Chapter 2
Setting up a new Windows 11 PC
Setting up a Windows PC is not something most people are likely to do often. Many people, in fact, encounter the Windows Installer (Setup.exe) only once every few years, during the upgrade from one major Windows version to the next or when turning on a new PC for the first time and going through the brief Out Of Box Experience (OOBE). In either case, the process is relatively quick and uncomplicated.
That’s certainly not the case for those who manage, deploy, repair, and tinker with Windows PCs. If you count yourself among that group, a handful of Windows 11 installation programs are an essential part of your management and troubleshooting toolkit, and you’ll benefit from knowing about some of Setup’s advanced options in a variety of scenarios.
This chapter covers the two most common Windows 11 installation scenarios: upgrading a device that is currently running Windows 10 and performing a clean install on a new or freshly formatted disk. (You’ll also find details on how to perform an edition upgrade—from Windows 11 Home to Pro, for example.)
Although Microsoft tries to discourage customers from installing Windows 11 on older, unsupported hardware, you can indeed accomplish that task. In fact, Microsoft’s support pages helpfully document exactly how to do so, as this chapter explains.
And, of course, no discussion of Windows installations would be complete without a thorough examination of product keys, digital licenses, and the ins and outs of Windows product activation. But first, let’s make sure you’ve prepared your PC for a successful installation, starting with a hardware check.
Backing up data and settings
Having an up-to-date backup of important files is, of course, good advice for any time. But it’s especially important when you’re upgrading an operating system.
The simplest way to back up your data files is to sync them to a cloud storage service, such as OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive. With your files saved in the cloud, you can sync them to a new PC at your convenience, after the upgrade is complete.
With large file collections or slow internet connections—or if you just prefer not putting your files in cloud storage—a sufficiently large USB flash drive or an external hard drive makes a perfectly good target for a local backup. You can use any backup app, including the legacy Windows 7 Backup And Restore tool (which is included with Windows 10 and Windows 11). If you’re more comfortable with a third-party backup app or even with the command-line-driven RoboCopy, by all means use those tools. The most important consideration is to carefully test your backups to confirm that you really can restore your files (For a complete look at your options, see Chapter 15, “Troubleshooting, backup, and recovery.”)
If you’re upgrading from Windows 10 and you signed in with a Microsoft account, some of your personalized settings are already being synced to OneDrive, as are settings for apps installed by way of the Microsoft Store. For other apps, the simplest solution is to reinstall and reconfigure them manually. Although you can find third-party utilities that promise to accomplish this task, it’s usually just as fast (and less risky) to re-create that handful of settings than it is to mess with transfer utilities. A far more important task is to ensure that you have product keys or other license details for any third-party software that might require reinstallation or reactivation.
Downloading and creating installation media
Regardless of which installation scenario you choose—clean install or upgrade—you need Windows installer files. For an online upgrade, the simplest option uses the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, which automatically downloads those files to a temporary folder and discards them after the upgrade is complete. For a clean install, you need physical installation media, typically a bootable USB flash drive. (You can also use a bootable DVD, although this option is unnecessary on modern hardware.) For upgrades and reinstallations, you can use physical media or download an ISO file and mount its contents as a virtual DVD drive.
Note
An ISO file (sometimes referred to as an ISO image) contains the contents of an entire optical disc in a single uncompressed file. The ISO name is shorthand for the file system originally used with CD-ROM media, which was designated ISO 9660 by the standards-setting body that published it. These days, an ISO image file is more likely to use the UDF file system (ISO/IEC 13346), which is commonly found on larger-capacity optical media such as DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Although physical DVD data discs are rarely used these days, ISO files are still useful for sharing installation media, especially when setting up virtual machines.
You can still buy a physical copy of Windows 11 in a package that includes installation files on a bootable USB flash drive or a DVD. In the modern era, this option offers few advantages. Given the annual feature update schedule for Windows 11, that physical media will most likely be out of date on the day it’s purchased. On even a modest broadband connection, it takes little time to download the latest version and create your own fresh installation media.
Note
Microsoft makes only the most recent versions of Windows 11 and Windows 10, in retail editions, available for download on its public website. IT pros, software developers, and Volume License customers can download a much wider range of ISO image files, including older Windows versions and specialized editions. If you have a Visual Studio subscription or a Microsoft Partner Program membership, you can access this expanded selection after signing in to the online portal for the respective service. Volume License customers will find ISO files for Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions at the Volume Licensing Service Center.
To get started, go to the Download Windows 11 page (https://aka.ms/downloadwindows11), which supports three options:
Windows 11 Installation Assistant This simple tool is designed for upgrading PCs that are running a supported version of Windows 10 (version 2004 or later). Download the tool and click Run to perform a compatibility check. If the hardware meets Microsoft’s requirements, the app downloads the most recent release of Windows 11 and performs the upgrade.
Create Windows 11 Installation Media Use this option to download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, which helps you create a bootable USB flash drive containing the most recent installation files for Windows 11. You will, of course, need to supply a USB flash drive with a capacity of 8 GB or more. (You’ll find more details on how to use this tool later in this chapter.)
Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) If you know how to work with ISO files, this option is incredibly versatile, allowing you to access the files as a virtual DVD drive on any device or to copy them to a bootable device such as a USB flash drive. And you can back up the file for later use, saving time and bandwidth if you have multiple PCs to upgrade.
Using the Media Creation Tool
The Media Creation Tool is a small file (less than 10 MB in size) that takes only seconds to download and runs a bootstrap version of Windows Setup. If you’ve used the Windows 10 version of this utility, you already know that it offers minimal options; for Windows 11, it includes even fewer choices. After running the tool and accepting a license agreement, you should see a screen with two dropdown options—one for language and another for edition—as shown in Figure 2-1.
Figure 2-1 When downloading Windows installation files, choose the base language that matches your regional settings. You can add other languages after installation is complete.
Windows 11 is available in a large number of base languages that determine how Windows displays menus, system messages, and other parts of the core user interface. After installation is complete, you can add language interface packs to change regional settings (such as time and date formats and currency) and to translate text that’s displayed in commonly used wizards, dialogs, menus, and other items in the user interface; however, you can’t change the base language except by reinstalling Windows using an edition built for that language.
For most people, the correct response is to click Next and move on. In the unlikely event you’re downloading a version of Windows to install in a region other than the one where your PC is currently situated, clear the Use The Recommended Options For This PC checkbox and then select your preferred language settings. Then click Next.
Regardless of your language settings, this option takes you to the step shown in Figure 2-2.
Figure 2-2 Use the default Media Creation Tool options to create a bootable USB flash drive that will allow installing Windows 11 on any modern PC.
Note that you can download installation files regardless of whether you have a Windows license. For more about the intricacies of Windows licensing, see “Activating Windows,” later in this chapter.
