Installing 11 on a Brand New SSD


bob17821

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Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
I have a Lenovo X1 Carbon (model 3444BCU) running Win10 Pro which I'd like to upgrade to Win11. At the same time I'd like to replace the SSD with a larger one. So the new SSD will contain nothing but whatever the manufacturer might have written on it. (I don't want to invest in the hardware which would let me copy the old SSD to the new one.). Will an install from a USB handle that, or might it expect at least a partition table and maybe other low level things? I should mention that my TPM is version 1.2. (I've read that a solution to the TPM problem is to put a lie in the registry. I'm not above that but of course the new SSD won't have a registry on it.). I'll appreciate any help/advice. Even if it's that I am not smart enough to pull this off. Thanks, Bob
 
Windows Build/Version
Win 10 Pro

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    32GB
    Screen Resolution
    4K
  • Operating System
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700
    Motherboard
    No Idea
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GEFORCE RTX 3060Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    4K
Sorry. Build 17763.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    32GB
    Screen Resolution
    4K
  • Operating System
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700
    Motherboard
    No Idea
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GEFORCE RTX 3060Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    4K
If you go to the Tutorials section then there's one that gives you a step-by-step guide to do a clean install on a new disk.

Clean Install Windows 11
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel I3-10100
    Motherboard
    MSI H410M-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GT 1030
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 970 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Samsung QVO 870 SATA SSD 2 Tb
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Microsoft Office 2021 Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel i3-8100
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z370 D3
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia GT 720
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Seagate 2 Tb HDD
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows11 22H2 22621.674
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Hybrid
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    MSI 990FXA-GD65 (MS7640)
    Memory
    8.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 800MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon R7 360 Series
    Sound Card
    AMD Built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 21inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 2.5inch 1GB SSD
    Case
    Cooler Master
    Cooling
    3 case fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft wired
    Mouse
    Microsoft wired
    Internet Speed
    50Mbps/20Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    No TPM, Legacy Boot, MBR, no secure boot
Yes, you can boot the computer from a Windows 10 or 11 installation USB flash drive and install Windows to a brand new, unformatted SSD. In fact doing a clean install to a completely blank drive with no partitions on it is the preferred way. But I would make one suggestion. After you have created the Windows installation USB flash drive, before you take apart your existing computer and remove the drive, I would suggest that you back up drivers to the Windows installation USB flash drive first.

Let's say your USB flash drive has drive letter E: when connected. If it is something else, change the drive letter in the below commands. You will want to run the commands in a command prompt with admin (run as administrator) window:

Rich (BB code):
mkdir E:\Drivers
dism /online /export-driver /destination:E:\Drivers

That way if you have any problems with device drivers in Device Manager after the clean install, you can reload them from the Drivers folder on your USB flash drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
How much trouble will it be to get 11 up and running on a 9 year old laptop? https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/withdrawnbook/ThinkPad_X1_Carbon_1st_Gen.pdf

(Intel Gen3 CPU.)
It would take me about 5 minutes:

But then there might be a problem with Windows 10/11 compatible drivers. So far all drivers compatible with Windows 10 are compatible with Windows 11.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homebuilt
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero (WiFi)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Education
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7773
    CPU
    Intel i7-8550U
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia Geforce MX150
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 512GB NVMe SSD
    SK Hynix 512GB SATA SSD
    Internet Speed
    Fast!
I shouldn't have tried to discourage the OP from experimenting with 11 on a semi-ancient laptop. I suppose that any hardware that can run Win10 X64 tolerably can run 11, if the security stuff is bypassed.

I ran 10 X64 on a 2008 laptop with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 running on an nVidia chipset, with only 4GB of RAM. (Successfully worked around some driver issues.) I won't try upgrading it to 11, though. It's destined for recycling, when I get around to it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
Seems to run on anything - I used the Rufus method to create a usb for legacy hardware. The only driver missing on an atom netbook was graphics because there wasn’t a 64 but graphics driver for that machine (but found one that worked).
So yes - as above - good idea to copy drivers first.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 14-ce3514sa
    CPU
    Core i5
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 evo plus 2TB
    Cooling
    Could be better
    Internet Speed
    200mbps Starlink
    Browser
    Firefox
    Other Info
    Originally installed with a 500gb H10 Optane ssd
If you go to the Tutorials section then there's one that gives you a step-by-step guide to do a clean install on a new disk.

