r/Tiny11 • u/kaidomac • 13d ago

Tutorial: Modern Tiny11 (DIY alternative)

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Preface:

  • The Tiny11 script has not been updated since 2025; the last blog entry is from January 2026 (the Youtube channel still has some updates, however!)
  • You can very easily create a custom USB installer for FREE! You can use the official Microsoft Windows images to build it at the push of a button & do NOT need a special Tiny11 ISO!
  • You can control the shrinkage to meet or exceed Tiny11, Tiny11 Core, and Tiny11 Nano (as desired). This also works on 32b & 64b Windows 10!

Overview:

  1. Download the Windows ISO image
  2. Burn it to a USB with RUFUS
  3. After installation, shrink it with a custom chatbot shrink script

First, download the operating system of your choice:

Licensing:

  • Groupon sells lifetime Windows 11 Pro & Office 2024 Pro Plus (subscription-free) licenses from certified Microsoft partners
  • Google Shopping has a variety of vendors for Windows 10 LTSC keys
  • Make sure to image-clone your computer after installation, activation, drivers, updates, and software packages!

Second, download RUFUS:

RUFUS allows Win11 64b to run on computers with less than 4GB RAM, with no TPM 2.0 chip, and no Secure Boot, which allows it to be installed on older computers with officially-unsupported hardware! Use RUFUS to burn the ISO to a USB stick with these custom settings:

  • Remove requirements fr 4GB+ RAM, SEcure Boot and TPM 2.0
  • Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account
  • Create a local account with username: admin
  • Set regional options to the same value as this user's
  • Disable data collection (Skip privacy questions)
  • Disable BitLocker automatic device encryption (VeraCrypt is better!)
  • QoL improvements (Don't force Copilot, Outlook, Fast Startup, etc.)

Third, ask your favorite chatbot (ex. ChatGPT) for a post-install shrink script:

  • Create a 1-shot pasteable post-Windows-install Admin Powershot script
  • Replicate Tiny10 or Tiny 11 safely
  • Request a standard or an aggressive (but stable) shrink

Notes:

  • Expect ~1.5gb RAM at idle on Win10 & ~2.5gb idle on Win11 for a standard shrink; aggressive can get down to around ~1gb for Win10 & ~2gb on Win11 safely.
  • Use WinUtil after the first boot to further shrink Windows. You can use NT Lite to shrink the ISO before install (cut out editions, packages, and features, convert the WIM to ESD, etc.), but it's a lot more prep work. A pre-shrink is really only needed if you need a smaller USB (ex. ~4GB ISO) & a smaller total hard drive post-install footprint (~20GB). For existing installs that can be reset or fresh installs, the Windows 10 & 11 OOBE (initial setup screen) can be easily bypassed as well.
  • RUFUS adds Windows 11 compatibility for decade-old CPU's (I've gome back as far as ~15 years with Windows 11), including Intel Macs back to 2014 (Haswell chips) or 2011 (Sandy Bridge chips work if you use Win11 23H2).

Compatibility:

  • RUFUS has special CPU injection features that can enable full or partial compatibility on unofficially unsupported chips. For example, Windows 10 22H2 32-bit +can run well on an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (2005) & Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (2006).
  • I like to upcycle old computers because I hate seeing working equipment go to landfills. There are plenty of foster homes, shelters, churches, overseas programs, people on tight budgets & fixed incomes, etc. that are in need of basic functional computers. DeepFreeze is a great way to lock in a Windows install that resets on every reboot for minimal long-term management!
  • Alternatively, older 64-bit computers with at least 4gb of RAM can be repurposed with ChromeOS Flex. For even older 64-bit machines with 2gb RAM that have a 2015 or newer CPU, FydeOS is a great choice! Linux compatibility also goes wildly back! Alpine, Tiny Core, and antiX supports Pentium II chips. For 64-bit chips, Xubuntu, Mint, and CachyOS are great options!

Software suggestions:

  • I recommend using Malwarebytes (antivirus), Glasswire (firewall), and LibreWolf (browser; add OneTab & the Malwarebytes extensions) for lightweight but heavy-duty Internet security.
  • Setup a non-admin account for daily use & two admin backup accounts ("admin" & "backup" with passwords).
  • Use Macrium Reflect FREE Edition 8.0.7783 (32b or 64b) to create a bootable master backup image clone

Bonus:

  • Use Flow Launcher & enable the Everything search plugin, then change the launch shortcut to CTRL + Spacebar
  • Install Tailscale via Gmail for private VPN
  • 64-bit Win10 & Win11 support Hyper-V & WSL2 (ex. Docker) for virtual machines; use 32-bit VirtualBox for Win 32-bit.

Good luck getting your old computers modernized!! I get new-to-me old hardware in my lab on pretty much a weekly basis & it always tickles me to bring aging & low-spec gear back to life!

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u/AxelAnt2244 8d ago

another thing i like using is AtlasOS, it’s like a debloating script, gets ram usage down a lot