Pre-plan your Win 11 upgrade for a smooth experience


hsehestedt

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I think that I have been doing this way too long. I just had the fastest, easiest, transition to a major new Windows version that I have ever had.

As soon as the early leaked version of Windows 11 made news I started preplanning for my transition to 11.

I hate upgrading major OS versions, I prefer a clean install, so that would normally make the transition more difficult, but with some planning I figured that I could make it less painful.

I started with a list of all programs that I had to de-activate licenses for so that those licenses could be reused after 11 was installed. I was surprised at how many programs like that I have,

Next, I created two scripts - one to move all my personal documents and files to a temporary storage location, another that would move them back after 11 was installed.

I exported all my drivers so that after my clean install of 11 I could simply install every single driver for my system with a one-line batch file.

The biggest hurdle for me was going to be Plex. Plex stores tens of thousands of metadata files in support of all the video and music files and migrating all of this is a bit of a pain. So, I dealt with that early on and migrated Plex to a VM. That way, after installing 11 I have zero configuration I need to do for Plex - just run the VM.

Finally, I prepared an unattended installation of Windows 11.

Well, yesterday was the big day. I decided that since we are now only one month from final release and we are pretty much at what will be the final product, it was time to transition to 11.

I started with one final incremental backup of my OS drive - that took about 60 seconds.

Next, I booted my unattended installation of Win 11 and let it rip. Start to finish, Win 11 was up and running in about 10 minutes.

Next I ran my one-line batch file to install all my drivers. About 5 minutes for that.

Next up, the batch file to restore all my personal files and documents. That took under a minute (gotta love fast Gen 4 NVMe storage!).

So maybe about 17 minutes in and I already have a full blown Win 11 with all my drivers and personal data restored.

Next up, install VMware, created a couple of shares to the locations where my media is located, and just like that, in less than 5 minutes, my Plex server is up and running again.

Finally, I spend about 30 to 40 minutes or so installing applications, setting up my backups, and tweaking some Windows settings.

Bottom line: With a bit of planning, I have completely migrated from 10 to 11, with a clean install no less, inside of about 1 hour. Sure, I'll spend some time tweaking stuff a bit more, but I can do that as I go along. For now, I have a 100% operational installation of Windows 11 on my primary system, and I couldn't be happier with how well it is running.

The point of all this? Pre-plan your migration to 11 and do your basic prep work in advance. Make a list of everything that needs to be done in advance, and for goodness sake, make a backup just before you start. Doing these things should make the transition super easy.

Good luck!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Hmmm...to be honest I would think:
1. Create backup image with Macrium Reflect (or similar).
2. Disable third party antivirus software.
3. Upgrade to Windows 11 using your preferred method:
a) Mount Windows 11 ISO file and run setup.exe
b) Run setup.exe from a Windows 11 USB flash drive
c) Use the upgrade now option of the Media Creation Tool when it becomes available
OR
d) Windows Update.
4. Re-enable your third party antivirus if desired.

seems to be a lot easier, to me anyway.
 

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!
If it's me (like I always do), I will just install a new drive and do a clean install of 11 without touching Windows 10. But of course this is for a desktop. It will be a bit of a work for a laptop.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG Gaming Edge Wifi (X570)
    Memory
    32GB Adata XPG DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GTX 1070 8GB ROG
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Main Boot Drive : 512GB Adata XPG RGB Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 SSD
    PSU
    EVGA 600 Watts Gold
    Case
    Deepcool Genome II
    Cooling
    Deepcool Fryzen
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    "Moderna"
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4790K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Xtreme6 Z97
    Memory
    16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI R9 290
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung M.2
    PSU
    Thermaltake 475 Watts 80 Bronze
    Case
    Thermaltake Commander I Snow Edition
    Cooling
    Deep Cool Archer Air Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Armageddon MKA-5R RGB-Hornet
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Moderna :)
Hmmm...to be honest I would think:
1. Create backup image with Macrium Reflect (or similar).
2. Disable third party antivirus software.
3. Upgrade to Windows 11 using your preferred method:
a) Mount Windows 11 ISO file and run setup.exe
b) Run setup.exe from a Windows 11 USB flash drive
c) Use the upgrade now option of the Media Creation Tool when it becomes available
OR
d) Windows Update.
4. Re-enable your third party antivirus if desired.

seems to be a lot easier, to me anyway.