Clean Install Windows 11
Thanks RFS. I did see that tutorial but it contains a dialog in which you are asked to select the partition you want to install in. Since I'll be using a brand new SSD it won't have a partition table (at least I'd not expect it to have one). Thanks again, Bob
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    32GB
    Screen Resolution
    4K
  • Operating System
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700
    Motherboard
    No Idea
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GEFORCE RTX 3060Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    4K
Download Windows 11 disk image (ISO) from Download Windows 11
Using Rufus 3.17 from Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way you can create a bootable usb to install Win11 on non-compatible hardware as per instructions at Rufus Introduces "Extended Windows 11 Installation" Support (Disables TPM/Secure Boot/RAM Requirements)
Thank you skcuysime, I will look into that solution. But I get very nervous using software which I don't get from an app store. Especially software which is messing around with low level stuff. I know from many experiences that software which does helpful stuff may also do bad things. But an early and very incomplete search of "rufus" on this forum is looking promising. Thanks again, Bob
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    32GB
    Screen Resolution
    4K
  • Operating System
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700
    Motherboard
    No Idea
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GEFORCE RTX 3060Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    4K

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    32GB
    Screen Resolution
    4K
  • Operating System
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700
    Motherboard
    No Idea
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GEFORCE RTX 3060Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    4K
Thank you skcuysime, I will look into that solution. But I get very nervous using software which I don't get from an app store. Especially software which is messing around with low level stuff. I know from many experiences that software which does helpful stuff may also do bad things. But an early and very incomplete search of "rufus" on this forum is looking promising. Thanks again, Bob
My apologies skcusime! I have learned that Rufus is available from the Windows App Store. Looks like the answer to my prayers. Thanks very much for making me aware of it. Bob
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    32GB
    Screen Resolution
    4K
  • Operating System
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700
    Motherboard
    No Idea
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GEFORCE RTX 3060Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    4K
Thanks RFS. I did see that tutorial but it contains a dialog in which you are asked to select the partition you want to install in. Since I'll be using a brand new SSD it won't have a partition table (at least I'd not expect it to have one). Thanks again, Bob
See step 11 where the starting point is a disk with just unallocated space. That's the point you will arrive at with your new disk. Here you can either click "next" and the whole disk will be set up as one partition (which you can shrink later if needed) or click "new" and you will be prompted to choose a size from the unallocated space for your partition.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel I3-10100
    Motherboard
    MSI H410M-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GT 1030
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 970 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Samsung QVO 870 SATA SSD 2 Tb
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Microsoft Office 2021 Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel i3-8100
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z370 D3
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia GT 720
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Seagate 2 Tb HDD
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Honestly it’s very easy :). I just downloaded Rufus Beta 3.1from their web page. Downloaded Windows 11 iso to a laptop. Used Rufus to burn the iso to usb stick. All Rufus is, is a method of burning an iso to a usb stick. But the version you want is the one made specifically for windows 11. So it removes the warnings about tpm missing etc. It is just pure windows 11.

I made two usb‘a with it. One for uefi hardware, one for legacy hardware. You have the option to choose when you make the usb stick. There are two drop down menus - one to choose uefi (it says gpt) or legacy (it says mbr). The other drop down menu you select “windows 11 extended “. That is the bit that removes the restrictions for hardware.

Then just put the new ssd in the machine and boot from the usb. Installs in minutes.

I’ve installed on two older laptops now. One it didn’t find a graphics driver immediately (but did after Windows updates done) snd couldn’t find my WiFi till after Windows updates were done. So I used my phone as a hotspot and connected to that to do the install. Then keep running Windows Update.

The link for the correct Rufus version is here. Select 3.16


Instructions on how to use it are on this article - step by step

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 14-ce3514sa
    CPU
    Core i5
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 evo plus 2TB
    Cooling
    Could be better
    Internet Speed
    200mbps Starlink
    Browser
    Firefox
    Other Info
    Originally installed with a 500gb H10 Optane ssd

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