Insert a USB flash drive with a capacity of at least 8 GB. (Before proceeding, back up any important files on the drive, as the Media Creation Tool will format the drive as part of its operation.) Click Next and follow the prompts to select your drive and create the bootable installation media. Label the drive and keep it in a safe place for future installation-related tasks.
Working with ISO files directly
The Media Creation Tool takes much of the drudgery out of creating bootable Windows installation media. But it’s not the only way to acquire the files needed to run Windows Setup. As an alternative, use the third option on the Download Windows 11 page to retrieve the installation files in a single file, saved using ISO format.
The biggest advantage of an ISO file is that it’s easy to access from a local drive, which can be advantageous if your internet connection is slow or you’re subject to a data cap. You can save an ISO file in the Downloads folder on your primary PC; from there, you can archive it to an external hard drive, sync it to a cloud service like OneDrive, or transfer it over a local area network. The next time you need to lay your hands on Windows 11 installation files, you don’t need to wait for it to download from Microsoft’s servers.
What can you do with an ISO file? The three most productive ways to put your ISO download to use are to mount the file as a virtual DVD drive, burn it to a DVD, or use it to create a bootable USB flash drive.
Every supported Windows version allows you to double-click an ISO file to mount it as a virtual DVD drive. The mounted drive appears in File Explorer with its own drive letter. You can run Windows Setup directly from a mounted drive, or copy files from that location to a fixed or removable drive for later use.
It’s also possible to burn a Windows 11 ISO to a DVD, which then can be used as bootable installation media. There are few modern hardware configurations where that option makes much sense, but if you’re so inclined, you can choose this option in File Explorer in Windows 10 or Windows 11. The Burn Image option is on the right-click shortcut menu and on the ribbon (Windows 10) or the command bar (Windows 11).
With an ISO file and a PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can create your own installation media with ease, using a process that is more versatile and quicker than using the Media Creation Tool.
You can’t simply copy installation files to a USB flash drive and use it to perform a clean install, however. First, you have to make the disk bootable. When creating a bootable drive, you need to consider two factors:
Partitioning scheme: MBR or GPT? You can use a flash drive formatted using either scheme with a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) system; older BIOS-based systems are typically able to recognize only MBR partitions. (For an explanation of the difference and a discussion of the new MBR2GPT tool, see “Setting up hard disks and other storage devices” in Chapter 8, “Managing local and cloud storage.”)
Disk format: NTFS or FAT32? Installing Windows 11 on a modern UEFI-based system requires that the boot files reside on a FAT32 partition on the flash drive. If the drive is formatted using another file system, the PC will not recognize the device as bootable.
One of the simplest ways to create a bootable install drive is to use the built-in Recovery Media Creator tool, RecoveryDrive.exe. To run the Recovery Media Creator tool, type RecoveryDrive in the search box and then choose the Recovery Drive app from the search results. (Or, if you prefer, search for the Create A Recovery Drive option in Control Panel or Settings.) Figure 2-3 shows this tool in operation.
Figure 2-3 Choose the option to back up system files if you want to create a recovery drive using a Windows image preinstalled by an OEM; you can use that image later to reset the current system.
In both Windows 10 and Windows 11, the Back Up System Files To The Recovery Drive option can be used to create a bootable drive that includes the recovery partition provided by the OEM. If you performed a clean install of Windows, or if you previously removed that recovery partition to reclaim disk space, this option has no effect, and the recovery drive includes only the most essential repair tools.
On a PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can use a downloaded Windows 11 ISO file to make your own bootable installation media, following these steps:
Create a blank recovery drive using the steps described earlier, skipping the option to copy system files to the drive.
Double-click the ISO file to mount it as a virtual DVD.
Use File Explorer to drag all files and folders from the virtual DVD to the USB recovery drive. (If prompted, choose the option to overwrite files on the destination drive.)
Label the USB drive and store it in a safe place.
Note
Although it’s not necessary for most purposes, some people and organizations want maximum flexibility in creating installable media. If that description fits you, try the free, open-source utility Rufus; you can find the latest version at https://rufus.ie/. It allows precise control over partitioning, formatting, and copying installation files to a USB flash drive. If you encounter difficulties using the built-in Windows tools, this alternative can offer an easy solution.
Because the recovery drive is bootable, you can use it to access the Windows Recovery Environment on any Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. And there’s nothing wrong with copying other useful files to the recovery drive, including downloads of installation files for utilities you regularly use when setting up a new PC for the first time or performing maintenance tasks on an existing PC.
Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements
Microsoft publishes detailed minimum hardware requirements that PC makers must follow when building PCs to run Windows 11. Devices that meet these requirements should have no problem running Windows 11 and should perform acceptably with mainstream Windows apps and services.
As with previous versions, Windows 11 sets the bar fairly low for processor speed and memory, but you’ll notice some increases compared to Windows 10, including a higher disk space requirement:
Processor 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster, 2 cores or more, from a supported processor generation and model.
System memory 4 gigabytes (GB).
Storage 64 GB or more.
Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0, with UEFI Secure Boot enabled.
Display Microsoft DirectX 12 graphics device with WDDM 2.0 driver; integrated displays must be larger than 9 inches (measured diagonally) with a minimum resolution of 720p.
Connectivity Wi-Fi or Ethernet is required; on portable devices, Bluetooth is required.
Hardware buttons Power, Volume Up/Down.
Connectors At least one USB port, video output.
Two very big changes are worth noting here, representing a major shift from previous Windows hardware requirements. First is the requirement that a PC have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) that meets the TPM 2.0 standard. Previous Windows versions recommended but did not require TPM support. Second, the PC’s CPU must be included on Microsoft’s list of supported processors; that requirement effectively eliminates most CPUs that were introduced before 2018.
On a PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11, you’ll find CPU details in Settings > System > About, under the Device Specifications heading. To confirm that a processor is compatible with Windows 11, look for it on one of the following lists:
Supported AMD Processors at https://bit.ly/win11-compatible-cpu-amd
Supported Intel Processors at https://bit.ly/win11-compatible-cpu-intel
Supported Qualcomm Processors at https://bit.ly/win11-compatible-cpu-qualcomm
These requirements don’t just apply to new PCs. The Windows Installer (Setup.exe) blocks installation of Windows 11 when you try to upgrade a PC that falls short of those minimum requirements. (In some cases, you can override that block and install Windows 11, a topic we get to in a moment.)
If you buy a new PC with Windows 11 preinstalled from a Microsoft partner, you can be confident it meets those specifications. If you’re upgrading a PC that was originally designed for Windows 10 or an earlier version, checking Windows 11 compatibility is a more challenging task. Save yourself the hassle of tracking down detailed spec sheets and use Microsoft’s PC Health Check app to perform an automated compatibility inspection. Download the app from https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp and then run the installer. Click the Check Now button under the Windows 11 heading to generate a report like the one shown in Figure 2-4.
