Friday, March 15, 2024

How to install Windows 11 on a Raspberry Pi (with limitations) #PiDay #RaspberryPi #Windows @xdadevelopers @Raspberry_Pi

Since its debut in 2012, Raspberry Pi OS (earlier referred to as Raspbian) has been the staple operating system for RPi boards. But that doesn’t mean you’re limited to the official OS provided by the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

You can install Windows 11 on the palm-sized system, though the process can get rather complex and not everything will work. XDA Developers has compiled a detailed guide to help install Microsoft’s latest operating system on Raspberry Pi boards.

If you’re using a Raspberry Pi 2, 3, or 4, all you need is a microSD card with at least 8GB of storage. Unfortunately, setting up Windows 11 on the Raspberry Pi 5 is rather cumbersome as you’ll need additional items for the installation procedure.

For one, you’ll require a USB drive with at least 8GB of storage to flash the Windows 11 files. I recommend getting an external SSD instead of a USB drive for decent performance on Windows 11. You’ll also need a microSD card to store the RPi5 firmware. However, since the UEFI files don’t occupy a lot of space, you can get away with a 1GB microSD card.

When you boot into the ARM64 version of Windows 11 for the first time, you also need access to the Internet. However, since the WoR method results in broken WiFi and LAN drivers, you’ll require a smartphone or tablet with a USB tethering facility or an RJ45-to-USB adapter for the installation procedure.

You’re bound to encounter some performance issues while using Windows 11 on a low-power device like the Raspberry Pi. There are also a couple of other caveats to running Windows 11 on the RPi boards: the Ethernet port won’t work with this version. The same holds true for the GPIO pins, PWM fan controller, and the PCIe express connector.

Check out the procedure in the guide here.

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