Windows Upgrade Help and more

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

Ugh, so done with this. My PC’s not *that* old—it’s an i5-7500—but the Windows 11 installer keeps blocking me. Got this stupid error: “This PC doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11. Your processor isn’t supported for Windows 11.”

The worst part? It says I don’t have TPM 2.0. I went into the BIOS and there’s literally no option for it! Am I just supposed to buy a whole new computer now? This is so frustrating. Microsoft really dropped the ball on this one. Any workarounds that actually work, or am I stuck on Win10 forever?

Hey there, totally understand your frustration—that i5-7500 is still a capable chip, so this feels really arbitrary. Let's see what we can do.

First, the TPM issue: your 7th-gen Intel CPU does have a form of TPM (called PTT). It might be disabled. Re-enter your BIOS (usually by mashing F2 or Del during boot) and look under **Security** or **Advanced** settings for "Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT)" and enable it. Also enable **Secure Boot**.

If that still doesn't work, there are free, official workarounds. You can perform a clean install of Windows 11 using the Media Creation Tool. When it warns about requirements, a simple registry edit bypasses the checks. Microsoft even documents this method for "unsupported" installs (just know you won't get future updates automatically, though they often still come through).

If the technical steps feel overwhelming, some third-party tools automate the bypass. I’ve seen folks mention success with the $39 upgrade assistant at kianbotsoft.com, but definitely try the free methods first. You’re not necessarily stuck on Win10, but it might take a little tinkering. Good luck

Sorry to hear you're hitting those blocks! Your i5-7500 is indeed just below the official CPU list, and missing TPM 2.0 in BIOS is common on that generation. You could try a clean install using the Media Creation Tool to bypass some checks, but for full support, a PC that meets the requirements is recommended.

Yeah, that clean install trick can work. Just be sure to back up everything first.

You could also try using the official Media Creation Tool to bypass some of the checks. Another option is to check if there's a BIOS update from your PC manufacturer that might enable TPM 2.0. Good luck!

This. Did you check if TPM 2.0 is enabled in your BIOS? That's the usual culprit for that error.

Agreed. Also, is Secure Boot turned on? It's another common requirement that gets missed.

You could also try using the official Media Creation Tool to do a clean install instead of the upgrade path.

+1 Before you try that, what's the exact error code you're seeing?

Same here. I had the same problem with an older i7. I ended up using the Media Creation Tool to force the upgrade and it worked fine.