Figure 2-4 Run the PC Health Check app to identify potential hardware compatibility issues before trying to upgrade a Windows 10 PC.
That initial report is a simple pass/fail dialog that tells you whether the PC meets the minimum requirements for Windows 11. Click See All Results to view a detailed report.
Bypassing hardware compatibility issues
If Windows Setup stops after performing its initial compatibility check and informs you that your PC doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11, don’t give up right away.
Some compatibility issues are strictly temporary. If Setup fails because of inadequate disk space, for example, you might be able to unblock the upgrade just by clearing out your Downloads and Videos folders. You can resolve some other compatibility issues by changing settings in your PC’s firmware. On some PCs, for example, a TPM is installed but disabled by default. In that case, changing the TPM settings in firmware (and turning on Secure Boot, if needed) should allow the upgrade to proceed.
Even in more extreme compatibility issues, you have options. If your older PC has a processor that isn’t on Microsoft’s list of supported CPUs and has a TPM 1.2. version instead of the required TPM 2.0, you can still install Windows 11 using either of the following techniques:
Boot from Windows 11 installation media and do a clean install. In this scenario, the Windows Installer skips the CPU check completely and accepts an older TPM version. Because this is a clean install, you can’t migrate any apps or settings, and you have to restore data files from a backup.
The second option allows you to upgrade from Windows 10 by modifying the registry; the technique is officially documented in a Microsoft support article, “Ways to install Windows 11,” found at https://bit.ly/override-win11-compat-check. It bypasses the checks for CPU family and model but requires a TPM version 1.2 or later. The usual caveats apply when editing the registry—incorrect modifications can result in data loss or a system that fails to boot; make sure you have a backup first. In Registry Editor, go to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup
Add a new DWORD value, with the name AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU, and set its value to 1.
Restart your PC and try upgrading by opening installation media in File Explorer (a mounted ISO works fine). You see a stern warning, like the one shown in Figure 2-5.
Figure 2-5 You need to read and acknowledge this warning before upgrading to Windows 11 on a PC whose hardware falls short of Microsoft’s compatibility requirements.
Installing Windows 11
You use the Windows Installer (Setup.exe) for both in-place upgrades and clean installs. For upgrades, the installer is streamlined, offering a minimum of options. Booting from Windows installation media offers a much more complete set of options: choosing a specific physical disk for use in dual-boot (or multiboot) scenarios, creating and formatting partitions, and setting up unattended installations, for example.
This section covers both options. It doesn’t include step-by-step instructions to document every possible upgrade or clean installation scenario. Given the nearly infinite number of combinations of PC hardware, providing comprehensive instructions would be impossible. But the Setup wizard is straightforward enough to allow for easy navigation under most scenarios.
How Windows 11 Setup works
The Windows Installer works in multiple stages, the details of which vary depending on whether you’re performing an in-place upgrade or a custom installation. The process is extremely robust and is capable of recovering from a failure at any stage. If you’ve previously installed Windows 10, the general steps in Windows 11 should feel familiar, although the visual design is different.
Setup first performs a hardware compatibility check as discussed previously in this chapter. During this phase, Setup also inventories hardware and confirms that critical drivers are available (for storage and networking devices, for example). If any critical drivers are unavailable, or if Setup detects a BIOS or driver version that is known to cause errors, the installation process stops immediately and rolls back.
For less severe issues, Windows Setup might warn you that specific apps or devices might not work correctly. You might be given the option to fix the issue and try the upgrade again. In these cases, the compatibility checker offers instructions to deal with specific issues:
You might need to install updates to your current version of Windows before continuing.
You might need to suspend disk encryption before upgrading. (For common upgrade scenarios, Windows Setup handles this task without requiring any intervention on your part.)
Some apps might need to be uninstalled before the upgrade can continue. (In most cases, they can be reinstalled after the upgrade is complete.)
Some apps must be updated to a newer version before the upgrade can be completed.
After the upgrade, you might need to reinstall language packs.
If the upgrade process ends prematurely for any of these reasons, Setup generally cleans up after itself, although you might have to manually remove some leftovers.
In either type of installation, the lengthiest stage occurs with Setup running offline in the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE), during which it backs up the previous Windows installation (if one exists) into a Windows.old folder and applies the new Windows 11 image.
The remaining stages of installation run after a restart, with the final stage consisting of what’s known as the Out Of Box Experience (OOBE), where the user signs in and either creates a new profile or migrates an existing one as part of the upgrade. The most important part of the OOBE process is the creation of the primary user account, a topic covered in greater detail in Chapter 10, “Managing user accounts, passwords, and credentials.”
For an upgrade, Setup uses several temporary folders:
C:\$Windows.~BT This hidden folder contains the files used during both the online and the offline phases of installation. When you launch Setup from the Windows Installation Assistant, the initial phase of Setup creates this folder and copies the installation files to it for temporary use.
C:\$WinREAgent During an upgrade or update, Setup creates this hidden folder, which stores files needed in case a rollback is necessary. If the installation is successful, these files are automatically deleted.
C:\Windows.old You’ll see this folder, which is not hidden, only when you perform an upgrade or do a clean install on a volume that already contains a Windows installation. During upgrades, Setup uses this folder as a transfer location to hold files and settings that are moving from the old installation to the new one. After Windows Setup completes its work, the folder holds system files from the previous Windows installation as well as any user files that were not migrated during Setup.
Note
These temporary installation files are saved for 10 days, as is your previous Windows installation in Windows.old, allowing you to roll back to the previous version or recover files if necessary; after that time, they are deleted automatically. On systems with limited free disk space, you can remove these files using the Disk Cleanup utility or tools in Settings > System > Storage. We describe this process in more detail in Chapter 8.
If you poke around in the root of the system drive, you might notice additional hidden folders with similarly cryptic names: $Windows.~WS, for example, is created by the Media Creation Tool when you download Windows 11 installation files, and $GetCurrent is created when installing feature updates.
Upgrading from Windows 10
A streamlined wizard walks you briskly through an upgrade from Windows 10. The process is fast, even on systems with a large number of files. No major upgrade is ever risk free, of course, but the Windows 11 installer, like its predecessor, is designed to be robust enough to roll back gracefully in the case of a failure.
From a PC running Windows 10, you can begin the upgrade process by going to the Download Windows 11 page (https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11) and running the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. That option downloads the full installation file and then runs Windows Setup immediately, downloading additional installation files on the fly. As an alternative, you can use bootable installation media or an ISO file mounted as a virtual drive.
When you run the Windows 11 Installation Assistant from the Download Windows 11 page on a PC that is currently running Windows 10, the upgrade process preserves all your files and apps. To choose an alternative option, you must run Setup from installation media or a mounted ISO file. If you previously created Windows 11 installation media, open the USB flash drive or DVD in File Explorer; if you have a Windows 11 ISO, double-click the file to open it as a virtual DVD drive. Then double-click Setup to launch the installation process.
