News

Microsoft Releases PowerShell Script To Check Windows 11 Upgrade Readiness

• By Kurt Mackie
• 09/21/2021

 

Microsoft on Tuesday announced the release of a PowerShell script for checking hardware readiness for Windows 11 upgrades, and promised an Endpoint Analytics tool will be arriving "over the next few days."

Windows 11's minimum hardware requirements could exclude PCs that are just three years old. The main potential stumbling block is Microsoft's requirement for PCs needing to have mostly eighth-generation processors. The all-64-bit Windows 11 operating system also requires machines to have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 chip installed, although they've been a requirement for new PCs since July 28, 2016.

Powershell Script
Organizations with lots of PCs likely want a quick way to see if their fleet of PCs will be capable of Windows 11 upgrades, based on the hardware requirements. Unfortunately, the newly released PowerShell script just runs locally on a PC. It'll take something like a Microsoft Endpoint Manager subscription or a Microsoft Intune subscription to check Windows 11 hardware readiness across a computing environment.

Here's how that idea was expressed in the announcement:

To determine whether an individual device meets the system requirements for Windows 11, you can run the script locally from an elevated PowerShell prompt. To run the script at scale, we recommend leveraging Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

It is possible for users of the older Configuration Manager product to run Microsoft's PowerShell script using the "Run Scripts" feature, the announcement indicated.

The PowerShell script will list the reasons why a PC failed the Windows 11 upgrade check based on its storage, memory, processor, Secure Boot capability and absence of a TPM 2.0 chip.

Coming Endpoint Analytics Update
Organizations will get a nice graphic overview of PCs assessed for Windows 11 upgrade readiness when Microsoft updates its "Work from Anywhere Report" in its Endpoint Analytics product. Endpoint Analytics is actually part of the Microsoft Productivity Score service, which is typically used to assess Microsoft 365 services in an organization.

Microsoft explained in this document that "devices enrolled in Endpoint analytics need a valid Microsoft Endpoint Manager license," plus E3 or E5 Windows 10 Enterprise or Education licensing.

The Windows 11 upgrade readiness capability in Endpoint Analytics will be coming soon and Configuration Manager version 2107 or newer will be needed, the announcement indicated:

Over the next few days, we’ll be updating the Work from anywhere report in Endpoint analytics with new Windows 11 hardware readiness insights. These changes will allow you to easily determine Windows 11 hardware readiness across your organization. Windows 11 insights will be available for all Intune-managed and co-managed devices in Endpoint analytics, as well as devices enrolled via tenant attach with Configuration Manager, version 2107 or newer.

Earlier this month, Microsoft had suggested that the management of Windows 11 devices could rely on using the same tools that were used with Windows 10.

Consumer Tools
For consumers wanting to check Windows 11 upgrade capability, Microsoft offers its PC Health Check application, which can be downloaded at this page.

Microsoft also explained in this support article on "Windows 11 System Requirements" that Windows Update on Windows machines (located under "Settings") also "will offer a way to access upgrade eligibility."

People should wait for Windows Update's assessment of a PC's Windows 11 upgrade readiness capability before trying to address any hardware issues, Microsoft advised.

"With any of these scenarios where you are making changes to your PC to make it eligible to upgrade, we recommend you wait to upgrade until Windows Update lets you know that Windows 11 is ready for your device," the support article indicated.

Windows 10 machines that don't qualify for a Windows 11 upgrade will still be supported "through October 14, 2025," the support article noted.