If you’re having problems with modern Windows 11 like a lot of people are, in this article you’ll find fixes for the most common ones.
The poor performance of AMD processors in computers is one of the most common problems, especially when playing games, and AMD and Microsoft have worked to solve it.
How to fix Windows 11 installation problems
If you’re having problems installing Windows 11 with the Windows 10 Update tool, Windows 10 includes a troubleshooter that can help identify the problem, and it can continue updating after you fix the problem in the update tool.
To try this, click on the Start menu, then click on the Settings icon. From the Settings window, choose Update & Security, then Troubleshoot. Click Windows Update, enable the troubleshooter, and follow the instructions. If the explorer finds a solution, tap the Apply this solution option.
Check Windows 11 system requirements
To install Windows 11 or to make sure that it works correctly, you must make sure that your hardware specifications meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11:
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster, 64-bit dual-core or higher processor or SoC.
- RAM: 4 GB.
- Storage: 64 GB.
- System firmware: UEFI, secure boot capability.
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module 2.0
- Graphics Card: DirectX 12 or later with WDDM version 2.0.
- Display: 720p, 8bpc, minimum 9in.
- Internet connection and Microsoft account: Windows 11 requires an active Internet connection and Microsoft account to complete the initial system setup, or when the device is placed out of safe mode (S-mode).
To get the best experience with Windows 11, it is recommended to install it on a device with more powerful specifications than those mentioned above. It is not recommended to try to run it with less than 8 GB of RAM.
Check Windows 11 compatibility
If your system meets the listed specifications, you need to run a health check to keep your system ready to install Windows 11. To run it, you must download, install, and then run the Microsoft Health Check app. When turned on, press the blue Check Now button, if your system is compatible, a pop-up window will appear with the following text: (This PC is running Windows 11).
Windows 11 will not start due to TPM
If the Windows 11 Update Checker tells you that your PC is not supported but meets the necessary requirements, you need to check your BIOS and enable TPM.
Every CPU comes with TPM support. If your CPU is Intel, you need to switch to a TPM. And if it’s AMD then you need to check the PSP fTPM in the BIOS. When finished, you can rescan the update.
To ensure that the device supports TPM:
- Press Windows key + R key
- A box appears, type tpm.msc into it to open the TPM Manager window.
- Look for a sub-window titled TPM Manufacturer Information and check the specifications for your device’s TPM version.
Upgrade to Windows 11 without TPM 2.0
If you can’t install Windows 11 because your device doesn’t have a TPM, there is a way to get around the requirements, but it’s a complicated process and has risks.
Free up disk space
Windows 11 requires 64 GB or more storage space. If your main hard disk (usually disk C) is full, you will encounter problems during the installation. So the first thing to do if the update fails to install is to check your storage space in Windows Explorer. If you’re running out of space, try typing Disk Clean-up in the search box on the taskbar and select your main hard disk.
Check the check boxes of the files you want to delete, but remember that they cannot be recovered after deletion, the space you will save will appear, press OK. If you want to save more space, click on the option to clean system files. When finished, try downloading and installing Windows 11 again.
Disable antivirus software
Antivirus programs are very useful, but they can cause problems while installing Windows 11. Try to disable these programs before trying to install Windows 11. You may even have to uninstall these programs. Once the update is complete, you can re-enable it and use it.
Internet became slow after updating to Windows 11
Some reports have shown poor internet performance after installing Windows 11. Viewing movies, using VPN, and browsing the internet all seem to be slow for those using an Intel-Killer device. Microsoft is aware of this issue, and will release a cumulative update to resolve it. An external USB Wi-Fi can be used to avoid this problem.
Unable to search start menu in windows 11
There is a problem with the update that prevents typing in the search bar, and there are other ways to search in it, but they are not easy for users of a previous system.
Microsoft has acknowledged the problem and indicated that opening the Run window will enable typing in the search bar again. The window opens by pressing the Windows key + R key. When it appears, it can be closed again. Simply opening and closing the program solves the search problem.
File Explorer in Windows 11 is similar to Explorer in Windows 10
Some users complain that the look of File Explorer hasn’t changed since the upgrade to Windows 11. It’s actually a layout copied from Explorer in Windows 10, but it’s not clear why some users get it by default. Fortunately, there is a simple solution:
From the explorer taskbar select View, then Options on the far right and go to the next View option, move to another menu, look for the option to run folder windows in a separate process. Make sure the box next to this option is not checked. Apply the changes and File Explorer will restart, showing the Windows 11 theme.
The dashboard is blank
The Tools Panel is a new part in Windows 11 that contains small applications that give you quick access to information such as news and calendar events. Find it by swiping from the left side of the screen or by pressing Windows key + w key.
Click the icon in the upper-right corner, then click Sign Out, and sign in again.
Memory problems in Windows 11
Some reports have shown that when you close File Explorer, it stays in RAM. causing system operations to slow down.
Microsoft has not yet acknowledged this problem. But there is a way to get around it, restart the file explorer, it is a process that you will find listed in the task manager, when you press it, a restart button appears, or you can reboot your device. You can also see how much memory is being consumed in the task manager.
Windows 11 start menu not responding
Some users complained that the Start menu did not respond after upgrading to Windows 11. When you encounter this problem, you must restart the device by pressing the Windows key + D key, then pressing Alt + F4 from the keyboard, a window appears from which you can choose to restart.
If the menu does not respond after a reboot, you need to use tools such as DISM and SFC (System File Checker). Press Windows key + R, the Run window appears, type cmd and press ctrl + shift + enter to open a command prompt with administrator rights that you will need to run these tools.
Type the following command at the command prompt:
DISM / online / cleanup-Image / RestoreHealth
This cleans up the corrupted files and takes some time.
When finished, type the following:
sfc /scannow
The tool will erase the files to make sure they are correct, and your Start menu should work again. Some people found a different solution, by creating a new user account on the device, this solution may fix the problem but it is not the best.
Poor performance with AMD processors
Most of Windows 11’s problems were with gaming PCs with AMD processors. Users complained that game performance decreased by 15% after installing the new system, even though Microsoft promoted the high quality of games in Windows 11.
Two solutions are listed on the AMD website, the first addresses an issue with L3 cache latency in some applications. To solve it, Microsoft launched a new update (KB5006746) for Windows 11, which you can download from the Windows Update application.
AMD also released a new chipset driver package (chipset drivers) update, which found that eight-core AMD processors and higher are underperforming due to improperly scheduled threads. So when there are problems after installing Windows 11, make sure to apply these updates.
see: Solving all Windows 11 problems
