So, You Want to "Upgrade" to Windows 11?

So, You Want to "Upgrade" to Windows 11? Here's How to Do It Right

Upgrading to Windows 11 can be a challenge, especially if you're dealing with older hardware or unsupported systems. After wrestling with multiple machines and various upgrade methods, I've compiled this comprehensive guide to help you navigate the process successfully.

The Simple Upgrade Method

Try Flyby11 first.

If that doesn't work try Microsoft's own tools:

1. Download the Media Creation Tool and grab the Windows 11 ISO in your preferred language
2. Mount the ISO (it'll appear as a new drive, let's say drive E)
3. Open Command Prompt as administrator
4. Type e: to switch to the mounted drive
5. Run the setup with: setup.exe /product server

For those who want more control over the process, use this extended command:

setup.exe /product server /auto upgrade /quiet /compat ignorewarning /dynamicupdate disable /eula accept /noreboot

Post-Installation Cleanup

Once Windows 11 is installed, you'll want to clean up the bloatware:

• O&O AppBuster makes removing unwanted apps a breeze
• O&O Shutup10++ helps disable privacy-invasive features
• Wintoys will help you with many settings

Dealing with Unsupported Hardware

Most of my computers are older machines with unsupported hardware, and I've found success with tools like Flyby11 and Rufus for in-place upgrades. Interestingly, as of June 4th, 2025, Windows Defender has started flagging Flyby11 for deletion – which might actually be a good sign that it's effective!

Rufus Method

If you're struggling with Rufus (like I was with creating bootable drives), try running it as administrator. Alternatively, use the Media Creation Tool to create your boot drive and add Schneegan's autounattend.xml file.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

When Upgrades Fail

Even machines with identical CPU generations can behave differently during upgrades. Here's what to try:

1. Update all drivers before attempting the upgrade
2. Perform a clean boot using MSConfig (avoid Safe Boot – it won't work with in-place upgrades)
3. Let the process run longer – I've seen upgrades get stuck at 31% for extended periods before completing

Success Story: Dell Optiplex 9010

One stubborn 3rd-gen i7 Dell Optiplex 9010 refused every upgrade method until I:

1. Installed a blank drive
2. Set BIOS to UEFI mode
3. Used Media Creation Tool with Schneegan's autounattend.xml
4. Disabled NIC boot options in BIOS

Success at last!

Essential Preparation Steps

Before attempting any upgrade:

1. Clone your drive if you have important data (use disk clone, not system transfer)
2. Update all drivers to the latest versions
3. Close running applications that might interfere with the process

Backup and Recovery Strategy

Disk Cloning Advice

Finding reliable free cloning software can be challenging. Here are my recommendations:

• Partition Wizard (older versions) – reboots and clones without Windows running, plus adjusts to use entire larger drives
• Avoid Hasleo for USB-attached drives – it only allows "transfer OS" which doesn't copy all files
• Rescuzilla on a Ventoy drive – perfect for cloning when Windows won't boot

Before cloning with Rescuzilla

Wintoys  > go to Health

1. Turn off Fast Startup

2. Turn off Hibernation

Pro tip: When cloning, choose "copy/clone disk" instead of "transfer OS" to ensure all files are copied.

Optimizing with Schneegan's Autounattend.xml

For clean installations, Schneegan's autounattend.xml file is invaluable. Key settings to enable:

• Bypass TPM requirements
• Hide PowerShell scripts
• Add local offline account
• Show file extensions
• Use classic context menu
• Hide search and widgets
• Left-align taskbar
• Disable app suggestions
• Prevent device encryption
• Turn on num lock

Final Tips and Tools

• Remove annoying features: Use registry entries from Winaero to eliminate the "Learn more about this picture" icon
• File management: FreeFileSync makes moving large numbers of files effortless
• Patience is key: Some upgrades take much longer than expected – don't give up too early

Conclusion

Upgrading to Windows 11 on older or unsupported hardware requires patience and the right tools, but it's definitely achievable. The key is preparation: backup your data, update your drivers, and be ready to try multiple methods if the first one doesn't work.

Remember, if disaster strikes, you'll have that cloned drive as your safety net. Good luck with your upgrade journey!

