"You can't install Windows 11? Who cares!" - Microsoft, probably

 

This is everyone's level of frustration with Microsoft at the moment.

     The above screen shot I took today, when just going through my computer and catching up some updates. I did not want to update to Windows 11, but When I saw the popup prompting me to download Windows PC Health, I was a little worried. Is my PC too old? When googling for PC Health Check, some Windows insider program and some garbage clickbait links showed up, nothing you could click on to get this program needed to see if I pass the fabled Windows 11 test. Spoiler: It's in the Windows Update Tab, or you can just click this. Already I'm more annoyed than when my wife asks me to get her something when she is physically closer at least 13 times a day.

Circled in yellow, TPM 2.0 is some mystery bullshit no one cares about.

     I'll admit, it's been a while since I just went thought and cleaned things up and installed some new drivers, and did the required Windows Updates. In a future post I'll go over some of the personal stuff that lead up to that, and why I've been so lazy with it. For example, I updated my RTX 2080 video card drivers today, and I was 20 versions behind. Oops! I did turn on the GPU Hardware Scheduling (HAGS) for the first time, but I haven't played anything to see the difference. Anyways, I followed their instructions, downloaded the PC Health Check, and low and behold, I actually do have the system requirements to download and install Windows 11. Hmmmm. 

The game is afoot Windows!

     I figured since I have all the other requirements as outlined on my manufacturers website, It must be this TPM 2.0 garbage that is holding me back. What is TPM do you ask? It stands for Trusted Platform Module, and it's really just a security protocol that Windows 11 and some hardware requires. Do you really need it? No. Some older mother boards made you buy an external module that plugs on to your board to handle the security it provides. There is no actual standard of what it's called, what it actually does, and how it's enabled. It's so badly described, that even Microsoft's own website describing it, does not  even try. They mention it could be called by all these different things, and when you click the external links, they go to unhelpful click-fucks that just make you go back to the way in which you started. On it's own site to guide you how to fix this issue, they don't actually tell you how to fix the issue. "Vague idea" is more accurate.

Literally their page is full of spelling errors and misinformation. I just can't.

     I'm going to try to end this on a good note, but I can't. The problem is still there, I have TPM 2.0 enabled by default, and in the security settings in my BIOS it's enabled. Windows simultaneously says I can and cannot install Windows 11, and their own company hates that we are asking. Of course, my mind goes to the hacking part of it, of someway you can bypass the TPM check that is not needed anyways.

Of course you can bypass it. Silly me.