Hi Gang, I haven't posted in a while but I've been looking in from time to time quite regularly. Members here are just so advanced it sometimes makes my head spin. Good for you! So please be gentle with me here as I've taken the plunge on an aging Asus Laptop without consulting here first. My Bad...This is going to be a long post for me. My premise is I have, or support folks with Windows 10 PCs that are timing out this year. They are looking to me for assistance on what to do next, and a lot of them can't afford a new PC. Most of these Boxes are not used to near their capacity. Typically just Web Surfing, Emails, Tunes, and maybe the odd spreadsheet. I was heading down the road of installing (via Rufus) Windows 11 Pro 24H2. But recently I came across Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC, and thought it would be far less demanding on the PCs than Windows 11 Pro 24H2 with all the bloatware it seems to be getting. The PC I am testing it on is an Asus GL552V Laptop. It was my Mom's main PC some years ago when it started getting real flaky. Of course she couldn't be without a Laptop for more than a day, so she bought a new LG that was highly rated at the time. She also helped justify the move as the Battery in it was toast as well, and a new one was on the immediate horizon which would have added cost, and a USB connection on one side were flaky as well. She gave me the GL552V to scrap, and I did Memory Tests on it, which it passed no problem. So I tested the guts of the unit and both the GPU and CPU had extreme temperature rises which I surmised was causing the instability. Disassembly to try to remedy the issue was to be next, but without the pressure of my Mom's immediate need, life got in the way and it was put on the shelf for the last couple of years. I did my semi-annual electronics recycling purge and already had 4 other Laptops on the pile (3 MSI and a Gateway). When I picked the GL552V up I felt a pang of guilt that I hadn't done right by it, and given it my full effort. So I powered it up, and it even updated Windows 10 before I noticed the cooling outflow was getting too toasty. While it was doing that I decided I'd try to update it Windows 11, which after a bit of looking around, led me to start trying Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024. I got the GL552V totally dismantled (YouTube can be your friend), and removed the Heat Pipe Assembly for the GPU & CPU cooling. I cleaned the bases and the the Chips of the old Thermal Paste, and after looking in my parts bin (for what seemed like hours) came across the Noctua Thermal Paste I was looking for. I applied that, and mounted the Heat Pipe Assembly to the Motherboard /Fan assembly. I finished assembly, and tested it using the Windows 10 configured Samsung 500 Gig SSD I installed for my Mom just before the GL552V started being flaky. It passed no problem using Aida64 stress testing. I installed a surplus Samsung 250 Gig SSD and downloaded the Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 Build 26100.1742 image from MS. I used the Rufus Method to make a bootable USB stick but didn't enable the box to remove the requirements for 4GB Ram, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0.. My rationale was this version wouldn't go looking for that, and besides the GL552V has all that installed. (MS wouldn't update it because the CPU isn't on it's "approved" list.!) Installation was routine & I found a way to activate it. I did have a few hours of chasing Drivers like one for the PCI Simple Communications Controller which I found but was lost on 5 Unknown Devices. Then remembered if you drill down a bit in Windows Update => Advanced Options => Optional Updates it often has stuff that it doesn't normally install. => It displayed 17 items available. In there were lots of Drivers, and a couple updates that didn't seem applicable. Some of the files were obviously from long ago (2017), so I decided to start with the most recent, and see where it got me. The first one installed but did nothing. The second one "Intel - Other Hardware - Intel (R) Dynamic Platform & Thermal Framework Driver" cleared the 5 remaining "Unknown Devices". So I'm home free! I wonder what are the possible downsides of Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 in this scenario? I know regardless of OS, Drivers could be an issue. These are not Gamer Folks. This doesn't mean that I'll leave it that way, I may end up using the Rufus Method and then debloat a current Win11 Pro 24H2 install. All this just helps keep my skills up, so I can help Friends & Family with their computer woes. What do you think of this version of Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 2024 in this scenario? IS there a better option these days? Thanks for the assist.