BatToExe (In case I forget)

 Turn a bat file into exe and embed an icon.

Download this . . .

https://github.com/Makazzz/BatToExePortable

This is stand alone program so nothing installs.

Make a bat file. Here are a couple examples:

(To access a local folder)

@ECHO OFF 

start "" "%userprofile%\Pictures\Gimp Work"

or

(To open a web site)

@ECHO OFF 

start "" https://www.dropbox.com/h

Find an image you want to attach. 

Probably remove the background. 

Run it through icon software like Greenfish.

Attach this .ico file in BatToExe and convert.

Medicat

 Medicat is full of stuff Widows Defender hates. You can't get it near a running OS.

Solution: I have an "Excluded" folder and I exclude it from Defender's scan.

Why bother? Sometimes I want to use something in Medicat without booting it up.

I can keep the PortableApps platform up to date as well.

Curl, Wget, Winget & Powershell Install or Download Commands

After the mess I made in previous posts this summary might be useful.

    Thanks PatchMyPC, the great and powerful program downloader and updater.

Note: With both curl and wget, if a command keeps repeating without doing anything try

    curl.exe or wget.exe.(it has to do with alias or system path not worth tracing down)

curl

    Downloads into folder in which consol is active

curl -O https://patchmypc.com/freeupdater/PatchMyPC.exe

    Downloads into a specific folder

mkdir C:\Portable

curl -L https://patchmypc.com/freeupdater/PatchMyPC.exe -o C:\Portable\PatchMyPC.exe

In a multiple entry bat file I use the curl.exe command on each item

wget

    Download wget into the working directory (if link changes, fix it)

curl -o C:\Windows\System32\wget.exe https://eternallybored.org/misc/wget/1.21.4/64/wget.exe

    Downloads into folder in which consol is active

wget https://patchmypc.com/freeupdater/PatchMyPC.exe

    Downloads into specific folder

mkdir C:\Portable

wget https://patchmypc.com/freeupdater/PatchMyPC.exe -O C:\Portable\PatchMyPC.exe

    Downloads into folder in which consol is active from a list of urls in a .txt file

    (list.txt in the folder in which consol is active)

wget -i list.txt

    Downloads into specific folder from a list of urls in a .txt file

wget -i "path to list\list.txt" -P C:\Portable

If a "certifacte" error occurs ad this --no-check-certificate. It's good to add if processing a list.

powershell

    Downloads into specific folder

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://patchmypc.com/freeupdater/PatchMyPC.exe -OutFile $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\PatchMyPC.exe 

winget

    Download winget installed programs list to specific folder

winget export -o %userprofile%\desktop\list.json

    Install from a downloaded .json file

winget import -i %userprofile%\desktop\list.json --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements

    If  cmd or powershell is active in the same directory as the list.json

winget import -i list.json --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements

Notepad++ does a great job of deleting the unwanted install lines in the exported json file.

It is also fast if you want to create a bat file from it.

    highlight a symbol ctl+f mark all & bookmark, search bookmark, remove bookmarked lines.

    highight the first " on the install line ctl+f all and replace with install commands

    alt+click and drag to highlight any column and delete.

    click and drag down/up to select rows for deletion

Notepad++ is the mother of all text editors :)

Linking To A Specific Spot On A Url Page

Linking to a specific spot on a url page

url#:~:text=word1%20word2%20word3

%20 is used in place of a space

Find or if creating a post, add a word or phrase to which you want to link within the page.

Then create a link as usual and add the above without a space after the url

Downloading With Curl

Open CMD in directory into which you want to download the file.

    Shift + Right Click option "open Powershell window here"

    Powershell will run every CMD command plus many more so either works fine.

curl -O -L https://www.carifred.com/uvk/UVKPortable.exe

-O download the file named

-L follows redirects

It sometimes I need -O -L so I just usually use them.

This is how to redirect, within the command line, into the location in which you want the download.

curl -o C:\Portable\UVK.exe https://www.carifred.com/uvk/UVKPortable.exe

One way to structure for multiple file downloads.

    After the initial curl command, list them one after the other separated by a space.

        I think this is more difficult to edit.

curl -O -L https://patchmypc.com/freeupdater/PatchMyPC.exe https://www.carifred.com/uvk/UVKPortable.exe

    I prefer them in a vertical list with curl commands for each item.