The resulting wizard walks you through several steps that aren’t part of the streamlined online upgrade. The most important of these is the option to transfer files, apps, and settings. When you reach the Ready To Install page, click Change What To Keep, which displays the options shown in Figure 2-7.
Figure 2-7 When you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, these three options are at the beginning of the installation process.
Here’s what happens with each option:
Keep Personal Files And Apps All Windows desktop programs and user accounts are migrated. After the upgrade is complete, you need to sign in with your Microsoft account to install apps from the Microsoft Store and sync saved settings.
Keep Personal Files Only This option is the equivalent of a repair installation. Each user’s personal files are available in a new user profile that otherwise contains only default apps and settings.
Nothing Choose this option if you want to perform a clean install, with your existing installation moved to Windows.old. Note that the descriptive text, “Everything will be deleted,” is misleading. Your personal files, as well as those belonging to other user accounts in the current installation, are not deleted. Instead, they are moved to the Windows.old folder, where any user with administrative permissions can recover them by using File Explorer.
After the initial prep work, Setup restarts in offline mode, displaying a progress screen that is simpler than the one from the initial release of Windows 10.
In this mode, you can’t interact with the PC at all. Your PC is effectively offline as the following actions occur.
Windows Setup first moves the following folders from the existing Windows installation on the root of the system drive into Windows.old:
Windows
Program Files
Program Files (x86)
Users
ProgramData
During this offline phase, Setup extracts registry values and program data from the files it just added in the Windows.old folder, based on the type of upgrade, and then prepares to add this data to the corresponding locations in the new Windows 11 installation. Third-party hardware drivers are also copied from the old driver store in preparation for the new installation.
Next, Setup creates a new set of system folders for Windows 11 using the folder structure and files from the compressed Windows installation image. After that task is complete, Setup moves program files, registry values, and other settings it gathered earlier.
Moving folders minimizes the number of file operations that are required, making upgrade times consistent even when individual user accounts contain large numbers of files. To further speed things up, the Windows Installer uses hard link operations to move files and folders from the transport location to the new Windows 11 hierarchy. Not having to physically move the file improves performance and allows for easy rollback if something goes wrong during the upgrade.
Setup moves folders associated with individual user accounts as part of a default in-place upgrade. The entire folder is placed within the fresh Windows 11 installation unchanged; every file in the folder and all its subfolders are preserved. (Note that organizations using corporate deployment tools can override some of this behavior, excluding some files or subfolders and merging the contents of default folders with the contents of existing folders from the source operating system.)
This activity is accompanied by several restarts and can take more than an hour, depending on your hardware, although an upgrade on modern hardware typically goes much faster. At the conclusion of this process, you’re confronted with a sign-in screen. That’s followed by a series of screens that prompt you to review privacy settings and, optionally, connect to other Microsoft services.
If you’re upgrading from a PC that was configured with a local user account, you need to sign in using the credentials for that account. After that, you have the option to link your account to a Microsoft account or to continue using a local account.
By signing in with a Microsoft account, you can continue setting up Windows 11 by using your synced settings. The most current version of each preinstalled app is downloaded from the Store before you sign in.
- For more information about your options when setting up a user account, see Chapter 10.
Performing a clean install
Among some PC traditionalists, it’s a badge of honor to wipe a newly purchased PC clean and then set up Windows from scratch. Even if you’re not so fastidious, a clean install is sometimes unavoidable; it’s the only option for PCs you build yourself and for virtual machines, and it’s sometimes the fastest way to get back up and running after a disk failure.
This section describes the steps for a clean installation on the simplest of all PC configurations: one with a single storage device (hard disk or SSD) containing unallocated space ready to be automatically partitioned for use as the system drive. This is the configuration you encounter if you build a new PC or replace the hard drive on an existing PC. It’s also where you find yourself if you’ve wiped the system drive clean on a PC that you plan to give away, sell, or reassign to another employee or family member.
For those scenarios, you need to boot into Windows Setup from a USB flash drive. You might need to read the manual for your device to learn the magic combination of keystrokes and firmware settings that make it possible to start up using a bootable Windows disc or drive.
When you boot from that media, you pass through a few introductory screens. After confirming the language and regional settings you want to use for your new installation and clicking Install Now, you’re asked to enter a product key. If you have a product key, you can enter it here and Setup automatically installs the Windows edition (Home or Pro, usually) that’s associated with that key. You also have the option to choose I Don’t Have A Product Key, as explained later in this chapter.
After completing those preliminaries and accepting a license agreement, you eventually reach the Windows Setup dialog shown in Figure 2-8. You’re asked to choose an installation type—Upgrade or Custom. Be aware: Which Type Of Installation Do You Want? is a trick question.
Figure 2-8 When you boot from a USB flash drive or DVD to perform a clean install of Windows, the only option that works from this screen is Custom.
Choosing the Upgrade option leads to an error message. You can upgrade Windows only if you start Setup from within Windows.
The Custom option allows you to continue, and you’re presented with a list of available disks and volumes. Figure 2-9 shows what you see on a system with a single drive that has not yet been partitioned and contains only unallocated space.
Figure 2-9 In this simple scenario, with a single physical disk that has not been partitioned, click Next to create the necessary partitions and install Windows using the entire physical drive.
When you start a clean install on a PC whose system drive contains an existing Windows installation and user data, you have a variety of disk management options. You can keep the existing partitions, in which case the existing Windows installation is moved into a Windows.old folder. If you want a truly fresh start, you can use the tools beneath the list of available drives to manage partitions to select each partition and click Delete until only unallocated space remains. You can also use these tools to create one or more new partitions, format an existing partition, or extend a partition to include adjacent unallocated space.
With a new internal storage device or an existing one, you might have any of several good reasons to tinker with disk partitions. You might prefer to segregate your operating-system files from your data files by placing them on separate volumes, for example, or you might be planning to set up a dual-boot or multiboot system. In any event, it’s always easier to make partitioning decisions before installing Windows than it is to resize and rearrange volumes after they’re in use.
You can choose to install Windows 11 to any fixed internal drive. You cannot, however, install Windows to an external drive connected via USB or IEEE 1394 (FireWire) or to any form of removable media. (External drives connected via eSATA connections appear as internal drives and are eligible for installation, although this configuration is rare. Some third-party utilities are also available that allow external disks connected through a Thunderbolt port to appear as internal drives.)
To make adjustments to existing disk partitions, boot from Windows 11 installation media and run through Windows Setup until you reach the Where Do You Want To Install Windows page. Figure 2-11 shows a system that contains two physical drives. Drive 0 contains a standard partition layout, with Windows installed on Partition 4. (Partitions 1 and 2 for this drive have scrolled out of view.) Drive 1 is a newly added SSD that has not yet been partitioned or formatted.
Figure 2-11 Use the disk-management tools in this phase of the Windows 11 installation process to manage disk partitions for more efficient data storage and multiboot configurations.
