DEV Community: HWKeeper

Windows 11 compatibility check for every computer in your office

Alex Semenskiy — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:22:35 +0000

Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025: there are no more free security updates, and for organizations Microsoft offers only the paid ESU program. For every office computer you have to decide whether to upgrade it, reconfigure it or replace it. Start with a Windows 11 compatibility check.

Windows 11 requirements

Three things get in the way most often: TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and the processor. The processor must be 64-bit and on Microsoft's list: as a rule, that means Intel Core 8th generation or newer, or AMD Ryzen 2000 or newer. Memory and storage are usually fine, although 4 GB is the bare minimum and hard to work with.

Windows 11 minimum requirements

Component	Requirement	Note
Processor	Intel 8th gen+, Ryzen 2000+	64-bit, on Microsoft's list — most common blocker
TPM	version 2.0	may be disabled in UEFI — common blocker
Boot	UEFI + Secure Boot	old Legacy mode won't do — common blocker
RAM	4 GB or more	8 GB is better for real work
System drive	64 GB or more	an SSD is better for real work
Graphics and display	DirectX 12, 720p or higher	almost always fine

How to check a single computer

Microsoft's PC Health Check app gives a "meets / doesn't meet the requirements" answer.
tpm.msc shows the TPM version. The PowerShell command Get-Tpm, run as administrator, gives the same information.
msinfo32: the "BIOS Mode" line (it must say UEFI) and "Secure Boot State".
PowerShell Confirm-SecureBootUEFI returns True if Secure Boot is on.

That's enough for five machines. For fifty, it's a day of walking from room to room and filling in a spreadsheet.

Checking the whole office at once

If the computers already run an inventory agent, the TPM, Secure Boot, processor, memory and drive data has already been collected. In HWKeeper, open "Reports" and find "Windows 11 readiness". The report checks every PC against the requirements and shows exactly what's blocking it.

The Reports section. Search finds the “Windows 11 readiness” report. You can export it to CSV or open it for printing.

A report on 12 computers. At the top are the machines that aren't ready, with the reason: a processor older than 8th generation, TPM 1.2, no Secure Boot support.

Check results · demo office with 12 PCs

Status	PCs	Details
already on Windows 11	3	DESIGN-01, NB-DIR, SALES-01
ready	4	can be upgraded
needs configuration	1	turn on Secure Boot
not ready	4	old CPU or no TPM 2.0

What to do with the results

“Windows 11 readiness” report for every computer:

Result	Action	What to do
ready	Upgrade	In batches, starting with machines that have a recent backup.
needs configuration	Reconfigure	Turn on Secure Boot and fTPM / PTT in UEFI. Nothing to buy.
not ready	Replace	No setting can fix an old processor. These PCs go into the purchasing plan.

Ready machines: upgrade them in batches, starting with the ones that have a recent backup.
Secure Boot and TPM that are turned off (on AMD processors TPM is called fTPM, on Intel it's PTT) can be enabled in the UEFI settings. If the computer boots in Legacy mode, first convert the disk to GPT with the mbr2gpt tool, after making a backup.
An old processor can't be fixed with settings. These machines make a ready-made list for the purchasing plan.

Workarounds for installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware exist, but Microsoft doesn't guarantee updates for such computers. For work machines, that's a poor compromise.

Check your office

HWKeeper is free for up to 50 computers. Install the agent on your office machines, and the Windows 11 readiness report builds itself, along with a full computer inventory.

Start for free

Computer card for BUH-02. The Security block shows that TPM 2.0 is present and Secure Boot is on. But the i5-7500 is a seventh-generation processor, so Windows 11 isn't officially supported on it.

Written by the HWKeeper team with the help of AI language tools; a person checked the facts. Screenshots: real dashboard, demo data.

Computer inventory software: how to choose

Alex Semenskiy — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:21:18 +0000

Once an office has more than twenty computers, an Excel spreadsheet can't keep up with reality, and you need computer inventory software. There's plenty to choose from: free tools you install on your own server, and cloud services. Here's what to look at and how to test a tool in one day, before you buy.

What the software should do

Collect data on its own: processor, memory, drives, OS, software, serial numbers.
Keep it current without walking around the office, including from laptops outside the office.
Keep a change history: which part was replaced, with what, and when.
Provide ready-made reports and export to CSV or Excel.
Work on all your systems: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Control access: the accountant views, the administrator makes changes.

Hardware change history. A memory module was replaced in SALES-01: you can see the old and new serial numbers, and a ticket to check it was created automatically.

Agent or network scanner

A scanner sweeps the network and sees whatever is switched on right now. An agent is a small service on each computer that sends data by itself. For an accurate inventory you need an agent: a scanner misses machines that are turned off and laptops outside the office. For a detailed comparison of the methods, see “Computer inventory for your organization”.

Self-hosted or cloud

Where to keep your inventory data

Your own server

Pro: data never leaves the company
Pro: works without internet
Con: you need to buy or set aside a server
Con: updates, backups and security are on you

A fit if you have your own admin and a requirement to keep data in-house

Cloud service

Pro: nothing to install except the agents
Pro: the vendor handles updates and backups
Pro: opens in a browser from anywhere
Check: data sits with the vendor: ask where and how it's protected

A fit if you need to start quickly without a server of your own

What it will cost

Besides the license price, count the server (if self-hosted), the administrator's time for installation and upkeep, and staff training. A free tool that takes a week of manual setup can end up costing more than a paid one. Also check how pricing works: per computer, per user or per server, and what it will come to when your fleet doubles.

