About this release
This is the current feature update of the professional edition as a full installation image. Nothing has been removed from the component store, so every optional feature, every language and the complete recovery environment are all present. What has been changed is the setup flow, which no longer stops for a product key and no longer refuses to continue on hardware that does not meet the stock requirements.
The hardware check is the practical reason most people look for an image like this one. The stock installer refuses to proceed without a TPM 2.0 module, secure boot enabled, and a processor on the supported list. Machines that run the operating system perfectly well get turned away at the first screen. Here those checks are bypassed at setup time, so an older but capable machine installs and runs normally.
The professional edition is the one to install if the machine matters. BitLocker, Remote Desktop as a host, Hyper-V, group policy, domain join, and the ability to defer feature updates are all present and all missing from the home edition. Both a clean install from media and an in place upgrade from a running Windows installation are supported.
What it does
- Complete professional edition with nothing removed from the component store
- Setup runs without a TPM 2.0 module, secure boot or a supported processor
- BitLocker full disk encryption with TPM or password unlock
- Remote Desktop host and Hyper-V with nested virtualisation
- Group policy editor and full local security policy control
- Domain join and Azure AD join available
- Windows Subsystem for Linux and Android subsystem as optional features
- Complete recovery environment and reset options intact
- Thirty eight setup and display languages
- Installs from bootable media or as an in place upgrade
Changes in this version
- Current feature update baseline with the servicing stack rolled in
- Updated storage and network driver set for recent hardware
- Fixed a setup stall on systems with certain RAID controllers
- Improved in place upgrade path from the previous feature update
- Refreshed language pack set
What the package contains
- Bootable installation image for the professional edition
- Hardware requirement bypass applied to the setup flow
- All setup and display languages
- Complete recovery environment
- Readme with the install order written out step by step
Installation notes
Follow these in order. Most reports of a failed install come from skipping a step rather than from the package itself.
- Back up everything you care about before you start.
- Write the image to a USB stick of 8 GB or larger.
- Boot the stick, choosing the UEFI entry on a modern machine.
- Choose your language and select custom install for a clean setup.
- Delete the old system partitions if wiping, then select the free space.
- Let setup finish its restarts, keeping the network off until the desktop appears.
System requirements
| Processor | 1 GHz or faster 64-bit with two or more cores, supported list not enforced |
| Memory | 4 GB minimum, 8 GB or more recommended |
| Graphics | DirectX 12 capable with WDDM 2.0 driver |
| Storage | 64 GB minimum, 128 GB or more recommended |
| Firmware | UEFI preferred, legacy BIOS supported, TPM not required |
| Display | 1280 by 720 minimum, 9 inches or larger |
Things worth knowing
- Keep the network off through setup so the out of box experience does not force an account sign in.
- On machines without TPM, BitLocker still works but needs a password or a USB key at boot rather than a silent unlock.
- Feature updates delivered later may reapply the hardware check, defer them if the machine is unsupported.
Questions about this title
Does it really install without TPM?
Can I upgrade in place from Windows 10?
Will updates still arrive?
Home or professional?
What people are saying
Seventh generation processor, no TPM, installed without a single complaint. Runs fine.
In place upgrade from Windows 10 kept every application. Took about forty minutes.
Network off during setup, exactly as the notes say, skips the account requirement.
Listing information
This entry is catalogued under Operating Systems and carries the tags below. Language coverage is Multilingual, 38 setup languages, and the supported platform list is Bootable installation image. Version 25H2 is the current catalogued build, last checked 2 days ago, and the entry has been in the index since it was added 2 years ago.