You can accomplish any of the following tasks here:
Select an existing partition or unallocated space on which to install Windows 11. Setup is simple if you already created and formatted an empty partition in preparation for setting up Windows, if you plan to install Windows 11 on an existing partition that currently contains data or programs but no operating system, or if you want to use unallocated space on an existing disk without disturbing the existing partition scheme. Select the partition or unallocated space and click Next.
Delete an existing partition. Select a partition, and then click Delete. This option is useful if you want to perform a clean installation on a drive that currently contains an earlier version of Windows. Because this operation deletes data irretrievably, you must respond to an Are You Sure? confirmation request. After deleting the partition, you can select the unallocated space as the destination for your Windows 11 installation or create a new partition. Be sure to back up any data files before choosing this option.
Create a new partition from unallocated space. Select a block of unallocated space on a new drive or on an existing drive after deleting partitions, and click New to set up a partition in that space.
By default, Windows Setup offers to use all unallocated space on the current disk. You can specify a smaller partition size if you want to subdivide the disk into multiple drives. If you have a 4 TB drive, for example, you might choose to create a relatively small partition on which to install Windows and use the remaining space to create a second volume with its own drive letter on which to store data files such as music, pictures, documents, and videos.
Extend an existing partition by using unallocated space. If you’re not happy with your existing partition scheme, you can use the Extend option to make a partition larger, provided that unallocated space is available immediately to the right of the existing partition in Disk Management, with no intervening partitions. If the manufacturer of your PC initially divided a 128 GB hard disk into system and data volumes of equal size, you might decide to rejoin the two partitions when performing a clean install. After backing up your files from the data volume to an external drive or to cloud storage, delete the data partition, select the original system partition to the left of the newly freed space, and click Extend. Choose the total size of the extended partition in the Size box (the default is to use all available unallocated space) and click Apply. You can now continue with Setup.
Caution
In both the Disk Management console and the disk-management tools available via Windows Setup, it can be confusing to tell which partition is which. Confusion, in this case, can have drastic consequences if you inadvertently wipe out a drive full of data instead of writing over an unwanted installation of Windows. One good way to reduce the risk of this sort of accident is to label drives well.
- For a full inventory of all disk-management tools and techniques available in Windows 11, see Chapter 14, “Performance and power management.” For details about partitioning a drive and managing data storage, see Chapter 9, “Using File Explorer.”
Alert observers will no doubt notice that one option is missing from that list. Unfortunately, Setup does not allow you to shrink an existing disk partition to create unallocated space on which to install a fresh copy of Windows 11. The option to shrink a volume is available from the Disk Management console after Windows 11 is installed, but if you want to accomplish this task before running Setup, you need to use third-party disk-management tools.
After you click Next, the installation process switches into a lengthy unattended phase in which it partitions and formats the disk (if necessary), copies the clean Windows 11 image to the system partition, installs device drivers, and starts default services. When those operations are complete, you arrive at a series of screens where you select the default region and keyboard layout and can give the new device a name.
If you do a clean install of Windows 11 Pro using bootable media, you’re faced with one additional choice immediately after Setup completes these initial installation tasks. The dialog shown in Figure 2-12 asks you to choose whether you want to set up the device for personal use or as part of an organization. For an installation of Windows 11 Enterprise or Education, the dialog asks whether you want to join Azure AD or join a domain. (This portion of Setup has undergone numerous changes since the initial release of Windows 10, all in the interest of reducing confusion when setting up a work PC.)
Figure 2-12 This option is available only when you do a clean install of Windows 11 Pro.
If you own the device, or if it is a company PC that will be joined to a Windows domain, choose Set Up For Personal Use and click Next to continue.
If the PC will be managed by your organization using something other than a Windows domain on a local network, choose the second option, Set Up For Work Or School, and click Next. You’re prompted to enter the username and password for your workplace or school account; those credentials are managed in Azure Active Directory and can be linked to services such as a Microsoft 365 account at a workplace or university. If your organization requires additional authentication, such as responding to a Microsoft Authenticator prompt or providing a smart card or other hardware token, you need to complete those tasks to proceed.
With those duties complete, you’re ready to go set up your default user profile.
- For more information about setting up user accounts and user profiles, during Windows installation or afterwards, see Chapter 10.
Performing an edition upgrade
To gain access to features that aren’t available in the currently installed edition of Windows 11, you need to upgrade to a different edition. You’re most likely to encounter this scenario when you purchase a new PC with Windows 11 Home Edition preinstalled (or upgrade a PC that originally shipped with Windows 10 Home Edition) and want to take advantage of advanced features available in Windows 11 Pro.
On a system with a properly activated copy of Windows 11 Home, go to Settings > System > Activation and expand the Upgrade Your Edition Of Windows section. In that configuration, you see the options shown in Figure 2-13.
Figure 2-13 Use the options here to upgrade a PC from Home Edition to Pro.
If you have a product key for Windows 11 Pro, you can use that product key to complete the upgrade. Click Change to open the dialog shown in Figure 2-14.
Figure 2-14 If you skipped the option to enter a product key when installing Windows 11, you can enter it here.
Enter the 25-character product key and click Next to begin the upgrade process. If you don’t have a valid key and you’re willing to pay for an instant upgrade, click Open Store and follow the prompts to buy and install an upgrade to Windows 11 Pro or Pro Workstation.
On a PC running Windows 11 Pro, the Change Product Key option is the only one available in this section. Enter a valid Pro Workstation, Enterprise, or Education product key to perform an upgrade.
Activating Windows
For more than two decades, desktop versions of Windows have included antipiracy and antitampering features. Through the years, Microsoft has used different names for these capabilities: Windows Activation Technologies and Windows Genuine Advantage, for example. In Windows 10 and Windows 11, these features are collectively referred to as the Software Protection Platform.
The most visible part of the Software Protection Platform is Windows Product Activation, an action that occurs shortly after you sign in for the first time on a new PC or on an older device running a freshly installed copy of Windows 11.
Typically, activation involves a brief communication between your PC and Microsoft’s licensing servers. The activation process is anonymous and does not require that you divulge any personal information. If everything checks out, your copy of Windows is activated silently, and you never have to deal with product keys or activation prompts.
After you successfully activate your Windows installation, your hardware is still subject to periodic antipiracy checks from Microsoft. This process verifies that your copy of Windows has not been tampered with to bypass activation. It also detects attempts to “clone” a disk for use on a different PC than the one on which it was originally activated. In rare cases, Microsoft can revoke the activation for a computer when it determines after the fact that the original activation was the result of product tampering or that a product key was stolen or used in violation of a volume licensing agreement.
These checks and challenges are, at their core, enforcement mechanisms for the Windows license agreement. This agreement is displayed during the process of installing or deploying the operating system, and you must provide your consent to complete setup. Figure 2-15, for example, shows the license screen that appears when you perform a clean install of Windows 11.
