Trying to upgrade laptop to W11.

ThisIsWeird

Hi.
Sil's Lenovo Z575 laptop with an AMD A6-3420M CPU and 6GB RAM. 
Keyboard has failed - I recall replacing it before, a few years back - but it needs a new one again. So wondered, instead, if a new lappie is the way to go. Ie, would this one manage W11 if repaired - is it worth doing?
Getting conflicting info - some of the (2nd hand) W11 laptops I've been looking at have even lesser processors than this, so that would suggest 'yes', sil's 'should' take '11'.
Tried MS's updating service, and tried registering an account for her, only to find one already (possibly me before), but there are no devices on it, and I can't find how to add her laptop to this; I'd hoped to register her existing W10 copy, hence allowing the upgrade to 11.
Phew.
So, how can I add her laptop? It only seems to allow MS devices. And, do you reckon hers is powerful enough to take '11'?
Ta

HillStreetBlues

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi.
Sil's Lenovo Z575 laptop with an AMD A6-3420M CPU and 6GB RAM. 
Keyboard has failed - I recall replacing it before, a few years back - but it needs a new one again. So wondered, instead, if a new lappie is the way to go. Ie, would this one manage W11 if repaired - is it worth doing?
Getting conflicting info - some of the (2nd hand) W11 laptops I've been looking at have even lesser processors than this, so that would suggest 'yes', sil's 'should' take '11'.
Tried MS's updating service, and tried registering an account for her, only to find one already (possibly me before), but there are no devices on it, and I can't find how to add her laptop to this; I'd hoped to register her existing W10 copy, hence allowing the upgrade to 11.
Phew.
So, how can I add her laptop? It only seems to allow MS devices. And, do you reckon hers is powerful enough to take '11'?
Ta

Win 11 drivers are on Lenovo's website and listed as compatible.
https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/gb/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/ideapad-z-series-laptops/ideapad-z575/downloads/ds105970

ThisIsWeird

Thanks, HSB - that's promising.

How do I upgrade to W11, then?

SimplyBetter

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi.
Sil's Lenovo Z575 laptop with an AMD A6-3420M CPU and 6GB RAM. 
Keyboard has failed - I recall replacing it before, a few years back - but it needs a new one again. So wondered, instead, if a new lappie is the way to go. Ie, would this one manage W11 if repaired - is it worth doing?
Getting conflicting info - some of the (2nd hand) W11 laptops I've been looking at have even lesser processors than this, so that would suggest 'yes', sil's 'should' take '11'.
Tried MS's updating service, and tried registering an account for her, only to find one already (possibly me before), but there are no devices on it, and I can't find how to add her laptop to this; I'd hoped to register her existing W10 copy, hence allowing the upgrade to 11.
Phew.
So, how can I add her laptop? It only seems to allow MS devices. And, do you reckon hers is powerful enough to take '11'?
Ta

What on earth are you going on about? 

MS's updating service? Registering an account? 

If you want to link her activation to a Microsoft account, go to Activation Settings to choose Add a Microsoft account.

If you want to install Windows 11, you will have to follow a guide to install for Unsupported CPU, as that one is from 2011. Officially supported CPU are from around 2018 onwards. You can use Rufus to create suitable installation media. Nothing dodgy about it, as it follows official Microsoft protocols for bypassing unsupported CPU. It just automates the process for you.

Whether it is worth saving depends on who is doing the work. New keyboard costs a tenner and an SSD, if there isn't already one fitted, cost from around £15. Should take you less than an hour to fit both. If you aren't going to fit an SSD, then don't waste your time doing anything else with it.
Taking it to a shop is out of the question.

It's worth doing it for £30 all in. You might even get a extra stick of RAM within that budget.

Neil_Jones

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi.
Sil's Lenovo Z575 laptop with an AMD A6-3420M CPU and 6GB RAM. 
Keyboard has failed - I recall replacing it before, a few years back - but it needs a new one again. So wondered, instead, if a new lappie is the way to go. Ie, would this one manage W11 if repaired - is it worth doing?
Getting conflicting info - some of the (2nd hand) W11 laptops I've been looking at have even lesser processors than this, so that would suggest 'yes', sil's 'should' take '11'.
Tried MS's updating service, and tried registering an account for her, only to find one already (possibly me before), but there are no devices on it, and I can't find how to add her laptop to this; I'd hoped to register her existing W10 copy, hence allowing the upgrade to 11.
Phew.
So, how can I add her laptop? It only seems to allow MS devices. And, do you reckon hers is powerful enough to take '11'?
Ta

You're doing something seriously wrong.

