope that helps.

Agreed. You could also try using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to do a clean install, which sometimes bypasses upgrade blockers. Another option is checking if your manufacturer has a BIOS update that re-enables TPM. Good luck!

I had the same problem. I found a BIOS update that finally enabled the TPM setting my PC needed.

Agreed. What brand is your laptop? I can help you find where that setting is usually hidden in their BIOS. Hope that helps.