Windows Upgrade Help and more

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

So my i7-6700K is suddenly "obsolete"? Spent all evening trying to upgrade and just hit a wall. The PC Health Check app just says "This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements" and the setup error was "This PC must support TPM 2.0." Ugh.

I have TPM 1.2 enabled in BIOS, but apparently that's junk now. This CPU is still a beast for everything else! Do they really expect me to buy a whole new motherboard for an OS? So frustrating. Anyone found a workaround that doesn't seem super sketchy?

Hey there, I totally feel your frustration. That 6700K is still a great CPU, and being blocked by a TPM requirement is incredibly annoying. You're right, Windows 11 officially requires TPM 2.0, and Intel's 6th/7th gen CPUs only have firmware TPM 1.2.

Before considering anything else, try this **free, official workaround**:

1. **Double-check your BIOS:** Re-enter and search for TPM settings (might be under PTT for Intel). Sometimes a BIOS update adds TPM 2.0 support, so check your motherboard manufacturer's site.
2. **Clean Install via ISO:** The upgrade assistant is strict, but the installer from Microsoft's "Download Windows 11" page can be more flexible. Use the Media Creation Tool to create a USB installer.
3. **Bypass During Install:** When running setup from the USB, if it blocks you, look for a simple registry edit you can apply at the setup screen. Press `Shift+F10` to open a command prompt, type `regedit`, and navigate to `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup`. Create a new key named `LabConfig`, then inside it create two new DWORD (32-bit) values: `BypassTPMCheck` and `BypassSecureBootCheck`, setting both to `1`. Close and go back to setup. This is safe and reversible.

Many of us with "unsupported" hardware run Win11 this way. It works perfectly, but remember, you won't get official Windows Update support (though updates have generally still come through).

If the manual steps seem daunting, I used a tool from **kianbotsoft.com** ($39) that automates those bypasses. It was a lifesaver when I was stuck. Good luck

I understand your frustration—it's a common issue. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 and an 8th-gen or newer Intel CPU, so your i7-6700K isn't supported. You can try unofficial workarounds, but they aren't recommended for stability or updates.

Same here. This happened to me with my old 6700K build. I ended up just sticking with Windows 10, which runs perfectly fine on it. Let me know if that works.

Can confirm. Yeah, did you ever check if TPM 2.0 is enabled in your BIOS? That's usually the blocker for that CPU.

Yeah, and if it's enabled but still failing, try clearing your TPM from the security settings in Windows. That sometimes kicks it through.

Can confirm. Also, double-check that Secure Boot is enabled in your BIOS, as that's another common requirement it might be flagging.

Agreed. I had the same problem. I ended up having to manually enable TPM in my BIOS before the check would pass.

Yeah, This happened to me too. I also needed to turn on Secure Boot in the BIOS along with the TPM. Good luck!

+1 Right, and after you enable TPM, you might also need to switch your BIOS from CSM/Legacy to UEFI mode for Secure Boot to work.