Install "Update" to Win11 or is Fresh install absolute?


varxtis

Well-known member
Local time
5:01 PM
Posts
23
OS
Windows 10
My workstation has qualified to update to Win 11 for a while now, but I've been reluctant to update for two reasons:
1: New operating systems always have so many bugs and a lot of them fail to properly support certain programs or even drivers.
2: I have many work related programs, add-ons, filters, fonts, settings, etc, just the way I need them. Many took quite a while to finetune. Way back when Win 10 was new ("the last official Windows" they said) I tried to just update/upgrade over Win 7. It was a horrible mess that ended up being merely a face job that conflicted with its underlying Win 7 system files. When I did a fresh install (Formatted and install fresh Win 10 OS) everything was great. Still, I had to redo ALL of my programs, add-ons, filters, fonts, settings, etc. It was a nightmare.
Im terrified to do the same with Win 11. Eventually Ill have to. I think it around 2025 Win 10 will no longer be supported.
My questions to the forum are these:
- Does Win 11 exhibit the same issues as Win 10, merely overlaying the pre-existing OS without properly uninstalling Win 10 system files? Will I have to do a completely System format and fresh install in order to avoid issues? I understand fresh install is likely to always be the preferred choice, but Im asking how big of a difference does it make for Win 11?
- I bought a key for Win 11 Pro from "Microsoft Keys". Searched legitimacy and reviews prior to purchase and it seemed pretty solid. I bought the key, but now having doubts due to how cheap it was. Anyone have experience with "Microsoft Keys"?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
You can upgrade and test Windows 11 if you don't like it you can always revert back to Windows 10 within 10 day or extend to 60 day.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
Make a full OS image backup of Windows 10... then do an In-Place Upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11.





In-Place Upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11...





Here is the short version of the In-place upgrade tutorial...

DISABLE non-Microsoft:
a) antivirus software
b) firewall software
c) drive encryption software

Make a full OS backup with a program like Macrium Reflect (free)
Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

Go here and get the Windows 11 ISO (use the 3rd option), and save the ISO to your desktop.
Download Windows 11
The ISO must be downloaded in the same language as you are using in Windows, to be able to keep your Programs and Files.


000000 Win 11 ISO.png





Right click the ISO image and choose: MOUNT
Open File Explorer and you will see a new drive letter. It will "look" like a DVD optical drive.
Double click the new drive letter to open it.
Find setup.exe and double click it to start the in-place upgrade.

Choose the Keep personal files and apps option.

After it's all done... to UNmount the ISO image, right click the new drive letter and choose: EJECT.


The ONLY thing you will lose is some of your personalizations. Your programs and data will be intact.






000000 Win 10 vs Win 11.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.4351 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5002)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
@varxtis You can do an upgrade install and elect to the oprion to "keep all your files and apps." I've done this with three of my PC's and had no issues. Many others have done this as well. Windows 11 will always allow you to go back to your previous Win10 installation for a limited amount of time. However, just to be safe, I would run a full image before you do the upgrade so that you have another way of going back should something go wrong. Many of the forum members use the free version of Macrium Reflect to make full backup images. Its reliable and there are tutorials here for you to learn how.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 8940 XPS
    CPU
    10th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700, 2.90GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell 0KV3RP (U3E1)
    Memory
    32GB, 2x16GB, DDR4, 2933Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) RTX 2060 SUPER(TM) 8GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    Onboard, Realtek Codec, NVIDIA Hi Def Audio, Intel Display Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell UltraSharp U3415W
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD; 2TB Samsung SSD 860 EVO; 2TB Samsung SSD 860 EVO 2
    PSU
    500 W Dell
    Case
    Night Sky Bezel Chassis
    Cooling
    Dell
    Keyboard
    Logi Wireless
    Mouse
    Logi Wireless
    Internet Speed
    111 Mbps Download, 132 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Falcon Northwest Talon
    CPU
    Intel 13900K Core I9 24 Core LGA 1700
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Z970 Maximus Hero
    Memory
    32GB (2x16) Kingston Fury Beast 6000MHZ DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    nVidia 4090 Founders Edition
    Sound Card
    Motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 34” Curved OLED
    Screen Resolution
    4K
    Hard Drives
    SSD M.2 Kingston Renegade Fury 4 TB x 2; Western Digital Red Pro 8 TB SATA III
    PSU
    1000W ECGA Platinum Modular ATX
    Case
    Falcon NW Custom
    Cooling
    AIO Falcon NW 280mm Liquid Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech G502
    Keyboard
    Logitech Pro Gamer
    Internet Speed
    111 Mbps Download, 132 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes
    Other Info
    Noise Blocker Fans
You can use the attached batch script to extend the time to roll back a buggy Windows 10 and Windows 11 feature update.
 