Wget is great also. Maybe faster for some reason.

    It requires installing wget, wereas Curl is part of Win 10 and beyond.

        There is Wget2 but the added 2 in the command irritates me :)

            or find the wget.exe file somewhere and paste it into windows\system32

            Again, a continuous list separated by a single space.

https://eternallybored.org/misc/wget/

    Just download the exe and place in C:\Windows\System32

    curl -o C:\Windows\System32\wget.exe https://eternallybored.org/misc/wget/1.21.4/64/wget.exe

or

    download and send to the directory

    curl https://eternallybored.org/misc/wget/1.21.4/64/wget.exe -o "C:\Windows\System32\wget.exe"

or

winget install JernejSimoncic.Wget

Open CMD in folder desired for downloads

wget --no-check-certificate  https://patchmypc.com/freeupdater/PatchMyPC.exe https://www.carifred.com/uvk/UVKPortable.exe https://www.sordum.org/files/download/defender-exclusion-tool/ExcTool.zip

or

create a text file containing a vertical list of all the urls and name the file "some_name.txt"

    then open cmd and cd to the folder containing the txt file

        wget -i some_name.txt

better yet

        wget --no-check-certificate -i some_name.txt

If wget does not work, just find the wget.exe file somewhere and copy it to the Windows\System32 folder.

fix certificate errors with wget --no-check-certificate http://example.com

Windows 11 Install - Recent

Depending on the Win11.iso do local account

    If offered to set up work/school, do that. Any domain name works.

    Works on Pro

or

    Shift + F10 (you may need to also press the Fn key also)

    start ms-cxh:localonly

    enter

    Bypasses all the prompts

Installing starts

First reboot 79%

Second reboot 62%

"Just a moment..."

Yes, Yes, Skip

"Let's connect you to a network"

shift + f10

oobe\bypassnro

"Just a moment..."

reboot

"Just a moment..."

Yes, Yes, Skip

"Let's connect you to a network"

click "I don't have internet"

Name

Next "blank password" set up later

No to everything

Accept

Hi

sysdm.cpl advanced>performanc>settings turn off everything that moves, fades or slides

indexing options remove everything except start menu

cmd

winget upgrade

to get list - then likely these need upgrading - ignore the others

winget install Microsoft.AppInstaller

winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal

winget install Microsoft.VCLibs.Desktop.14

winget install -e --id=RevoUninstaller.RevoUninstaller

 remove some stuff you don't like or need

Chris Titus WinUtil

  powershell admin

    irm christitus.com/win | iex

      standard tweeks, updates security, create shorcut

paste in notepad

  save as "somename.bat"

    right click, run as admin

---

winget install -e --id=Notepad++.Notepad++

winget install -e --id=Chocolatey.Chocolatey

winget install -e --id=Chocolatey.ChocolateyGUI

winget install -e --id=MartiCliment.UniGetUI

winget install -e --id=7zip.7zip

winget install -e --id=voidtools.Everything

winget install -e --id=ShareX.ShareX

winget install -e --id=winaero.tweaker

winget install -e --accept-package-agreements --id=9PF4KZ2VN4W9

winget install -e --accept-package-agreements --id=9P8LTPGCBZXD

pause

---

cmd

choco install launchyqt -y

Remember to:

sysdm.cpl > Advanced > Performance > turn off Animate, Fade, Slide

indexing options > leave only Start Menu

What about that Schneegans autounattended.xml?

Here we go . . .

    with aggressive app removal

https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/

create autounattended.xml

    If on Virtualbox

        start Anyburn edit win-iso and add autounattended.xml > rebuild > save

    If on hardware

        copy autounattended.xml and Win.iso to flash drive installer.

Start Install

"We are getting a few things ready"

Choose drive

"Installing Windows"

78% reboot #1

"Installing"

58% starts running powershell scripts

reboot #2

"Just a moment"

Holly Hanna!

"Checking for updates"

"Hi"

More powershell magic being run

    The programs were uninstalled but the shortcuts are still on start

Yikes, I can't log on . . .

OK, I intended to have a blank password but left the default "password" in xml file.