You don't need to "register an account" for anybody to upgrade to 11, it will run on the local account.  You don't "add" it to anything either.

You just get the upgrader from here and run it, and it looks after itsel assuming everything is compatiblef:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/get-windows-11

ThisIsWeird

Thanks all.
I was going around in circles trying to get MS to inform me whether it could run W11, so thought it would be automatic if I registered the existing W10 first, and it would then do the jobbie for me.
Clearly not supported, then, so I'd have to upgrade to 11 another way.
New keyboard on the way. That'll probably tie her over for the year, and I'll keep an eye out for a better machine to replace it with.
(Thanks - yes, I realise going SSD is transformative, and have done this before on other machines. Not sure I want to go through the cloning malarkey again, tho'.)
Cheers.

SimplyBetter

ThisIsWeird said:

Thanks all.
I was going around in circles trying to get MS to inform me whether it could run W11, so thought it would be automatic if I registered the existing W10 first, and it would then do the jobbie for me.
Clearly not supported, then, so I'd have to upgrade to 11 another way.
New keyboard on the way. That'll probably tie her over for the year, and I'll keep an eye out for a better machine to replace it with.
(Thanks - yes, I realise going SSD is transformative, and have done this before on other machines. Not sure I want to go through the cloning malarkey again, tho'.)
Cheers.

If you are considering a new laptop for her, you have to transfer the same files(or clone) as if you ran a clean install(to an SSD) on her current device. What's the difference in your mind?
Get it done now and you won't have to think about getting a new laptop for another year or two. Do a proper job. Not half arsedhearted  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SP-Silicon-Power-Performance-Internal/dp/B07KR25Q72/ref=sr_1_17

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT240BX500SSD1-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B07G3YNLJB/ref=sr_1_3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75Hg866SJI0

jshm2

You you can install Windows 11 on a mobile phone, if needs be, with a bit of tweaking.

But in your case it should be a straight forward upgrade, despite your model being end of service. Just ensure you have all your latest drivers installed. If it still gives the "not compatible" message, then you'll need to disable the checks to install Windows 11. 

flaneurs_lobster

jshm2 said:

You you can install Windows 11 on a mobile phone, if needs be, with a bit of tweaking.

Really? I like a challenge. < jemmies the back off a mobile to fit an SSD.....>

GDB2222

I’ll put the alternative point of view, perhaps just to be contrary!

This is an old laptop. The software gets bigger every year, and this machine may be frustratingly slow to use . At least I would expect so. Maybe your sil is more patient than me.

I'm reluctant to use the workarounds to install W11 on unsupported hardware, as ms could easily block this at some point, and I would not want to risk being amongst a horde of people suddenly needing to upgrade their computers, all at the same time, and having to pay top dollar. That is why I am dealing with this issue now, rather than waiting until W10 reaches the end of its life in a few months. You are dealing with it now, too, of course. 

So, I think this mostly comes down to money. Can sil afford an upgrade, and will she value having a better computer?  Is she willing to risk a sudden panic if ms block w11 on unsupported hardware, as they are perfectly entitled to do? 

ThisIsWeird

SimplyBetter said:

If you are considering a new laptop for her, you have to transfer the same files(or clone) as if you ran a clean install(to an SSD) on her current device. What's the difference in your mind?
Get it done now and you won't have to think about getting a new laptop for another year or two. Do a proper job. Not half arsedhearted  
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SP-Silicon-Power-Performance-Internal/dp/B07KR25Q72/ref=sr_1_17
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT240BX500SSD1-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B07G3YNLJB/ref=sr_1_3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75Hg866SJI0

I have actually fully-assd all my own PCs (see what I did there... :-( ), cloning the old HDD to SSD, and it must be the single most effective upgrade you can do. But a bit apprehensive doing it for someone else - I got myself into some partitioning knots at times, as the two discs were different sizes.

Hers is a little-used laptop, and when it finally needs replacing, all she'd need to do is transfer the actual files she wishes to keep - a lot less scary than a clone :-)

Yes, it's painfully slow, but she doesn't mind. I'm just going to replace the k'board, and suggest she keeps it running as it is, for all the use she makes of it. I'll keep an eye out for a suitable replacement over the year, and grab one when it's a bargain.

Thanks all :-)