Easier, yes. But as I noted, it's just my preference to do a clean install. It's an opportunity to dust away the cobwebs and start with a nice pristine installation.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Trying to develop my own plan for a clean install of Win 11. System is now setup like this:
c: Windows 10 Pro
d: Backups of documents/pictures etc.
e: games (just 2)
f: Windows 11 Home (OEM License).
Plan is to create back-up of C, leave D alone, disconnect E and F. Install Win 11 using ISO to C. Not sure what impact, if any, having the f drive would have once it's reconnected. My back-ups are on external drives and I will also copy the contents of D to an external drive just for some added protection. Any thoughts?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    I8700k
    Motherboard
    MSI Z370A Pro
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    1070ti
    Sound Card
    On-board realtech
@Gramps looks like a reasonable approach.

I am planning to do a clean install of my laptop that is running the Win 11 Insider Preview that was upgraded from the original Win 10 provided by HP. My Desktop will be upgraded to Win 11 but the using the normal process.

I have a spreadsheet with over 100 steps for the clean install. It contains the prep activities (image copy C: & D: drives, backup of Firefox bookmarks/tabs/prefs, Network credentials, etc), install and configuration of apps, and configuration settings. This spreadsheet was originally built years ago for a clean install of Win 8.1 and has evolved since then. It has been tweaked daily for the last couple of weeks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP / Spectre x360 Convertible 13
    CPU
    i5-8250U
    Motherboard
    83B9 56.50
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    500Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Wow! Looks good the way you have it planned out. I guess I could get rid of the current Win 11 install on the f drive, don't see a reason to keep it, and possibly avoid any conflicts with the clean install of 11 on the c drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    I8700k
    Motherboard
    MSI Z370A Pro
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    1070ti
    Sound Card
    On-board realtech
As soon as the early leaked version of Windows 11 made news I started preplanning for my transition to 11.

I hate upgrading major OS versions, I prefer a clean install, so that would normally make the transition more difficult, but with some planning I figured that I could make it less painful....
I have never found any problems with upgrading major OS versions. My main 'daily use' machine can boast an upgrade path that traces its ancestry in a direct line back to its OEM preinstalled Win7 Home Premium. As such, it contains some things I still find useful, but that are now impossible to reinstall - such as MS Office 2010 Starter. Alas, that PC is now so old that it stands no chance of being offered Windows 11.

So my plan, hatched when the leak appeared, was to image the old machine, restore the image to new hardware, then upgrade that to W11. When W11 was officially available to Insiders in the Beta channel I got a 22000.51 ISO through UUPDump and tested the plan. That's my System One below, I've been using it as my main machine for two months now.

With the release due in a few days it was time to wipe the test run from the machine. I have carefully repeated the migration of the W10 OS from my old machine, and now await Windows 11 to be offered to me through Windows Update. I find it quite amusing for this machine to be able to claim an upgrade lineage that spans more than a decade :wink:
 

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
    50 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 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.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude 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.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Bree, it's simply a personal preference for me to do a clean install. Besides, I spent many hundreds of hours working on a program that does all kinds of stuff with preparing unattended install media, etc. so, I always relish the opportunity to make use of my own handiwork :-).

As it stands right now, I'm really pretty in love with Win 11. It's working exceptionally well for me, even on unsupported hardware :-). Just hope that continues to be the case with final release. My only question at this point is a system that has only a version 1.2 TPM rather than 2.0 which is still on Win 10 at the moment. I'll attempt an installation of 11 on that machine in a few days, maybe when I get my greedy little hands on the final ISO.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
My plan was......
1. Grabbed the leaked ISO in late May and then...........well that was it really
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Beta, 11 Dev, W11 Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R6
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 8GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    1 x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB
My plan was......
1. Grabbed the leaked ISO in late May and then...........well that was it really
Pretty much same here. Download ISO file, run setup.exe. I will usually clone the existing partition to a new partition - like a ready to boot backup.
 

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!
Step # 1...

1633047147334.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG Gaming Edge Wifi (X570)
    Memory
    32GB Adata XPG DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GTX 1070 8GB ROG
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Main Boot Drive : 512GB Adata XPG RGB Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 SSD
    PSU
    EVGA 600 Watts Gold
    Case
    Deepcool Genome II
    Cooling
    Deepcool Fryzen
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    "Moderna"
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4790K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Xtreme6 Z97
    Memory
    16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI R9 290
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung M.2
    PSU
    Thermaltake 475 Watts 80 Bronze
    Case
    Thermaltake Commander I Snow Edition
    Cooling
    Deep Cool Archer Air Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Armageddon MKA-5R RGB-Hornet
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Moderna :)
I think that I have been doing this way too long. I just had the fastest, easiest, transition to a major new Windows version that I have ever had.