Figure 2-15 Most people never read the license agreement and just click the checkbox to accept it; it’s worth reading the full agreement at least once.
I’m not a lawyer, so I won’t attempt to interpret the terms of this legal document. I do, however, recommend that you read the license agreement, which is written in relatively plain language compared to many such documents I’ve read through the years.
Note
It’s important to understand a potentially confusing concept here: The legal and contractual restrictions imposed by license agreements are completely independent of technical restrictions related to installation.
Licenses are assigned to devices. If you upgrade a system to Windows 11 and then the system’s hard disk fails, you can replace the storage device, perform a clean install of Windows 11, and still be properly licensed. Conversely, it’s technically possible to install and activate Windows on a computer that doesn’t have an underlying license; the fact that activation succeeded doesn’t necessarily translate to a valid license. This distinction is especially crucial for businesses (even small ones) that could be the target of a software audit to verify proper licensing.
You can find the license terms for the currently installed Windows edition by going to Settings > System > About. Under the Windows Specifications heading, click Microsoft Software License Terms.
The activation mechanism is designed to enforce license restrictions by preventing the most common form of software piracy: casual copying. Typically, a Windows license entitles you to install the operating system software on a single computer. If you’re trying to activate Windows 11 using a product key that has previously been activated on a second (or third or fourth) device, you might be unable to activate the software automatically. In that case, you see a watermark on the desktop alerting you to an issue with activation.
A Windows PC that is not activated can still be used. All Windows functions (with the exception of personalization options) work normally, all your data files are accessible, and all your programs work as expected. The nagging reminders are intended to strongly encourage you to resolve the underlying issue. Some forms of malware can damage system files in a way that resembles tampering with activation files. Another common cause of activation problems is a lazy or dishonest repair technician who installs a stolen or “cracked” copy of Windows instead of using your original licensed copy.
Links in the Windows Activation messages lead to online support tools, where you might be able to identify and repair the issue that’s affecting your system. Microsoft also offers free support for activation issues via online forums and by telephone.
Windows licensing options
Every copy of Windows is licensed, not sold. Windows 11 supports the following license types:
OEM An OEM (original equipment manufacturer) license is one that’s included with a new computer. This license is locked to the computer on which it’s installed and cannot be transferred. OEM System Builder packages, which include installation media as well as the license, are intended for use by small PC makers but are often used by consumers and hobbyists. The system builder is required to provide support for OEM Windows along with the device on which it is installed.
Full A full license is sold directly to retail customers as an electronic distribution or a packaged product. With a full license, Windows can be installed on a computer that was not sold with Windows 10 or Windows 11 originally. You need a full license to install Windows in a virtual machine, on a Mac, or on a computer that you build yourself. A full license can be transferred to a different computer; the underlying copy of Windows on the original PC must be removed for the transferred license to be valid.
Volume Volume licenses for Windows are sold in bulk to corporate, government, nonprofit, and educational customers and are available as an upgrade on machines that already have what Microsoft calls a “qualifying base license,” such as an OEM license for Windows 10 or Windows 11 Pro.
Cloud Businesses can purchase upgrades to Windows 10 or Windows 11 Enterprise using a subscription option (E3 or E5); licenses purchased through this channel are associated with an Azure Active Directory account in that organization and are managed by the organization. This type of Windows license can be activated on up to five PCs simultaneously by signing in with the Azure AD credentials of the licensed user.
If you inspect the activation status of a Windows 11 PC, you might see a reference to a digital license. This terminology replaces the certificates of authenticity and stickers that were required with older Windows versions. The details of a digital license can be linked to a Microsoft account, allowing for easier troubleshooting of activation issues, as described later in this section.
Do you need a product key?
If you’re building your own PC or installing Windows 11 in a new virtual machine, you need to enter a 25-character alphanumeric product key before you can successfully activate your new installation. You won’t need a product key if you buy a new PC built by one of the industry’s big OEMs (Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and ASUS account for the overwhelming majority of PCs in this category) and sold with a copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11 already installed. On those devices, Windows can retrieve the embedded license information from the computer’s firmware and activate automatically.
Smaller OEMs (in Microsoft’s parlance, these are called System Builders) purchase individual copies of Windows that require a product key for activation. The System Builder is required under the terms of the OEM license to include that key as part of the Windows installation and to provide an official copy of that key to the purchaser of the PC.
If you skip the opportunity to enter a product key during a clean install, or if the key you enter fails activation (perhaps because it has been used on another PC), you can go to Settings > System > Activation and click the button to the right of the Change Product Key label. Enter a valid product key for the currently installed Windows edition using the dialog shown in Figure 2-16.
Figure 2-16 When you enter a 25-character alphanumeric product key here, Windows automatically checks its validity and prompts you to complete activation.
Here are some important facts you should know about product keys:
A custom product key is stored in firmware on any copy of Windows that is preinstalled on a new PC by a large computer maker. This configuration is called System Locked Preinstallation (SLP). On a PC that has been configured this way, you can reinstall the original edition of Windows and reactivate without having to enter a product key.
Your product key matches your edition of Windows. When you enter a product key as part of a custom install of Windows, the key identifies the edition to be installed. If you purchase a boxed copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11, the installation media (a DVD or a USB flash drive) contains a configuration file that automatically installs the edition that matches the product key included with that package.
Windows 10 product keys work with Windows 11, and vice-versa. The product key matches a specific Windows edition and will activate the corresponding Windows 11 edition (assuming your hardware is compatible with Windows 11, of course).
You are not required to enter a product key when performing a clean install of Windows 11. When you perform a clean installation of Windows 11 by booting from a USB flash drive or DVD, Windows Setup prompts you to enter a product key, as shown in Figure 2-17. If you don’t have a product key handy, you can defer this step by clicking I Don’t Have A Product Key, just to the left of the Next button.
Figure 2-17 Setup automatically installs the Windows edition that matches the 25-character alphanumeric product key you enter here and attempts to activate using that key after Setup is complete.
When you reinstall Windows 11, you don’t need to enter a product key. If you previously activated Windows 11 as part of a clean install or an upgrade, a record of that activation is stored along with the device’s hardware ID on Microsoft’s activation servers. When you reinstall the previously activated edition (Home or Pro), you can skip past the prompt to enter a product key. After Setup is complete, Windows is activated automatically.
Clicking I Don’t Have A Product Key allows Setup to proceed but might require that you select a specific Windows edition to install. Be sure to choose the edition that matches the one that was previously installed and activated on this PC or that matches the product key you plan to use later for activation.
Managing Windows activation
Shortly after the release of Windows 10, Microsoft created a new activation mechanism as an alternative to the traditional product key. That mechanism applies to Windows 11 as well. On PCs upgraded to Windows 10 or Windows 11 from a properly activated Windows installation, the Microsoft activation server generates and stores a Windows license certificate (Microsoft initially called it a digital entitlement but later changed the nomenclature to digital license) for the corresponding edition, Home or Pro. You also receive a digital license if you purchase Windows 11 (or a Windows 11 Pro upgrade) from the Microsoft Store or if you install an Insider Preview release of Windows on a properly activated PC.
