Solved Question(s) about updating Win-10 to Win-11 on an older computer.

john1955 · Dec 2, 2025

Do most people consider Rufus as a reliable route to updating Win-10 to Win-11.
If I use the Win11_22H2_English_x64v1.iso will it update itself to the latest version?
Should I disconnect other HD drives with other Win versions first?
I do have a disk image of Win-10 in case things dont work? but I only ever used Win-10 for Turbo Tax and the files are not on that drive

I do have another new computer with Win-11 24H2 so this is just an exercise to see if it works?

XxXxX · Dec 2, 2025

john1955 said:
Do most people consider Rufus as a reliable route to updating Win-10 to Win-11.
If I use the Win11_22H2_English_x64v1.iso will it update itself to the latest version?
Should I disconnect other HD drives with other Win versions first?
I do have a disk image of Win-10 in case things dont work? but I only ever used Win-10 for Turbo Tax and the files are not on that drive

I do have another new computer with Win-11 24H2 so this is just an exercise to see if it works?

Rufus is about the most reliable burning software i have ever used

if using Rufus to burn the Windows ISO to USB it would be better to use the
Windows English international version ISO

if you know what you are doing and have taken details of the drive you want to install on
there is no need to disconnect other drives .. but .. if you are unsure for any reason then please remove the other drives

#note
when you first start the burn of the Win 11 ISO Rufus will open a menu
there are options available like
local account
user account name
disable bitlocker

i use all of these. they can be changed via the settings after Windows has been installed.

when the burn menu/page of Rufus opens
set the 'partition scheme' to GTP and the 'target system' to UEFI (non CSM)

Rufus will do the rest automatically.
best of luck Steve ..

pseymour · Dec 2, 2025

if using Rufus to burn the Windows ISO to USB it would be better to use the Windows English international version ISO

You should use an ISO that matches the language of the installed Windows. If you use the en-GB (international) ISO on an en-US Windows, you don't get all of the options.

View attachment 155335

Celery · Dec 2, 2025

You don't need Rufus.
However, you can use it if you want.

Version 4.6 (2024.10.21)
Add a new setup.exe wrapper to bypass Windows 11 24H2 in-place upgrade restrictions

How to bypass Windows 11 system requirements to upgrade from ISO file

It doesn't matter whether Windows 10 is installed on a GPT or MBR disk.

1. Download a Windows 11 ISO file. Select either "Create Windows 11 Installation Media" or "Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices."
2. Mount the ISO file (it will appear as a virtual drive, letting you access files as if it were a physical disc).
3. Run the following command, replacing "X" with the drive letter of the mounted ISO file:

Code:

X:\setup.exe /product server

In this mode, the Windows 11 installer thinks it’s installing Windows Server Edition (see image below) and therefore skips the Windows 11 system requirements check.

@pseymour: "You should use an ISO that matches the language of the installed Windows. If you use the en-GB (international) ISO on an en-US Windows, you don't get all of the options."

john1955 · Dec 3, 2025

OK, that was pretty easy, It was easier than getting a retail license from the MS store. I could not check out with multiple tries so had to do a support chat to get the license. I wonder if it was because it's the first time I actually bought something on the MS Store. The license key I had for Win-10 would not work and the one I had for my other computer is OEM. I could have tried one from Ebay which I think is where I got the last one but, what the heck, ya can't take your money with you . . .

Ghot · Dec 3, 2025

john1955 said:
OK, that was pretty easy, It was easier than getting a retail license from the MS store. I could not check out with multiple tries so had to do a support chat to get the license. I wonder if it was because it's the first time I actually bought something on the MS Store. The license key I had for Win-10 would not work and the one I had for my other computer is OEM. I could have tried one from Ebay which I think is where I got the last one but, what the heck, ya can't take your money with you . . .

Windows 11 Pro: BitLocker, Hyper-V & Azure AD—Lifetime License, One-Time Purchase

Microsoft-Verified Partner! Upgrade Your Windows OS and Enjoy Enhanced UI, Better Multitasking, and Improved Security

www.stacksocial.com

john1955 · Dec 3, 2025

Ghot said:
Windows 11 Pro: BitLocker, Hyper-V & Azure AD—Lifetime License, One-Time Purchase

Microsoft-Verified Partner! Upgrade Your Windows OS and Enjoy Enhanced UI, Better Multitasking, and Improved Security

www.stacksocial.com

That would not be a RETAIL version would it? It would be OEM bulk corporate or educational would it not? This is the problem I had with my Win-10, It could not contact the server any more

OAT · Dec 3, 2025

john1955 said:
That would not be a RETAIL version would it? It would be OEM bulk corporate or educational would it not? This is the problem I had with my Win-10, It could not contact the server any more

No retail, been using them for years.