So, "password" it is then :)

Remember to delete "password" in the autounattended file if you want "blank" :)

Strange:

    Some Win.iso versions won't pick up the inserted autounattend.xml on VB

Too Much? :)

Winget Installing Multiple Programs

Using a .bat file

Note the agreements arguement with the windows store app

winget install -e --id=Chocolatey.Chocolatey

winget install -e --id=7zip.7zip

winget install -e --accept-package-agreements --id=9PF4KZ2VN4W9

pause

(the last install is a windows store package)

    Or

winget install --accept-package-agreements Chocolatey.Chocolatey 7zip.7zip 9PF4KZ2VN4W9

pause

Using a .ps1 file

Nice to have all the arguments on one line. All the "" & commas are a pain.

#Install software

$SoftwareToInstall = "MartiCliment.UniGetUI", "7zip.7zip"

foreach ($Software in $SoftwareToInstall) {

    WinGet.exe install $software --silent --force --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements --disable-interactivity --source winget

}

Windows Sandbox makes it difficult to install Winget.

Here is a .ps1 script that works now but things change.

#Install WinGet, used https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/winget/#install-winget-on-windows-sandbox

Start-Transcript C:\users\wdagutilityaccount\desktop\Installing.txt

$progressPreference = 'silentlyContinue'

Write-Information "Downloading WinGet and its dependencies..."

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://aka.ms/getwinget -OutFile $env:temp\Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://aka.ms/Microsoft.VCLibs.x64.14.00.Desktop.appx -OutFile $env:temp\Microsoft.VCLibs.x64.14.00.Desktop.appx

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://github.com/microsoft/microsoft-ui-xaml/releases/download/v2.8.6/Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8.x64.appx -OutFile $env:temp\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8.x64.appx

Add-AppxPackage $env:temp\Microsoft.VCLibs.x64.14.00.Desktop.appx

Add-AppxPackage $env:temp\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8.x64.appx

Add-AppxPackage $env:temp\Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle

Stop-Transcript

Rename-Item -Path C:\users\wdagutilityaccount\desktop\Installing.txt -NewName C:\users\wdagutilityaccount\desktop\Done.txt 

Hints:

    For bat scripts just copy/paste into notepad and save/name file "anything.bat"

        Double click should run in Windows & Sandbox

    For ps1 scripts just copy/paste into notepad and save/name file "anything.ps1"

        In regular Windows, double clicking the file will run it.

        In Sandbox, right click and "run with Powershell"

Which one do I like for installing multiple probrams?

    I like the bat file's verticle list and ease of editing

    I also like the continuous list. 

    Just remember store apps need additional argument to avoid interaction during install but can be stated once  with continuous list version.

I guess you could go the Full Monty with below or pick and choose as needed.

--silent --force --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements --disable-interactivity --source winget

Powershell 7 - How The Heck Do I Start It

 I installed Powershell 7.

    The default is v5 and it remains the default

But how do you run v7?

Bring up a Command Prompt (or Powershell v5) and type "pwsh".

    CMD is the most interesting . . .

Here is the original CMD window

It tuns into this

When done in Powershell it does this

OK, your will look different. I'm running the Chris Titus profile.

Remember, Powershell can run every cmd command.

    You don't need to do this but if you type cmd.exe once, Powershell will act more like cmd. It will perform the commands without cmd.exe but may not display the same.

Bat File To Exe With Icon

I still like RocketDock. The longer I use any PC, the more things go into my RocketDock.

I prefer using it as portable enabling copying to another machine. The problem is the links point to the wrong place and the attached icons need to be reattached.

One solution is to create a bat file to access the location and then convert the bat file to exe and embed the icon.

The bat file might be this:

@ECHO OFF 

start "" "%userprofile%\Pictures\Gimp Work"

or

@ECHO OFF 

start "" https://www.dropbox.com/h

Then grab this (or get the install version on MajorGeeks)

BatToExePortable

 (When it creates the exe it makes a temporary file & Defender freaks out is you have automatic submission turned on. Just ignore it.)

OH boy, you just have a jpg or png file? Use IcoFX

curl -o %userprofile%\Desktop\icofx.zip http://www.portablefreeware.com/download.php?id=1224