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Nothing like waiting to the last minute.
13 October 2025 | by
It seems whenever I move on to the next windows operating, OS I seem to wait until the last minute. My move from Windows 10 to 11 was no different. For some time I was thinking about it and as always I don't run and upgrade when the new OS comes out. I have found in the past that some of the programs I rely on may not be ready for the new OS. Some time ago, I checked to make sure my PC was worthy of the upgrade. I ran the Windows compatibility test and my system passed.
It was now time to back up any needed files, located any passwords needed for some program re-installs and make a list of all the programs I do have to make sure they back on the PC once the new OS is installed. Having said that it never fails once the new OS has finished installing as programs are being installed I find I forgot to back up one or 2 needed files.The difference this time around is I do have a clone of my hard drive located on a different SSD. If I find I did not back up a critical file, I can always boot to that drive and retrieve the file. As I looked more into the programs loaded on my PC, there were 2 major programs that needed a password when download and re-installed. I had no idea where these passwords were located, and that meant I would have to purchase the programs again.
As I did further investigation, I found out Microsoft offered a Windows upgrade from Win10 to Win11 for free. The catch was if you had Win10 home you have to upgrade to Win11 home, you could not move to Win11 pro. If you wanted pro, you would have to purchase that OS. The main differences I could see were pro had BitLocker, windows information protection and the price. I made the choice to stay with Windows home edition. Also, I opted to go with the free upgrade to Win 11. To do this upgrade go to the Microsoft site and download the Win11 installation tool. This meant the installation would go over top of my Win10 install. Now I have heard and read of issues with doing this, but I thought in time if I find that it's just not working out I can purchase Win11 home and do the installation old school style. So far, things are working out just fine, and I am very happy with that. As a side note, if your system does not pass the Windows upgrade check thanks to a fellow blogger Bas PE3BAS, he posted about a program that can fix this issue and allow you to install Windows 11 on your PC.
2 Responses to “Nothing like waiting to the last minute.”
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Update update. I have wondered when the world went update crazy. win 10, cell phones,Linux and most software wants to get on your stuff daily to “update” it. win 10 was a mess. now its huge slow and a pain to keep running after every “update”. So i am leery of going 11 and would have to buy a new pc as my mega machine of 2015 wont run secure boot (which has more back doors to microsoft to get your stuff than an apartment complex) or have enough ram to run 11. XP ran circles around 10 and 11 with a 256 meg ram and a 2 core processor at 1.2ghz. So win 10 and 11 are a travesty compared to the software that used to be written in low level, small incredibly fast software. Now its all about pretty and how to allow the visibility of your system to the provider of the Op system. My present 16gb 6 core 3ghz amd is slower than my pcs of 20 years ago.
Good morning Dave thanks for the comment and also taking the time to read the post. I do agree regarding XP OS and I thought it was the best of all the Microsoft OS’s. As for updating I would say it is a personal reason whether to make the move or not. Depending what you use your PC for is a key factor. As for me I use my PC for contesting, my blog, code writing and testing it live. I want a system that gets security updates and that was the main reason I grudgingly left Win10 (Last minute) and jumped on the Win11 boat. Does any Windows OS have its issues….yes…but in my case upgrading meets the needs for a PC OS that is being supported.
Have a great week Dave and it was great hearing from you and look forward to more in the future.
73,
Mike
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