Attachments

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
Puzzled why you bought a Windows key unless you're upgrading from Home to Pro.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home & Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U
    Motherboard
    M1605YA
    Memory
    15.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1596MHz (22-22-22-52)
    Graphics Card(s)
    512MB ATI AMD Radeon Graphics (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1200@60Hz) - P1 PLUS (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1200
    Hard Drives
    953GB Western Digital WD
    PSU
    45 Watts
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth.
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
WOW, That was a lot of replies in such a small amount of time. Thank you very much everyone. I'll pursue the image route incase I have to roll back or whatnot.
@Fabler2 I have windows 10 Pro. It was my assumption that the "Free upgrade" would take me from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 11 Home. I wanted to stick with pro since there are usally networking aspects that are only available with Pro. Was my assumption wrong? Does Free Upgrade go from pro to pro?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
WOW, That was a lot of replies in such a small amount of time. Thank you very much everyone. I'll pursue the image route incase I have to roll back or whatnot.
@Fabler2 I have windows 10 Pro. It was my assumption that the "Free upgrade" would take me from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 11 Home. I wanted to stick with pro since there are usally networking aspects that are only available with Pro. Was my assumption wrong? Does Free Upgrade go from pro to pro?
No, you will upgrade to Windows 11 Pro.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
Yes it goes from Win 10 Pro to Win 11 Pro.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home & Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U
    Motherboard
    M1605YA
    Memory
    15.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1596MHz (22-22-22-52)
    Graphics Card(s)
    512MB ATI AMD Radeon Graphics (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1200@60Hz) - P1 PLUS (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1200
    Hard Drives
    953GB Western Digital WD
    PSU
    45 Watts
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth.
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
@Ghot Does "OS Image backup" record everything including Videos, Fonts, Music, Programs, Add-ons, Settings, etc? Basically a complete and entire picture of my 1TB computer as it is now? Or will it be strictly OS/Driver related files?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
@Ghot Does "OS Image backup" record everything including Videos, Fonts, Music, Programs, Add-ons, Settings, etc? Basically a complete and entire picture of my 1TB computer as it is now? Or will it be strictly OS/Driver related files?
Creating an image of your computer enables you to restore all your programs, personal data, and Windows settings without reinstalling Windows manually, reinstalling every application, and then copying your personal data back over. When something bad happens, such as a hard drive failure or Windows being broken beyond repair, it is better to restore your computer from an image.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
@Ghot Does "OS Image backup" record everything including Videos, Fonts, Music, Programs, Add-ons, Settings, etc? Basically a complete and entire picture of my 1TB computer as it is now? Or will it be strictly OS/Driver related files?


It is an exact (but compressed) copy of your Windows install.

A lot of people made a backup of Windows 10... then moved to Windows 11 by various routes.
If they didn't like Windows 11, all they had to do was "restore" the Windows 10 backup.


Posts 1 and 2, here...


AOMEI Backupper is another option (it's a bit simpler)


Whether Macrium or AOMEI, make sure to make the bootable media, so you can get to your backups,
even if Windows won't boot.