As soon as the early leaked version of Windows 11 made news I started preplanning for my transition to 11.

I hate upgrading major OS versions, I prefer a clean install, so that would normally make the transition more difficult, but with some planning I figured that I could make it less painful.

I started with a list of all programs that I had to de-activate licenses for so that those licenses could be reused after 11 was installed. I was surprised at how many programs like that I have,

Next, I created two scripts - one to move all my personal documents and files to a temporary storage location, another that would move them back after 11 was installed.

I exported all my drivers so that after my clean install of 11 I could simply install every single driver for my system with a one-line batch file.

The biggest hurdle for me was going to be Plex. Plex stores tens of thousands of metadata files in support of all the video and music files and migrating all of this is a bit of a pain. So, I dealt with that early on and migrated Plex to a VM. That way, after installing 11 I have zero configuration I need to do for Plex - just run the VM.

Finally, I prepared an unattended installation of Windows 11.

Well, yesterday was the big day. I decided that since we are now only one month from final release and we are pretty much at what will be the final product, it was time to transition to 11.

I started with one final incremental backup of my OS drive - that took about 60 seconds.

Next, I booted my unattended installation of Win 11 and let it rip. Start to finish, Win 11 was up and running in about 10 minutes.

Next I ran my one-line batch file to install all my drivers. About 5 minutes for that.

Next up, the batch file to restore all my personal files and documents. That took under a minute (gotta love fast Gen 4 NVMe storage!).

So maybe about 17 minutes in and I already have a full blown Win 11 with all my drivers and personal data restored.

Next up, install VMware, created a couple of shares to the locations where my media is located, and just like that, in less than 5 minutes, my Plex server is up and running again.

Finally, I spend about 30 to 40 minutes or so installing applications, setting up my backups, and tweaking some Windows settings.

Bottom line: With a bit of planning, I have completely migrated from 10 to 11, with a clean install no less, inside of about 1 hour. Sure, I'll spend some time tweaking stuff a bit more, but I can do that as I go along. For now, I have a 100% operational installation of Windows 11 on my primary system, and I couldn't be happier with how well it is running.

The point of all this? Pre-plan your migration to 11 and do your basic prep work in advance. Make a list of everything that needs to be done in advance, and for goodness sake, make a backup just before you start. Doing these things should make the transition super easy.

Good luck!
Personal documents and files on the system drive? Big no from me, I store them on a separate partition/drive so no matter what happens to Windows all my files are safe. Everything is in a OneDrive folder on a different drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (RP channel)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5900X 12-core
    Motherboard
    X570 Aorus Xtreme
    Memory
    64GB Corsair Platinum RGB 3600MHz CL16
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Suprim X 3080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
    Samsung 980 Pro 2TB
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB
    Samsung 870 Evo 4TB
    Samsung T7 Touch 1TB
    PSU
    Asus ROG Strix 1000W
    Case
    Corsair D750 Airflow
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15S
    Keyboard
    Asus ROG Flare
    Mouse
    Logitech G903 with PowerPlay charger
    Internet Speed
    500Mb/sec
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Personal documents and files on the system drive? Big no from me, I store them on a separate partition/drive so no matter what happens to Windows all my files are safe. Everything is in a OneDrive folder on a different drive.
Yeah, I've debated that point with myself repeatedly, so my thinking went something like (this only partial logic, but you get the idea)...

On my laptop I have only a single drive so there is simply no choice.
However, that drive is BitLocker protected and is backed up every single day. The backups have 2 additional copies replicated to other locations including one offsite location.

In addition, all that data is in a single place so if need be, all I have to do is backup a single folder with subfolders and that is everything. There is no accidentally forgetting that some stuff was off in some weird corner somewhere.

In order to have some consistency, I do it the same way on my desktop computer.

Note that this may not be what you are really thinking - It's just word docs, spreadsheets, misc stuff, etc. In grand total, this stuff that I need ready access to is barely over 1 GB in size.

All my big stuff - ISO images, software assets, and a lot of other stuff totaling maybe 400+ GB is on a separate drive for the desktop and an external drive for the laptop. Again, multiple copies are backed up every single day. Plex is whole different story. The Plex server runs as a VM to it's a super easy to backup because it's simply one unit - the VM. The data for Plex is separate and accessed via UNC share names. That way, if the VM is ever moved, it doesn't matter. Access is still to the same UNC shares. Last time I specifically checked the size I think that VM was only like 50 GB. The Plex data, however, is about 6 TB so far, and yes, it is backed up every single day.

