Given my new aim of a stripped-down no-bloat no-nonsense Windows 11 superlite install, the next question was… can the latest version of the OS be installed on a HP Z600? The old workstation has the SSE 4.2 on the CPU, required by the latest version. And the superlite ISO can bypass the hardware checks by default. But a Z600 lacks UEFI in the BIOS, which is a roadblock to getting the bootable USB recognised. Turns out the OS can be installed, and it’s a myth that Windows 11 requires EUFI and GPT. You just need to configure the bootable USB maker (the freeware Rufus) to use legacy BIOS and MBR. Then use an installer ISO that turns off the hardware requirements.
Here’s proof that it can install and run.
A London executive is selling their dual-Xeon Z600 this week on eBay… “My IT team installed Windows 11 by CMD command as an Administrator, skipping the software compatibility tests.” Which means they bypassed the hardware requirements. In her seller images she shows proof of having the latest 24H2 version booted and working…
And from back in 2022, a forum post stating a successful install of an earlier version of 11 on a Z600…
So it looks promising. There’s nothing to be lost by taking out the existing primary SSD, slotting in a new blank one and seeing if the Z600 can install/boot into Windows 11. Of course, a nice brand-new £600 PC would be nice, but I can’t afford that right now.