That digital license format is stored in conjunction with your unique installation ID on Microsoft’s activation servers. The unique installation ID is essentially a fingerprint of your PC, based on a cryptographic hash derived from your hardware. That hash is not reversible and not tied to any other Microsoft services. So, although it defines your device, it doesn’t identify you. But it does make it possible to store activation status for that device online.
(You can read more details about digital licenses and other activation issues at https://bit.ly/win11-activation.)
Once that online activation status is associated with your hardware ID, you can wipe your drive clean, boot from Windows 11 installation media, and install a clean copy (skipping right past the prompts for a product key); at the end of the process, you’ll have a properly activated copy of Windows 11.
At any time, you can check the activation status of your device by going to Settings > System > Activation, as shown in Figure 2-18.
Figure 2-18 Most Windows 11 PCs are automatically activated, with the successful activation status shown in this dialog.
One detail worth noting in Figure 2-18 is the connection between the digital license and the current Microsoft account. Doing so creates a record of the digital license that can be retrieved for troubleshooting purposes, as discussed in the next section.
Troubleshooting activation problems
When you install Windows 11 on a new PC, it attempts to contact Microsoft’s licensing servers and activate automatically. Under most circumstances, activation over the internet takes no more than a few seconds. If Windows is unable to reach Microsoft’s activation servers, perhaps because of connectivity issues, it continues to attempt activation for three days. If activation fails, you see several indications that there’s a problem. The first is a faint gray Activate Windows watermark that appears in the bottom-right corner of the display and is visible at all times. In smaller text below that message is the instruction Go To Settings To Activate Windows.
You’ll also find a Windows Isn’t Activated link at the top of the System page in Settings, with a handy Activate Now link to its right. If you open the Personalization page in Settings, every option is grayed out and unavailable, with a message at the top that reads You Need To Activate Windows Before You Can Personalize Your PC.
The most obvious reminder of all appears, naturally, if you click Settings > System > Activation. Alongside the Activation State heading, you see the words Not Active, with a bright red exclamation point alongside and an error message, also in red, beneath it. Figure 2-19 shows an example of this message.
Figure 2-19 In the event of an activation error, use these options to run a troubleshooting tool, enter a product key, or buy a new license from the Microsoft Store.
If you’re confident you have a valid Windows license, click Troubleshoot to try to fix the problem. The activation troubleshooter can resolve some simple problems and is especially well suited for activation errors that result from hardware changes or from situations where you inadvertently installed the wrong Windows edition (Home instead of Pro, for example). In fact, if the troubleshooter is unable to resolve your issue, it offers an I Changed Hardware On This Device Recently option, as shown in Figure 2-20.
Figure 2-20 If the activation troubleshooter is unable to resolve the issue because you recently changed hardware, it offers one additional resolution option.
Why are hardware changes an issue?
You’re allowed to reinstall and reactivate Windows on the same hardware an unlimited number of times. During the activation process, Windows transmits a hashed file that serves as a “finger-print” of key components in your system. When you reinstall the same Windows edition you activated previously, the activation server receives the current hardware fingerprint and compares that value against the one stored in its database. Because you’re reinstalling Windows on hardware that is essentially the same, the fingerprint your system sends to the activation server matches the stored fingerprint, and activation is automatic.
A copy of the hardware fingerprint is also stored on your hard disk and checked each time you start your computer. This activation process is designed to prevent attempts to tamper with the activation files or to “clone” an activated copy of Windows and install it on another computer. If you upgrade the hardware in your computer, the fingerprint no longer matches the stored version. Minor upgrades, such as increasing the amount of memory or replacing an internal storage device, are unlikely to trigger an activation warning. If you make substantial changes to your system hardware, however, you might be required to reactivate your copy of Windows.
You can upgrade almost all components in a system without requiring a new license. Replacing the motherboard on a PC is the most certain way to trigger the activation mechanism, because the activation server assumes you tried to install your copy of Windows on a second computer. If you replaced a defective or failed motherboard with one that is the same model or the manufacturer’s equivalent, you do not need to acquire a new operating system license, and you should be able to reactivate your copy of Windows.
To help with this scenario, the activation troubleshooter relies on a feature that was introduced with Windows 10: the capability to save a digital license and link it to your Microsoft account. This step isn’t mandatory, but it’s handy if you make major changes to a system with a digital license and need to reactivate.
If the PC in question was previously activated and its digital license was associated with a Microsoft account, you can run the activation troubleshooter to make the match that Microsoft’s activation servers can’t. Click the Troubleshoot link at the bottom of that Settings page to launch a tool that tries to find the activation record for the PC you’re using. If you’re not signed in with a Microsoft account, you need to do so, using the account you used previously to activate this PC.
Figure 2-21 shows the activation troubleshooter in action. After signing in with the Microsoft account to which the previous device activation was linked, you see a list of linked devices. Select the name associated with the device you’re having troubles with and then click Activate.
Figure 2-21 Using the activation troubleshooter, you can choose a digital license from a previously activated device to resolve issues that occur if you make significant hardware changes.
If all else fails, your only remaining option is to contact the telephone-based activation support center, explain the circumstances, and—assuming that the support representative accepts your claim—manually enter a new activation code. (If you replace a failed motherboard with one that is functionally identical, you’re entitled to transfer the existing license to the new device. However, if you upgrade your PC with a new motherboard, Microsoft considers the end result to be a new PC and might require a new license.)
The license agreement for a retail copy of Windows 11 allows you to transfer it to another computer, provided that you completely remove it from the computer on which it was previously installed. An OEM copy, by contrast, is governed by a different license agreement, which restricts the license to the computer on which it was originally installed. You can reinstall an OEM copy of Windows an unlimited number of times on the same computer. However, you are prohibited by the license agreement from transferring that copy of Windows to another computer after it has been assigned to a device.
Product activation and corporate licensing
Businesses that purchase licenses through a Microsoft Volume Licensing (VL) program receive access to VL media and product keys that require activation under a different set of rules from those that apply to retail or OEM copies. Under the terms of a volume license agreement, each computer with a VL copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11 Enterprise edition installed must have a valid underlying license and must be activated. (This option also extends to Windows 11 Education, the equivalent of Enterprise edition for educational institutions.)
Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11 can be installed using Multiple Activation Keys, which allow activations on a specific number of devices within an organization, or they can use Key Management servers to activate computers within an organization.
Administrators in corporate and educational deployments can also upgrade to Enterprise or Education edition from Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro by purchasing a Windows 11 Enterprise E3 or E5 subscription from a Microsoft partner who is part of the Cloud Service Provider program. For more details about Windows 10/11 subscription activation, visit https://bit.ly/win11-subscription.
