Multiboot USB experiment

After installed MS Windows 11 onto an incompatible PC, I packed the files in the installer USB back into an ISO. I wanted to test whether the ISO will work to install MS Windows if I put it onto another USB. At the same time, I had collected some ISOs of rescue disks and tool disks. So, I wanted to try them in a multi boot USB.

At first, I tried multibootusb, and it did not work, even did not boot up from it. It may be that I did not have a good knowledge of how to use it. So, teacher Google came to play. After reading some articles from Google, I wanted to try Ventoy.   

In the official site of Ventoy, I found that it was related to the Deepin team and the Wuyou forum, it gave me confidence that it would work. I downloaded both the Linux and Windows versions and started my trial with the Windows version. After I installed Ventoy into a 32GB USB stick, I pulled the modified Windows 10 installer ISO, the Active@Boot disk ISO, the USBox ISO and the Clonzilla ISO onto the USB stick.

The experiment began with booting up the USB stick and install Windows 11 onto a blank SSD disk. It worked, but during the installation process some flashing of screen occurred and the installation was successful.

Next, booting up the USB stick and playing with Active@Boot disk. It also worked. I did not test the USBox ISO and Clonezilla ISO as I supposed it would work. 

My experiment was completed successfully.

The IT world changed a lot after my retirement and I have to do a lot to catch up in order to  kept my brain healthy. Use it or lose it.

Install Windows 11 on incompatible computers

After I retired, I got away from Windows system and started to use Zorin OS for almost 8 years. I did not pay any attentions to the Windows system until recently. One person told me that his computer can not install Windows 11 as it is a bit too old and I found my computer also did not meet the requirements. Then, I came across an article from a IT man in Taiwan, it stated that it is able to get around the limitation imposed by MS to install Windows 11 to those computers.

His method is by replacing the install.wim file of a Windows 10 installation ISO by that of a Windows 11 installation ISO and use the modified Windows 10 installation ISO for installation.

The detailed procedures are list as follows:

• get a Windows 10 installation ISO
• get a Windows 11 installation ISO of the same language
• use Rufus to flash the Windows 10 installation ISO onto an USB stick
• delete the install.wim file from the sources directory of the USB stick
• extract the install.wim file from the sources directory Windows 11 installation ISO (you may use 7zip or else to do that)
  
• put the extracted install.wim file into the sources directory of the USB stick
• use the USB stick to install Windows 11

I followed the steps exactly and it worked. I used my MS a/c to start Windows 11 and it can update. 

I do not intended to make Windows 11 the OS of the computer I used daily. I tried to install it this way, just want to check whether the method works or not.