Microsoft released Windows 11 less than three months ago. At the end of November, the operating system was powering nearly 10% of all PCs, and millions of PCs around the world are being upgraded right now. If you are looking to upgrade your devices to the new operating system, Microsoft has made the process as seamless as possible. There are, however, some aspects to consider. Here is a step by step guide on how to upgrade to Windows 11.
With the new Windows-as-a-Service model introduced with Windows 10 and the semi-annual feature updates, many thought Windows 10 would be the last version of the Windows operating system. But nothing lasts forever, certainly not a Windows operating system. Windows 11 is here. The question is when do you want to jump on board. While no one likes the Windows upgrade process, Microsoft has made it a lot simpler than when you had to go from, say, XP to Windows 7. You don’t need to go to the store to buy a disc or download an ISO file from the Microsoft website. Windows 11 ships directly to your computer as a download. Accept it and off you go for the races.
Tips for those who don’t want to upgrade
At some point you will need to upgrade because Microsoft will. end of support for all versions of Windows 10 by June 23, 2023. However, if you want to keep Windows 10 for longer, there are a few ways to do it. If you are a home user and Windows 11 is currently offered on the Windows Update page, you can click “Stay on Windows 10 for now” as shown in the screenshot below.
However, this is only a reprieve, as you will be invited again several weeks later. You can stop the Windows Update service completely, but that’s not the right thing to do because it ends all Windows updates, not just Windows 11. You can change the TargetReleaseVersion setting in the registry for a more permanent solution. You can specify either the current version of Windows 10 that you want to keep or a newer version that you want to use. The latest version is version 21H2, so let’s choose this one. Using the Regedit tool, navigate to:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdate]
If you don’t see the TargetReleaseVersion parameter here, create one. Make sure it has an assigned value of 1. Create and then assign the following two string values:
“Product version” = “Windows 10
“TargetReleaseVersionInfo” = “21H2”
The final form will look like this below:
For corporate environments that use Group Policy, you can also create a GPO to defer Windows 11. Create a GPO and go to Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates> Windows Components> Windows Update> Windows Update for Business and enable the parameter. You can then specify Windows 10 as the product version. You can also set the target version, such as 21H2. The registry and GPO methods will require you to install only Windows updates for the specified version.
See more : Windows 11 Summary: Key Productivity and Security Features in Microsoft’s New Operating System
System requirements for Windows 11
Whenever you decide to upgrade to Windows 11, you must first determine whether your machine (s) are suitable for the new operating system. The first requirement is that the device must be running Windows 10 version 2004 or later. It must also be connected to the Internet. The hardware requirements are shown below.
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster with 2 or more cores on a 64-bit processor.
- 4 GB of RAM
- 64 GB of disk storage
- UFE BIOS with Secure Boot
- TPM 2.0
- 9 inch or larger screen with 720p resolution
- Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.
Most computers today certainly meet the minimum requirements for memory and disk storage. However, many computers may not support TPM 2.0. TPM 2.0 is required by Windows 11 for some of its security features, such as Windows Hello and BitLocker. Most computers made in the past five years should have it. To find out, go to Settings> Update & security> Windows security> Device security. Find the security chip and, if present, click on it. You should see version 2.0 listed as shown below.
If you don’t see it in the list, it might not be enabled because some manufacturers disable this feature by default. You need to enable TPM using your computer’s UEFI BIOS firmware. Go to Settings> Update & Security> Windows Security> Recovery and select “Restart now” under Advanced.
Once the following screen appears, choose Troubleshoot> Advanced options> UEFI Firmware> Settings> and find the TPM setting which can have multiple names such as TPM State or Security Device State. Then restart.
If your computer only supports TPM 1.2 and you are determined to install Windows 11, you can run the following registry hack to bypass the requirement.
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM Setup MoSetup
- Name: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU
- Type: REG_DWORD
- Value: 1
Of course, this goes against best practice and is strongly discouraged by Microsoft.
See more : Windows 11: Microsoft Office gets a makeover
Checking Windows PC Status
If you are a personal PC user or if your company only uses a few computer models in its fleet, you can run Checking PC Status on your computer which will automatically determine if it is compatible with Windows 11. You can download the app from here as MSI and install it as shown below.
Once installed, click the “Check Now” button and you will have a full read about your computer’s readiness in under a minute. The end result should be something similar to the screenshot below:
See more : Is Apple MacOS Monterey secure enough for business use?
Installing Windows 11 with Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune)
The business administrator can manage the upgrade process using Windows Update for Business. You can create policies using Group Policy or Microsoft Endpoint Manager. For MEM, go to Devices> Feature updates for Windows 10 and later (Preview). Then create a strategy. Name the policy and select the Windows 11 feature update for your deployment as shown below.
Feature updates for Windows 10 and later (Preview)
You can choose to deploy the update as soon as possible or select a specific date. You can also let MEM spread out the deployment process over time. This is beneficial if all of your devices are on-premises and you don’t have the bandwidth for mass deployment. Then assign the groups and you’re done.
Some post-deployment tasks
While Microsoft says Windows 11 will support any app currently supported by Windows 10, it’s best to trust but verify. You might even want to check ahead for some apps. If you depend on third-party antivirus software, you’ll want to make sure these security software suites are working properly from the start. As tax season quickly approaches, you might want to save your accountants and tax preparers a headache by checking the compatibility of the software they need. Finally, it would be best if you were very diligent in running Windows Updates to fix any undiscovered bugs that might appear once large-scale deployments have started.
Conclusion
All in all, it’s a painless process to upgrade to Windows 11. If you don’t like Windows 11, the good news is that you can go back to Windows 10 within ten days of upgrading. As Windows 10 has been so successful, it will be interesting to see if Windows 11 can follow in its footsteps. Otherwise, there’s still Windows 12 to wait.
Which feature of Windows 11 do you prefer? Let us know about LinkedIn, Twitter, Where Facebook. We would love to hear from you!
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