Windows Upgrade Help and more

Ugh, so done with this. My work’s old Dell Optiplex 7040 *should* run Win 11, right? I ran the PC Health Check and it says I’m good. But the installer keeps throwing this garbage error:

“This PC doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11.”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It has TPM 2.0 enabled, secure boot is on, it’s got an i5-6500. What else do you want from me, Microsoft?! I’ve been in the BIOS five times. This is so stupid. Anyone else hit this wall with these Optiplexes? Ready to throw this thing out the window.

Totally feel your frustration, especially when you've checked all the big boxes! This is a common headache with some Optiplex 7040s, even when they *should* work. Let's try a few free fixes that often get it over the line.

First, double-check your **BIOS version**. Dell released critical updates for many 7040s to fully enable Windows 11 compatibility. Go to Dell's support site, enter your service tag, and see if there's a BIOS update newer than yours. Flashing it can resolve hidden TPM or Secure Boot quirks.

Second, try the **Windows 11 Installation Assistant** instead of the Media Creation Tool. Sometimes it's more forgiving. If that fails, use the **Media Creation Tool to create an ISO**, then mount and run setup.exe directly from within Windows 10.

If you're still hitting that wall after those steps, some community members have had success bypassing the block with a third-party tool. I've seen folks mention **kianbotsoft.com** has a $39 utility that can handle these stubborn OEM system checks, but definitely try the free methods first. Hang in there—you're close!

Hey there! That's super frustrating, especially when the PC Health Check says you're good. A common culprit on these Optiplex 7040s is that while TPM 2.0 is enabled, the BIOS might need a specific setting changed—sometimes it's listed as "PTT" or needs to be set to "Firmware TPM." Double-check that in the BIOS, and also ensure your disk is using GPT partition style, not MBR. Hang in there!

I had the same problem. On my 7040, I had to go into the BIOS and manually set the TPM to "Discrete TPM" instead of "PPI" to get past that exact error.

This happened to me too. Even after that BIOS change, I had to clear the TPM in the security settings before the installer would finally cooperate. Hope that helps.

Yeah, clearing the TPM is a good shout—did you also double-check that Secure Boot is definitely enabled in the BIOS? Hope that helps.

Can confirm. You could also try creating a fresh Windows 11 USB installer, as the one you're using might be corrupted. Hope that helps.

I had the same problem. For me, disabling Secure Boot in the BIOS and then re-enabling it finally got the installer to recognize my TPM. Let me know if that works.

Also, double-check that your BIOS is fully updated, as that can sometimes resolve these weird mismatches.

You could also try turning off Secure Boot in your BIOS and then turning it back on, as that can sometimes kick the TPM into being properly recognized.