How to Upgrade to Windows 11 on a Computer
If you are trying to find a quick guide to how to upgrade to Windows 11 on laptops, you have come to the right place. Every 6 or 7 years, Microsoft comes out with a new Windows operating system. This either becomes an annoyance or a welcome change. Nevertheless, updating your system might not be as easy or a fun project as we are, especially if you are not as tech savvy as us. Entering BIOS, changing the boot menu option and turning off safeboot is not an easy task. Additionally, not every brand has the same bios settings, so this also becomes a hassle when you are trying to enter bios settings. Let’s discover how to upgrade to Windows 11 on a computer and how to install it.
How to Upgrade to Windows 11: The Essentials
When you are trying to upgrade to Windows 11 on a computer, you have two options. You will either purchase it or get a free upgrade. You heard that right. If you are a licensed user of Windows 10, you won’t have to go out and purchase a Windows 11 copy. All you have to do is go to the start menu, click on the settings tab, and enter the update and security tab. From there, you will be greeted by the Windows update window. In that window, if you haven’t, then click on the updates button. After updating everything, you will be notified about a new Windows 11 release and how you should be upgrading to it. Seems all easy and cheesy, right? Well, not so much because Microsoft only qualifies certain hardware in order to run their new operating system.
Does my hardware qualify for Windows 11 installation?
Well, in order to find that out, you must first check the PC Health Check app and see if your system qualifies for a Windows 11 upgrade. Here are the minimum requirements in order to run Windows 11:
- 1 gigahertz (GHz) or more advanced with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (SoC).
- RAM: 4 gigabytes (GB) or more.
- Internal Storage: 64 GB or more of available storage is required to install Windows 11.
- Additional storage space might be required to download updates and enable specific features.
- Graphics card: compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver.
- System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable.
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
- Display (monitor): high definition (720p) display, 9-inch or greater monitor, 8 bits per color channel.
- Internet connection: Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates.
Sad Truth
Basically, without a TPM security chip, you are out of luck when it comes to installing Windows 11. The TPM security chip was first released in 2014 and Microsoft adopted it as a security standard in order to run its software for Windows 11.
How to install Windows 11
If you have purchased a computer that didn’t come with a Windows operating system, you must purchase a Windows operating system. IRIX Computer Systemstrading LLC offers a wide range of Windows keys for your home or business.
If you have purchased a license key, you must have the software in order to run it on your computer. There are many ways to install the operating system on your computer. We will only cover two.
Here is the answer to how to upgrade to Windows 11 in the details below.
There are different ways to install the Windows operating system on your computer.
Method 1
The first way is to go to Microsoft website and choose between 3 methods of installing Windows 11. We recommend a clean install, so choose “Create Windows 11 Installation Media” after installing this file. (Note: you must have a Windows computer in order to install this file and run it.) You can either use a blank DVD tool or a USB stick in order to install the file. After installing the Windows operating system, stick the USB or DVD on your computer.
Method 2
On the Microsoft website, click on “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)”. After downloading the file, it is now time to install it.
This method is probably our favorite because we can use Rufus.
Rufus is an open source application that can install Windows, Linux, and virtually any other operating system on a USB stick. Go to Rufus and click on the download button. After installing it, you will be greeted by the application. Click on the “select” button and choose the Windows 11 iso and choose your plugged-in USB stick by clicking on the tab below devices. And then click on “start.”
Here is the second step to upgrading to Windows 11.
After plugging in your usb stick or your dvd disk into your computer, you must boot your computer into BIOS. This part can be a little tricky because not every major brand uses the same BIOS boot key.Here is a list of key shortcuts that will probably work for you.
- Acer – press continuously F2 or the Delete button.
- The Asus – F2
- Lenovo-press and hold (FN) key + continuously F2.
- Dell – press F2 simultationesly:
- HP-constantly F10
After booting into BIOS
After successfully booting into the BIOS, you must follow a set of certain steps in order to run your installation media.
Depending on your computer’s brand, you must find safeboot mode and disable it. This is to ensure that your installed Windows operating system can boot from your USB stick or DVD. Afterwards, you must find the boot menu order and set the USB stick or DVD boot option to the first place on the list. Save your changes and reboot your device, then press and hold the F12 key simultaneously. If you have followed all the steps, you should be booting into the Windows 11 installation menu. Well, that answers the question of how to upgrade to Windows 11. What’s next? in order to find out on how to upgrade to windows 11 Read more below.
After entering the boot menu
Once you are in the boot menu, you should be greeted with the Windows Setup Menu. Choose your preference and click on Next. We recommend that you format your internal storage and do a clean install of the Windows 11 operating system.
In order to do a clean install, select your drive and click on the “Delete” button. This will wipe data clean off of your drive, so be cautious if you have any important files. You must create a backup on a different storage device before going with this method.
Choosing your preferred installation storage
Depending on your internal storage size, you can partition your internal storage in as many ways as you like. We recommend only two. Click on the “extend” tab and you will see an option to choose a specific allocation unit size. After choosing your preferred size for your C drive, click next. Now you will wait until Windows installs on your internal storage. After the installation is done, you will see the restart tab. Click on it.
(Note: Before restarting, unplug any USB sticks or remove the installation DVD from your computer.)
More Information…
After successful installation, you will come across the welcome menu for Windows 11. After putting in your license key, Then you can proceed to choosing the settings that you prefer (privacy policy, information sharing, etc.). Note: Windows 11 requires that you be online either by plugging in the ethernet jack or connecting to the wifi. After completing all these steps, you should be good to go.
That was the detailed guide on how to upgrade to Windows 11. This guide might not cover every single detail or might miss a point or two. Please do your full research before proceeding.
