A summary of what we’re doing
We’ll take a standard Windows 10 bootable media device as a starting place, and then replace the Windows 10installer.esdfile that contains the operating system with the Windows 11 installer.wim that we will convert into the necessary installer.esd format. After this is done, all system and security checks will be bypassed.
What you’ll need:
- An empty thumb drive that is at least 8 GB in size.
- About 20 minutes of time (does not include the installation time).
Create a Windows 10 Bootable Thumb Drive
- Go to Micrsoft’s official website and download the Windows 10 installation media creation tool by clicking “download tool now.”
- Launch the tool after it has been downloaded.
- Be sure to select “create installation media.”
- On the next screen, choose the settings you would like. I used recommended for my PC.
- On the following screen, choose USB flash drive
- Click “next,” and let it prepare the thumb drive for you.
Grab the necessary file from the Windows 11 ISO
Head on over to Microsoft’s Windows 11 Download page and click the download button under the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) section.
After it’s been downloaded, right click on the ISO file and select “Mount.”
It might take a minute to mount it.
Once it’s mounted, you’ll see it on the left-hand side of your File Explorer (or under This PC) called something like “DVD Drive,” followed up a mount letter, and some text. Click it to open it.
Open the sourcesfolder
Find the install.wim file and copy it to your computer somewhere. If you wish to simply copy and paste my commands below in this article, copy the file to your C:\ directory. You’ll need administrative privileges to do so.
Convert the Windows 11 install.wim to an install.esd
Launch your terminal of choice as Administrator. I’ll use Windows Terminal.
Enter the following command:
dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:C:\install.wim
This will display the list of Windows editions you can choose from. For me, I want to use Windows 11 Pro, which is index 6.
In case you’re wondering, the “N” editions of Windows 11 include the same functionality as other editions of Windows 11 except for media-related technologies. The N editions don’t include Windows Media Player, Skype, or certain preinstalled media apps (Music, Video, Voice Recorder). Read more from Microsoft’s support page.
Now enter the following command to create the .esd version, replacing INDEXwith your desired index.
dism /export-image /SourceImageFile:"C:\install.wim" /SourceIndex:INDEX /DestinationImageFile:"C:\install.esd" /Compress:recovery /CheckIntegrity
This is a CPU-intensive task and will take several minutes to perform.
After this task is finished, you will now have a install.esd file ready for use! Plug in your thumb drive with the Windows 10 image on it, and navigate to the sources folder similar to before.
Move your newly createdinstall.esd file and replace your existing install.esd file that is on your Windows 10 media thumb drive.
Congratulations! You can now install Windows 11 without worrying about any restrictions.
Restart your computer and boot to that thumb drive. Don’t worry, even though the boot logo when booting the thumb drive and the Windows installation guide appears to look like Windows 10’s version, rest assured this will not interfere with successfully installing Windows 11 in its entirety.
Closing Comments
I have not tested if this method works for upgrading an existing OS. I have only done this by performing a clean install of Windows from a bootable media source.
This was tested on an HP Z620 Workstation computer. It has an unsupported CPU, a TPM of only v1.2, and no secure boot.
Random errors you may encounter
If you receive an error 13 stating the data is invalid like above, then you may have prematurely canceled creating the install.esd file at an earlier time. If you currently have an install.esd file where it is trying to export to (likely 1 KB in size), delete it, then try running the command again.
If you receive an error 740 stating you need elevated permission, you forgot to right-click your terminal and select “Run as Administrator.”