Test it in one day

Install the software on 5–10 computers from different departments and answer these questions:

How long did it take to get the first data?
Does the configuration match what's actually installed?
Does it show up if you swap a part or take a laptop home?
Can you get the report you need without manual tweaking?
Can you export all your data if you decide to leave?

A one-day trial run

When	Step	What to do
Morning	Install	Agent on 5–10 PCs from different departments, including a couple of laptops.
Midday	Verify	Do the model, memory, drives and serial numbers match reality?
Afternoon	Make a change	Swap a part or disconnect a laptop. Did the software notice?
Evening	Report and export	The report you need builds itself, and all data exports in full.

Check HWKeeper against this list

HWKeeper is a cloud inventory service. Agents are available for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. When a part is replaced or goes missing, it's recorded in the history and a ticket is created right away. There are 180 ready-made reports with CSV export, and access is split into three roles: Viewer, Manager and Administrator. Free for up to 50 computers.

Start for free

180 ready-made reports, grouped by audience: management, IT, accounting, audit, procurement. Each one exports to CSV.

Users and roles. Chief accountant sees everything but can't change anything; System administrator can add and edit but not delete.

Agent installation on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. One key for every computer in the company.

Written by the HWKeeper team with the help of AI language tools; a person checked the facts. Screenshots: real dashboard, demo data.

Computer inventory for your organization: a step-by-step guide for offices with 10–300 PCs

Alex Semenskiy — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:17:50 +0000

With ten computers, you know them all by heart. As the office grows, simple questions go unanswered: how many machines still run Windows 10, where is there an old HDD, who has 4 GB of RAM, which laptop is still assigned to someone who left. A computer inventory answers these in minutes, if you do it right and keep the data from going stale.

Why you need it

Budget. You see what to replace this year and what will last a while longer.
Security. Machines without updates, encryption or antivirus show up right away.
Loss prevention. You notice when equipment goes missing or its parts are swapped.
Upgrades. You know which PCs can't handle the new version of Windows.

What to record for each computer

At a minimum: name and asset tag, room and employee, model, processor, amount of RAM, drives (type and size), OS version, serial number, purchase date and warranty. Accounting tracks fixed assets by its own rules, but IT needs the configuration: a line that just says "desktop PC" won't tell you whether it's time to replace it.

A single computer's card. Everything from the list above is collected automatically. Bottom right: the items that lower the score — an old processor, an HDD instead of an SSD, an outdated OS.

Three ways to do it

An Excel spreadsheet. Free, but you visit every machine by hand, and the spreadsheet is out of date the day you fill it in. Fine if you have fewer than twenty computers.

A network scan. Finds everything that's switched on, but without credentials it sees little. It misses machines that are turned off and laptops outside the office.

An agent on every PC. A small service collects the configuration itself and sends changes. You set it up once, and the data stays current, including from laptops outside the office.

Three ways to inventory computers

	Excel spreadsheet	Network scan	Agent on each PC
Walking around the office	every time	not needed	once, during installation
Level of detail	whatever got written down	partial	full configuration
PCs that are off and laptops outside the office	manual only	can't see them	sees them as soon as they go online
Freshness	as of the day it was filled in	as of the scan	updates itself
Best for	up to 20 PCs	a quick look at the network	10 PCs and up

A one-week plan

For an office with up to 300 computers, one working week is enough.

Computer inventory in one week

Day	Step	What to do
Monday	List rooms and people	Who sits where, which laptops are out with staff.
Tuesday	Pick a method and test it	Try it on 2–3 machines from different departments.
Wednesday – Thursday	Collect data from all PCs	Install or walk around, then check against the list: who's missing.
Friday	First report	A list of problems and what to replace first.

How to keep the inventory up to date

A once-a-year inventory captures a single day. Someone moves RAM, swaps a drive, a laptop goes to a branch office, and a month later the spreadsheet is already wrong. Automatic collection keeps the data fresh: the configuration updates itself, and every change is recorded in the history.

Common mistakes

Writing "desktop PC" without a model or serial number.
Forgetting laptops that are rarely in the office.
Not recording who the equipment is assigned to.
Doing it once and never updating it.

How to do it in HWKeeper

HWKeeper collects inventory with an agent for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. After installation, the computer shows up in the list within seconds: processor, memory, drives, OS, user. For reporting there are 180 ready-made reports with CSV export. The service is free for up to 50 computers.

Start for free

The list of all computers. User, IP and MAC, OS version, the state of the processor, memory and drives. At the top: how many machines are online, plus the value and age of the fleet.

Installing the agent. Pick the operating system, download the installer, and the machine appears in the list. One key works for every computer in the company.

The “Hardware inventory summary” report for management or accounting: how many of each component and the most common models.

Written by the HWKeeper team with the help of AI language tools; a person checked the facts. Screenshots: real dashboard, demo data.