Upgrading Windows 11: Five Questions to Ask First

On October 5, Microsoft will officially begin rolling out Windows 11 to the general public. Major operating system upgrades are always a polarizing topic, as any longtime reader of this column will know, and Windows 11 has been promising to be one of Microsoft’s most controversial releases in years.

The good news is that this upgrade won’t be a mandatory feature update, as it was for millions of Microsoft customers during the early years of the Windows 10 era.

Instead, the unique circumstances of Windows 11’s launch, including its strict minimum hardware requirements, raise a handful of new questions that anyone considering this upgrade must answer before proceeding with the update.

Let’s go through them together.

Are you sure you want to do this?

Or, to put it another way: what can go wrong?

The worst case scenario in any major change to your operating system, of course, is the possibility that the upgrade will fail catastrophically, leaving your machine in an unusable state.

Fortunately, in the modern age of Windows, this possibility is extremely unlikely. Windows feature updates these days use an image-based installer that makes it easy for the installer to roll back changes if it encounters a problem along the way. In most cases, all you lose with a failed upgrade is time.

But that does not mean that the disturbance potential is zero. If, after successfully completing the upgrade, you find that a key piece of hardware or software is no longer working, you will lose productivity (and possibly spend money) by finding a replacement or canceling the upgrade. manually upgrade to restore missing capabilities.

Even if everything works as expected, there is still one side effect to consider: the disruption of your workflow. Changes to features that you use regularly can slow you down. (After months of using a preview version of Windows 11, for example, I’m still adapting to the new file explorer. Microsoft has moved the Cut / Copy / Paste Text Entries options from the context menu to a row of small icons at the top of this menu.)

And be sure to check out the list of features that are being removed in Windows 11. If you are relying on any of these options, you might want to think twice about upgrading.

Will you even be able to upgrade?

Since the dawn of the Windows era, the minimum system requirements for each new release have been extremely minimal, setting a low bar that typically floated through all but the most antiquated PCs. As a result, most PC owners (and especially Windows enthusiasts) have become accustomed to installing these upgrades on older hardware.

How old? I regularly hear from people who are taking advantage of the free Windows 10 upgrade on machines over 10 years old. (According to my readers, many of these older computing devices handle the latest version of Windows surprisingly well, but I digress …)

With Windows 11, Microsoft is taking a much stricter stance, with stringent CPU requirements that will ensure its latest version is available as an upgrade only on PCs designed and sold in 2019 or later. Typically, you will need a PC with an Intel Core (8th Generation or later) or AMD Zen 2 processor. (For details, see “Windows 11: Microsoft Stands Firm on Hardware Requirements.”)

The easiest way to check if your PC is compatible is to run the PC Health Check app, which includes a Windows 11 compatibility checker. If your device passes all the checks, you get a display like the one shown here.

If there is a problem, the detailed compatibility report shows exactly where the problem is. If TPM 2.0 support is listed as an upgrade blocker, you may be able to resolve the issue by simply enabling the feature in your system firmware. CPU compatibility issues, however, are impossible to overcome using supported mechanisms. Microsoft says you will still be able to install the operating system manually on unsupported hardware, but you will not be able to upgrade. It is also possible that unsupported hardware will be denied future updates.

Do you have a backup and recovery plan?

You regularly back up your data, right? If you’re like most people, you’re probably behind in your backups and haven’t tested restores lately. If it takes a major operating system upgrade to convince you to save everything properly, consider that a bonus.

You probably won’t need these backups, but trust me: it’s really not worth the risk of you being the rare and unlucky one who has a problem.

At a minimum, you want a local backup of all crucial data files. Keeping the bulk of your data files in a secure cloud service (OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, for example) provides an extra layer of protection and also makes it easier to switch between PCs (including Macs). This option also allows you to access files on a mobile device.

Of course, the best backup is a system image, which allows you to restore your current configuration if something goes wrong. You can use the venerable Windows 7 backup program, which is still available in Windows 10 and Windows 11. For suggestions on third-party software that can do this job easily, see ZDNet’s guide to “Best Windows Backup Software. and Mac “.

When do you want to upgrade?

While it is possible to install Windows 11 on supported hardware as of October 5, 2021, you have options beyond that date. You can delay the upgrade until a time of your choice, or you can choose not to upgrade at all.

Yes, never is an option. If you decide not to upgrade, you should just be able to skip Microsoft’s optional updates and stick with Windows 10 until it’s no longer supported, which gives you until around 2025. to consider the rest.

Even when this optional update appears, you can skip it for a month or two. Or six or eight months if that’s your pleasure. A reasonable option for the more cautious of us is to wait for a few monthly security updates to be released and then upgrade in early 2022. Let early adopters find out more serious bugs and give Microsoft a chance to release updates to fix these bugs.

You also have the option of being among the first to adopt. (Microsoft calls these customers requesters, like those looking for the upgrade before it’s offered.) If that’s you, come back after October 5 and I’ll have instructions on how to install Windows 11. manually.

What is your upgrade strategy?

Should you perform a new installation or upgrade an existing Windows installation? Just asking this question is a great way to start a discussion among Windows experts.

There is no right answer, of course. Upgrading through a supported installation of Windows 10 is the easiest option. It leaves all of your programs and settings intact, as well as local data files.

A clean install ensures that you won’t encounter any issues with incompatible programs or outdated drivers. The trade-off is that this requires reinstalling and reconfiguring all of your apps and then restoring the data files.

A third option, which I prefer, is to use a clean image from the PC manufacturer, restoring a system image with all the appropriate drivers and utilities. After removing any unwanted software, you can then perform the upgrade.

Whichever strategy you choose, be prepared for a learning curve and at least a little disruption to your normal workflow.