Windows 11 in Qubes

General Discussion
#1

I tried to install the (German version of) Windows 11 from the ISO provided by Microsoft in Qubes R4.0.4. The Setup started well, but terminataed early, stating "This PC does not fulfil the minimum requirements for Windows 11 - probably because of lack of TPM 2.0 or the emulated processor model.

Has anyone else tried it?

#2

For Qubes R4.1, it is the same behaviour: The setup starts, and then aborts with the same message.

#3

Yes,
I first succeeded to install the “early” Win11 versions, but since two weeks the Windows 11 update function fails with the errors of a missing TPM 2.0 and (probably) a missing “secure boot” on that “model” I’ve just running the Windows11 developer preview.

Assume, we have to wait until someone find out about some further changes (to do in the Win11 registry). The known changings, you’ll find in the net at the time, won’t help right now…

Cheers :slight_smile:

#4

TPM emulation by Qemu ought to provide an easy way to do that: https://www.smoothnet.org/qemu-tpm/

#5

I’ve remember that i’ve once installed win 11 few months ago, but i don’t remember if it was an modified iso or not. Successfully install it but not with qwt.

You may find a non tpm windows 11 iso here Windows 11 (x64) | Team OS

#6

An additional note, i building qwt 4.1-65 using windows pv driver 9

#7

I have a TPM and went into UEFI to engage it, however I don’t want to engage secure boot, as I fear this might break Qubes 4.0.4 ; say I were to 1) turn on SB, 2) W11 tells me I can install now, then 3) install 4)unengage SB and attempt to use W11 OR Qubes.
Yes, I can back up Qubes, just in case, however I’m pretty sure my Q4.0.4 is a legacy install,
I have 1 OS on each of 2 HDs /SSDs ; and to dual boot, just change OSs in the UEFI settings ;

Maybe a new version of Qubes is coming soon, that is going to require a Qubes reinstall in any event?

#8

There is now a documented way to install Windows 11 without TPM, by disabling the TPM check during setup:

  • When you start setup without having a TPM, you get an error message like “This PC does not fulfil the minimum requirements for Windows 11”.
  • Typing Shift-F10 then opens a console window.
  • Here you type regedit to start the registry editor.
  • There you position to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup.
  • Now create the key LabConfig.
  • Position to this key and create 3 DWORD values called BypassTPMCheck, BypassSecureBootCheck and BypassRAMCheck and set each value to 1.
  • Close the regstry editor and console windows.
  • In the setup window, hit the left arrow in the left upper corner. You will then return into the setup, which will continue normally and install Windows 11 without TPM 2.0.

I did all this and was able to install a Windows 11 template in Qubes R4.0.4 without problems. There I even succeeded in installing QWT 4.0.1.3 and get a stable connection to Qubes, following the instructions in Installing and Using Qubes Windows Tools, including relocation of the user directories. Creating an AppVM based on this template worked, too, and file and clipboard copy/paste to/from other AppVMs showed that communication via qrexec works.

So we can say that Qubes already supports Windows 11!!!

Microsoft states that using Windows 11 without TPM can cause errors, but I didn’t see any, so far. They also say that such systems won’t receive security patches, but - I think - that is by far outweighed by running it in the secure Qubes environment.

In the next days I will try this with Qubes R4.1 and QWT 4.1-65. See what happens …

2 Likes