000000 Get backup software.png
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.4351 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5002)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
You are very welcome!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
Ditto. :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.4351 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5002)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
WOW, That was a lot of replies in such a small amount of time. Thank you very much everyone. I'll pursue the image route incase I have to roll back or whatnot.
@Fabler2 I have windows 10 Pro. It was my assumption that the "Free upgrade" would take me from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 11 Home. I wanted to stick with pro since there are usally networking aspects that are only available with Pro. Was my assumption wrong? Does Free Upgrade go from pro to pro?
I've upgraded several computers from W10 to W11.
W10 Home always upgrades to W11 Home.
W10 Pro always upgrades to W11 Pro.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 9640
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 7467 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16.3 inch 4K+ OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2400
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    960 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
My workstation has qualified to update to Win 11 for a while now, but I've been reluctant to update for two reasons:
1: New operating systems always have so many bugs and a lot of them fail to properly support certain programs or even drivers.
2: I have many work related programs, add-ons, filters, fonts, settings, etc, just the way I need them..... Eventually Ill have to. I think it around 2025 Win 10 will no longer be supported.

Windows 10 reaches end of support on 14 October 2025, so there is no rush to make the switch. Windows 11 has been out for over nine months now, time enough to iron out any bugs. In addition, the 22H2 Feature Update for Windows 11 is due out in September/October, addressing a number of the perceived shortcomings in Start and the Taskbar.

- Does Win 11 exhibit the same issues as Win 10, merely overlaying the pre-existing OS without properly uninstalling Win 10 system files? Will I have to do a completely System format and fresh install in order to avoid issues?

Underneath the new GUI and security features the basic Windows 11 kernel is little changed from Windows 10. There should be none of the issues you experienced going from W7 to W10. Those were quite different OS's, Windows 10 and 11 are more or less the same OS.

I bought a key for Win 11 Pro from "Microsoft Keys". Searched legitimacy and reviews prior to purchase and it seemed pretty solid. I bought the key, but now having doubts due to how cheap it was. Anyone have experience with "Microsoft Keys"?

I have not dealt with "Microsoft keys". But there is actually no such thing as a 'Windows 11 key'. Microsoft made no changes whatsoever to how keys or digital licences work. All keys and digital licences are now treated by Microsoft as being for 'Windows 10/11'.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, and 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine.
Before you begin, you MUST do a OS drive image and save to an external drive so you can restore it back in the case things go wrong.
Win 11 is quite the same as Win 10 but looks different.
Many tweaks you have done on win 10 may not work on win 11. You may have to install some tweaks to be able to use as you do with win 10

If you have Win 10 working the way you want, stay with it. No reason to upgrade to win 11.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro - Windows 7 HP 64 - Lubuntu
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    custom build
    CPU
    i5 6600K - 800MHz to 4400MHz
    Motherboard
    GA-Z170-HD3P
    Memory
    4+4G GSkill DDR4 3000
    Graphics Card(s)
    IG - Intel 530
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 226BW
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    (1) -1 SM951 – 128GB M.2 AHCI PCIe SSD drive for Win 11
    (2) -1 WD SATA 3 - 1T for Data
    (3) -1 WD SATA 3 - 1T for backup
    (4) -1 BX500 SSD - 128G for Windows 7 and Lubuntu
    PSU
    Thermaltake 450W TR2 gold
    Keyboard
    Old and good Chicony mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech mX performance - 9 buttons (had to disable some)
    Internet Speed
    500 Mb/s
    Browser
    Firefox 64
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Q550LF
    CPU
    i7-4500U 800- 3000MHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Q550LF
    Memory
    (4+4)G DDR3 1600
    Graphics card(s)
    IG intel 4400 + NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Display LP156WF4-SPH1
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    BX500 120G SSD for Windows and programs
    & 1T HDD for data
    Internet Speed
    500 Mb/s
    Browser
    Firefox 64
Thank you so so so much everyone for your feedback! Its been extremely informative and helpful. Truly, Thank you!!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
Ammended question:
Ive decided to go for fresh install as my computer is experiencing issues that'll be addressed with a format and fresh install.
My current OS is Win10 pro. When I install fresh Win 11 Pro, do I use the windows key associated with my current OS/Setup, or will I need to install with a new Win11 Pro Key? I ask because as stated before, my system is qualified for a free "upgrade" to win11 pro. But idk if that's limited to an upgrade, or how that'd work for a fresh Win11 pro install after a complete format.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
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