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CyrusIronwood's avatar
CyrusIronwood
Iron Contributor
Jan 13, 2026

Why can't I update my Windows 10 to 11 on my pc?

Downloaded the Windows 11 ISO version 25H2 from Microsoft, hoping this could be fine for upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11 25H2 on my Dell desktop PC. After waiting a couple of minutes, the Windows ...
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DaxtonRiver's avatar
DaxtonRiver
Iron Contributor
Jan 13, 2026

Even though your Intel i7-7700K is a powerful processor, the reason you can’t update through the standard Windows Update is due to Microsoft's strict CPU generation requirements.

The Main Roadblock: CPU Generation

Microsoft officially supports Intel Core processors starting from the 8th Generation (Coffee Lake) and newer. This is why you can't update Windows 10 to Windows 11 25H2.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors

Your CPU: The i7-7700K is a 7th Generation (Kaby Lake) processor.

The Reason: Microsoft cites "security and reliability" as the primary reasons for the cutoff. Newer CPUs have hardware-level features (like Mode Based Execution Control) that Windows 11 uses for its advanced security virtualization, which 7th Gen chips lack or don't support as efficiently.

If you haven't already, download the PC Health Check App from Microsoft. It will give you a specific checklist showing exactly which component (likely just the CPU) is preventing the upgrade.

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