Like I said, you must upgrade all drivers starting with the chipset drivers. After that you should have no issues. Don't rely on Windows Update, manually download and install all drivers from the manufacturer. Even if Windows might automatically install most drivers, upgrading to the latest official drivers fixes most bugs, maximizes compatibility and performance. Do it and see for yourself.
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
Internet Speed
VDSL 50 Mbps
Browser
MICROSOFT EDGE
Antivirus
WINDOWS DEFENDER
Other Info
Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
Point being, Never ever do an upgrade as some have posted. Don't use that Creation Tool, download the iso and put on usb stick and boot with it. Make sure you wipeout the correct drives, win11 creates 3-4 drives. Delete them all and let the thing create all the drives again
I have installed every Win OS from Win 3.1 to date and always do a clean install. Sometimes drivers give me problems but I learned to fix them. I have learned to backup my important stuff and have a 2nd drive where I store everything < backed up to Usb stick when things have changed enough.
If you have tons of applications to reinstall and configure doing an upgrade is very tempting. There are many threads describing what to do for maximizing the chance of success. In short disable any third party startup application, especially the antivirus, make sure all drivers are updated and disable Windows Update during installation. I have upgraded from XP to Vista 32-bit, to 7 32-bit and finally to 10 32-bit without any issue. So it is far smaller risk to upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 if done properly.
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
Internet Speed
VDSL 50 Mbps
Browser
MICROSOFT EDGE
Antivirus
WINDOWS DEFENDER
Other Info
Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
A USB drive made with the media creation tool is the ISO, it just puts it on a USB stick for you. Here they are side by side. My USB made with the Media Creation Tool on the left, and the ISO mounted on my D drive on the right. They're the same, so either way you go, you're using the ISO.
Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVMe (Win 11 25H2)
SK hynix P41 500GB NVMe 25H2 DEV/Games
SK hynix P41 2TB NVMe (x3)
Crucial P3 Plus 4TB
PSU
Corsair RM850x Shift
Case
Antec Dark Phantom DP502 FLUX
Cooling
Corsair Nautilus 360 RS AIO
Keyboard
Logitech MK 320
Mouse
Razer Basilisk V3
Internet Speed
350Mbs
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Winows Security
Other Info
MR 8.1 Home
System 3 Specs
Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
ASUS PRIME Z370-P II BIOS 3004 7/12/21
Intel Core i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz
32GB DDR4 RAM (4x8)
iGPU Intel UHD Graphics 630
Operating System
Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Self Built
CPU
Intel Core i7-11700F
Motherboard
Asus TUF Gaming Z590 Plus WiFi (BIOS 2803)
Memory
64 GB DDR4
Graphics card(s)
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB
Sound Card
SoundBlaster Audigy Fx V2
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung F27T350
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB
Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
Internet Speed
VDSL 50 Mbps
Browser
MICROSOFT EDGE
Antivirus
WINDOWS DEFENDER
Other Info
Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
Some of us have no option, we have software that cannot be reinstalled. If we want to keep using it we can only upgrade from one OS to the next.
My System One below can trace it's history back though 15 upgrades, from Windows 11 now, back through every version of Windows 10, to an original OEM install of Windows 7 which got the free upgrade to 10 on 29th July 2015. Along the way the installed OS and all my software was migrated from my old 'main machine' to a new 'Windows 11 compatible' PC in readiness for the upgrade to 11. So far I have had no 'unforeseen issues' and Windows 11 is running perfectly.
1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
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, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.
UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven below to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.
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, 1TB 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. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.
My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this 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. Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package. Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as 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, 1TB 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. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.
My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
If I am dealing with an existing Windows version, I usually prefer to upgrade, hardly had any issues doing so. For new computers (or new ly purchased refurbished PCs that have not yet used by the new owner), I do a clean installation to get rid of bloatware and make sure all features, drivers and applications as properly installed and updated to the last version. It depends.
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
Internet Speed
VDSL 50 Mbps
Browser
MICROSOFT EDGE
Antivirus
WINDOWS DEFENDER
Other Info
Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