Hello, Refer here -> https://forums.mydigitallife.net/th...2024-24h2-26100-x.88280/page-131#post-1869736 It's same as any Windows 11, just missing few features. Matter of fact, unfortunately for MS, most of us, the users, refer to that as "Bloatware". This is a much better, infact, arguably the best version of Windows 11. It comes with no bloatware, no Windows Store and way less tracking compared to default Pro/Home edition. In case you need that Windows Store, a single command will enable that for you. In that same note, you can install every other "feature" of Pro, if you may wish. The main downside is off course the license cost over Home or Pro edition. Which seems to be subsidized with those Bloatware. Thanks.
I wouldn"t advise you to install newest drivers on the old machines and use WU and/or drivers update utilities for that purpose. It can lead to an unstable PC runing, even to BSoD. IMHO, best way - before installing Win 10/11 on an old machines is make drivers backup on installed old OS, for instance via cmd.
@-Jim- Drivers should not be an issue. You can install drivers for unknown devices in compatibility mode just using the old stable/working drivers from W10, even W7 or what driver worked for you in the past and after that you can do a restore point or full backup and try to update them. For Windows only you can try NTLite if you want to make a "debloated" ISO and also Rufus is a good option after, still. Sometimes, only sometimes I use Ventoy.
Thanks for the Drivers suggestions Gents. Of course the problem has been identifying what device lacks the correct driver. Most of these Boxes will be running Windows 10. Is there a simple way, or App to quickly grab them off that install, and use them for the new OS? Edit: Sometimes I can find things myself if I just search for it. So right after I posted the above, I found an easy way to export the drivers using a Command Line instruction as an Admin. dism /online /export-driver /destination: "full path of folder" "full path of folder" is where you want to copy the drivers to. So for just grins, I tested it on this Box, as long as I remembered to put the destination path in quotes - just replacing the verbiage above - it copied all 6,904 Files, 314 Folders in seconds. So when I run into a Device that lacks a Driver after install, I can let Windows 11 Device Manager update it by directing it to search on a drive where they were exported to, or a USB Stick. This should make it much easier to update those Boxes to this OS.
In some cases when you install Win 10/11 on the old machines drivers particularly OEM"s might be the big issue depending on PC brand. And I think if old driver works ok you should not try to update it (on the old PCs). "If something works properly then there is no need to change anything about it." Something like that....
Hi Gents, I'm looking for a downside to running this OS on a Laptop, particularly ones that don't fully meet Windows 11 hardware requirements. I really can't find anything. Do you know of something I've missed? Thanks for the assist.
Has anyone tried installing this but signed with the 2023 CA via W10UI (UpdtBootFiles=1 in W10UI.ini)? I noticed that my existing install was still signed with the 2011 CA so I attempted to reinstall it with the 2011 CA revoked and the 2023 CA added to the BIOS via @Akeo 's Mosby tool. The install goes through only to the first reboot, and then I get a black screen with some red text right after the manufacturer logo. The text is: Security Error: Secure boot version check failed. Your system security may be compromised! Current version: 2.0 - Minimum allowed version: 5.0 Does this mean that existing PC's that won't get updated BIOSes will be left without of the possibility to enable Secure Boot after the 2011 CA expires?
I read about this issue a while ago and if I remember correctly then yes, older systems with outdated firmware versions will not be able to boot the updated media, when secure boot is enabled. -andy-
I tested on my 'newest' PC, from 2021, it still doesn't have 5.0. I hope someone comes up with a workaround to disable that particular version requirement.
Who said you need to enroll in any channel? the linked post contains all CATALOG links. I only stated and showed that the retail channel optional update and preview on catalog is not released in the retail channel or offered as optional on WU in the retail channel.
Haha Microsoft hates me. Installed the update... although the "Get New Features" toggle is turned on, even after multiple restarts, no new features got enabled whatsoever. They are almost never enabled for me with very rare exceptions. Lame.