Windows 11 24H2 Will Not Run on Some Old CPUs
Compared with version 23H2, Windows 11 24H2 is a much larger OS update based on a new version of the Windows operating system, bringing notable new features and improvements in performance & security.
Recently, Microsoft has added a new system requirement for Windows 11 24H2. Since Windows 11 Build 26080, the Population Count (POPCNT) instruction inside of the SSE 4.2 instruction set is required to run this version. Windows 11 24H2 will not run on some old CPUs without POPCNT. For Intel chips, the POPCNT instruction was added as part of SSE 4.2 in the first-generation core architecture Nehalem (released in 2008).
In other words, old CPUs missing the POPCNT instruction will not get Windows 11 24H2. If you are attempting to run Windows 11 Build 26080 or more advanced systems without this instruction, you will receive the following message in the Windows 11 Setup window:
What’s worse, the operating system will not boot and even trigger an automatic reboot on an unsupported device.
This minimal change will not affect most of Windows 11 users today because SSE 4.2 has been around for about 15 years. For those retro-computing enthusiasts who are trying to run Windows 11 on quite old devices, this change might be a headache.
Also see: Unsupported CPU: CPU Does Not Have POPCNT
How to Check If Your PC Meet Windows 11 24H2 System Requirements?
Way 1: View Microsoft’s Official Requirements
According to Microsoft, Windows 1124H2 must contain a CPU instruction called POPCNT in order to boot. This version is expected to roll out in the second half of 2024. At that time, Microsoft will provide official documentation outlining the system requirements for Windows 11 24H2.
Now, you can click here to browse a list of compatible processors for Windows 11 and compare them with your CPU.
Way 2: via Microsoft PC Health Check Tool
Another way to check if your computer meets the minimum system requirements of Windows 11 24H2 is to run the Microsoft PC Health Check tool. This tool is designed to assess whether your OS meets the requirements for Windows 11. Get this tool to check the compatibility and health of your Windows 11 machine now!
How to Bypass Windows 11’s CPU Requirements?
As mentioned above, CPUs without the POPNCT instruction will fail to boot into Windows. What if you insist on installing Windows 11 24H2 on a computer with an unsupported CPU? Is there a way to bypass CPU requirements to run Windows 24H2? The answer is definitely yes. Follow these steps to bypass Windows 11’s CPU check by modifying your Windows Registry:
Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run box.
Step 2. Type regedit and hit OK to launch Registry Editor.
Step 3. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
Step 4. Right-click on the Setup key > choose New > Key > rename it to LabConfig > hit Enter.
Step 5. Click on LabConfig > right-click on the empty space in the right pane > select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value > rename it as BypassCPUCheck > hit Enter.
Step 6. Double-click on it > change its value data to 1 > hit OK.
Step 7. Quit Registry Editor. Now, you will not receive This PC doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements to install this version of Windows while attempting to install Windows 11 24H2 on computers with unsupported CPUs.
Final Words
In conclusion, Windows 11 24H2 will block processors that lack the SSE 4.2 instruction set. If you still want to install it on CPUs without this instruction set, you can tweak related Windows registries to bypass Windows 11’s CPU requirements temporarily. However, it’s better to upgrade your processor in time for the optimal system performance of your computer.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Aurelie is a passionate soul who always enjoys researching & writing articles and solutions to help others. Her posts mainly cover topics related to games, data backup & recovery, file sync and so on. Apart from writing, her primary interests include reading novels and poems, travelling and listening to country music.