My job for over twelve years with a major storage company was to help top enterprise customers to protect and recover data on our mission critical systems so I've seen my fair share of planning both good and bad. Makes me highly paranoid about how I handle my own personal data :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Yeah, I've debated that point with myself repeatedly, so my thinking went something like (this only partial logic, but you get the idea)...

On my laptop I have only a single drive so there is simply no choice.
However, that drive is BitLocker protected and is backed up every single day. The backups have 2 additional copies replicated to other locations including one offsite location.

In addition, all that data is in a single place so if need be, all I have to do is backup a single folder with subfolders and that is everything. There is no accidentally forgetting that some stuff was off in some weird corner somewhere.
My laptop also has a single SSD but it is partitioned into a C: drive and a D: drive, so there is a choice.

But the single drive approach is quite workable. In the event of a serious failure all you need to do is a full drive restore from an earlier known good backup, and do a restore of the data from the latest backup (if using MR or similar backup that allows file access within the backup).

The reason I keep the OS and data in separate partitions is to optimize space and time doing a backup/restore. The time difference may be 10-15 minutes, not a lot in the grand scheme of things, and space these days is cheap and plentiful. But old habits are hard to break.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP / Spectre x360 Convertible 13
    CPU
    i5-8250U
    Motherboard
    83B9 56.50
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    500Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Just personal preference to have one partition. I always have a difficult time deciding what size ratio to give the OS vs data partitions. It's just a quirk of mine. Besides, I find that I can restore my entire OS drive in under 5 minutes. Fast SSDs are a good thing :)

Also, I didn't mention this because you may think I'm nuts. In addition to my regular backups that I already mentioned, I replicate all my personal data files to multiple other computers every hour with automated processes. On the destination systems, files are not deleted. If a file was deleted or modified on the source, then the destination moves that file to a temporary location so that I have archive copies in case I accidentally delete something or it gets corrupted.

Finally, I keep copies on 2 systems that are air-gapped so no virus or malware will get to them. These are updated a bit less frequently, but they are meant as a last resort.

Like I said, I'm paranoid about my data :)

Almost forgot - keep really, really important stuff on optical media so I'm EMP proof. Well, maybe I'm not, but my data is :-). Kidding about EMP proof, just good for long term storage.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
You have got it all covered, and your measures seem appropriate to your comfort level. Good for you!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP / Spectre x360 Convertible 13
    CPU
    i5-8250U
    Motherboard
    83B9 56.50
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    500Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Hi,
MS prides themselves on the ability to inplace upgrade
Not sure why you'd want to deprive them of that with a clean install lol

I disconnect from the internet then mount the iso and keep all personal files and apps it's worked pretty well
It's always better than dealing with ms update system and waiting for it to download the files...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-7-10-11Pro's
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer 17" Nitro 7840sn/ 2x16gb 5600c40/ 4060/ stock 1tb-os/ 4tb sn850x
    CPU
    10900k & 9940x & 5930k
    Motherboard
    z490-Apex & x299-Apex & x99-Sabertooth
    Memory
    Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb & Trident-Z 3600c16 4x8gb & 3200c14 4x8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Titan Xp & 1080ti FTW3 & evga 980ti gaming
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek x3
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
    Screen Resolution
    1920-1080 not sure what the t.v is besides 43" class scales from 1920-1080 perfectly
    Hard Drives
    2-WD-sn850x 4tb/ 970evo+500gb/ 980 pro 2tb.
    PSU
    1000p2 & 1200p2 & 850p2
    Case
    D450 x2 & 1 Test bench in cherry Entertainment center
    Cooling
    Custom water loops x3 with 2x mora 360mm rads only 980ti gaming air cooled
    Keyboard
    G710+x3
    Mouse
    Redragon x3
    Internet Speed
    xfinity gigabyte
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    mbam pro
I'm tempted to try an in-place upgrade, if I'm not happy with it I can do a clean install.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    I8700k
    Motherboard
    MSI Z370A Pro
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    1070ti
    Sound Card
    On-board realtech
I'm tempted to try an in-place upgrade, if I'm not happy with it I can do a clean install.
Absolutely! Nothing wrong with an upgrade. It's purely preference. An in-place is also so much easier, especially if you have a backup and can recover just in case.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor

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