Megahertz · Dec 3, 2025

john1955 said:
OK, that was pretty easy, It was easier than getting a retail license from the MS store. I could not check out with multiple tries so had to do a support chat to get the license. I wonder if it was because it's the first time I actually bought something on the MS Store. The license key I had for Win-10 would not work and the one I had for my other computer is OEM. I could have tried one from Ebay which I think is where I got the last one but, what the heck, ya can't take your money with you . . .

If you have Win 10 activated and you upgrade to same language, you don't need a key as your computer already has a digital license.

Upgrade to Windows 11

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to use an ISO or USB to manually upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 11 (older build/version), Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes with...

www.elevenforum.com

john1955 · Dec 4, 2025

Megahertz said:
If you have Win 10 activated and you upgrade to same language, you don't need a key as your computer already has a digital license.

Upgrade to Windows 11

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to use an ISO or USB to manually upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 11 (older build/version), Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes with...

www.elevenforum.com

That was the issue . . . W-10 was activated but not after updating to W-11

I'll try the Stack Exchange offer and see what happens since this is a second OLDER computer and I have W-11 Pro 24H2 on my newer computer (I don't know how it got 24H2 on the new computer because I installed it with 22H2)

MS no longer offers 24H2 and I only have 22H2, 23H2 and 25H2 ISO files

I bought a NEW computer (build it) because I did not know I could install W-11 on the older one. It has a good graphics card and i5 CPU

john1955 · Dec 4, 2025

pseymour said:
I diodYou should use an ISO that matches the language of the installed Windows. If you use the en-GB (international) ISO on an en-US Windows, you don't get all of the options.

View attachment 155335

I used English US . . . I did not see any "international" option

monkeylove · Dec 5, 2025

Also, try FlyOOBE.

Celery · Dec 5, 2025

monkeylove said:
Also, try FlyOOBE.

FlyOOBE bypasses the Windows 11 system requirements by using the setup.exe /product server command, so FlyOOBE isn’t necessary for advanced users.

FlyOOBE (previously known as Flyby11, which many found simpler to use) is intended for less experienced users who may not know how to mount a Windows 11 ISO file or run commands (including opening a command prompt).

john1955 · Dec 5, 2025

Ghot said:
Windows 11 Pro: BitLocker, Hyper-V & Azure AD—Lifetime License, One-Time Purchase

Microsoft-Verified Partner! Upgrade Your Windows OS and Enjoy Enhanced UI, Better Multitasking, and Improved Security

www.stacksocial.com

I got a PRO license. It was hard getting it activated but otherwise a simple process. Win-11 said the license was used already but when I went to the Microsoft Activation portal and entered all the info it activated after a few tries. They dont do phone support any more and there are some holes in instructions for just how to do this but I fingered it out.
Picked up a MS Office Pro 2019 while I was there as I'm still using Office 2007 which works just fine but it's hard getting help for one that's that old

Ghot · Dec 5, 2025

john1955 said:
Picked up a MS Office Pro 2019 while I was there

Yep. Stack Social can be dangerous.
You go there for one thing, and come back with... seven.

Steve C · Dec 6, 2025

Celery said:
You don't need Rufus.
However, you can use it if you want.

How to bypass Windows 11 system requirements to upgrade from ISO file

It doesn't matter whether Windows 10 is installed on a GPT or MBR disk.

1. Download a Windows 11 ISO file. Select either "Create Windows 11 Installation Media" or "Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices."
2. Mount the ISO file (it will appear as a virtual drive, letting you access files as if it were a physical disc).
3. Run the following command, replacing "X" with the drive letter of the mounted ISO file:

Code:

X:\setup.exe /product server

In this mode, the Windows 11 installer thinks it’s installing Windows Server Edition (see image below) and therefore skips the Windows 11 system requirements check.

View attachment 155356

@pseymour: "You should use an ISO that matches the language of the installed Windows. If you use the en-GB (international) ISO on an en-US Windows, you don't get all of the options."

That simple method has always worked for me.

Solved Question(s) about updating Win-10 to Win-11 on an older computer.

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