If you encounter activation issues with Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise in a VL deployment, contact the person in your organization who manages your VL agreement—the “Benefits Administrator,” as this person is called.
Advanced Windows license management
For dealing with basic activation tasks, the relevant Settings page has everything you need. Administrators who need more granular control over licensing and activation can use the Windows Software Licensing Management Tool (Slmgr.vbs). Use this Windows Script Host–based utility to examine the licensing status of a PC, change its product key, and perform other activation-related tasks.
Although this feature is primarily intended for automating volume tasks associated with volume license activation and administration, you can also run the script interactively. Open a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell window with administrative privileges and then run the command Slmgr.vbs. If it’s run without parameters, this command shows its full syntax in a series of dialogs. (Note that it’s not necessary to use the .vbs extension to run this command.)
Use parameters with the Slmgr command to accomplish specific tasks. For example, to display the current licensing status for a device, use the command slmgr /dli. That parameter opens a dialog like the one shown in Figure 2-22, which displays the status of a device running an OEM version of Windows 11 Pro that has been properly activated.
Figure 2-22 This output from the Windows Software Licensing Management Tool shows a system that is properly licensed. If you see an error code here, you need to do some troubleshooting.
For a much more detailed display of information, use the same command with a switch that produces verbose output: slmgr /dlv. Use slmgr /ipk <product_key> to install the 25-character product key you provide following that switch. The /upk switch uninstalls the current product key, and the /cpky switch removes the product key from the registry to deter attempts to steal and reuse a key. To see all available switches, enter the Slmgr command by itself.
Using multiple operating systems on the same PC
If your computer already has any version of Windows installed and you have a second disk partition available (or enough unallocated space to create a second partition), you can install a clean copy of Windows 11 without disturbing your existing Windows installation. At boot time, you choose your Windows version from a startup menu, like the one shown in Figure 2-23. Although this is typically called a dual-boot system, it’s more accurate to call it a multiboot configuration, because you can install as many copies of Windows or other PC-compatible operating systems as your system resources allow.
Figure 2-23 This system is configured to allow a choice of operating systems at startup.
Having the capability to choose your operating system at startup is handy if you have an app or device that simply doesn’t work under Windows 11 and can’t easily be run in a virtual machine. When you need to use the legacy app or device, you can boot into your earlier Windows version without too much fuss. This capability is also useful for software developers and IT professionals who need to be able to test how programs work under different operating systems using physical (not virtual) hardware.
For experienced Windows users, installing a second copy of Windows in its own partition can also be helpful as a way to maintain a completely clean environment, separate from confidential work data. It’s also useful when you need to experiment with a potentially problematic hardware/software combination without compromising a working system. After you finish setting up the second, clean version of Windows 11, you see an additional entry on the startup menu that corresponds to your new installation. (The newly installed version is the default menu choice; it runs automatically if 30 seconds pass and you haven’t made a choice.) Use the new installation to experiment with the software or hardware and see how well it works. If your experiments produce satisfactory results, you can add the new app or device to your primary Windows 11 installation.
To add a separate installation of Windows 11 to a system on which an existing version of Windows is already installed, first make sure you have an available volume (or unformatted disk space) separate from the volume that contains the system files for your current Windows version.
The target volume can be a separate partition on the same physical disk as the current Windows installation, or it can be on a different hard disk. If your system contains a single disk with a single volume used as drive C, you cannot create a multiboot system unless you add a new disk or use software tools to shrink the existing partition and create a new partition from the free space. (The Disk Management console, Diskmgmt.msc, includes this capability on Windows 10 and Windows 11; you can also use third-party software for this task. For details, see “Shrinking or extending an NTFS volume” in Chapter 8.) The new partition does not need to be empty; if it contains system files for another Windows installation, they are moved to Windows.old. Run Setup, choose the Custom (Advanced) option, and select the disk and partition you want to use for the new installation.
Windows Setup automatically handles details of adding the newly installed operating system to the Boot Configuration Data store.
And how do you edit and configure the Boot Configuration Data store? Surprisingly, the only official tool is a command-line utility called Bcdedit. Bcdedit doesn’t offer a user interface; instead, you perform tasks by appending switches and parameters to the Bcdedit command line. To display the complete syntax for this tool, open an elevated Command Prompt session (using the Run As Administrator option) and type the command bcdedit /?.
For everyday use, most Bcdedit options are esoteric, unnecessary, and risky. In fact, the only option you really need to remember is the command to change the text for each entry in the boot menu. By default, Windows Setup adds the generic entry “Windows 11” followed by a volume number for each installation. If you set up a dual-boot system using two copies of Windows 11 (one for everyday use, one for testing), you’ll find it hard to tell which is which because the menu text is essentially the same for each. To make the menu more informative, follow these steps:
Start your computer and choose either entry from the boot menu. After startup is complete, make a note of which installation is running.
Right-click Start, or press Windows key+X, and choose Windows Terminal (Admin) from the Quick Link menu. Click Yes in the User Account Control box to open an elevated session.
Type the following command: bcdedit /set {current} description “Menu description goes here” (substituting your own description for the placeholder text and making sure to include the quotation marks). Press Enter.
Restart your computer, and note that the menu description you just entered now appears on the menu. Select the other menu option.
Repeat steps 2 and 3, again adding a menu description to replace the generic text and distinguish this installation from the other one.
A few startup options are available when you click or tap Change Defaults Or Choose Other Options at the bottom of the boot menu. Doing so leads to the Options menu shown in Figure 2-24.
Figure 2-24 Use these options on a multiboot Windows configuration to specify how long Windows should wait for you to choose from the boot menu and which installation should run when that timer is up.
You can choose which installation is the default operating system (this is where descriptive menu choices come in handy) and change the timer that determines how long you want to display the list of operating systems. The default is 30 seconds; you can choose 5 seconds (allowing the default operating system to start automatically unless you quickly interrupt it) or 5 minutes, if you want to ensure you have a choice even if you’re distracted while the system is restarting. These options write data directly to the Boot Configuration Data store.
For slightly more control over the boot menu timer, use the System Configuration utility, Msconfig.exe. You can use the Boot tab to change the default operating system and set the Timeout interval in any amount between 3 and 999 seconds.
Tweaking and tuning your Windows installation
When Windows Setup completes, you’re signed in and ready to begin using Windows 11. For upgrades and clean installs alike, use this checklist to confirm that basic functionality is enabled properly:
Check Windows Update. Depending on how you chose to start your installation or upgrade, you might need additional updates, including the most recent feature update and additional security updates. Those updates should arrive automatically within 24 hours. Checking for updates manually allows you to install them at your convenience and avoid a scheduled overnight restart or an inconvenient delay.
Look for missing device drivers. Open Device Manager and look for any devices that have a yellow exclamation mark over the icon or any devices that are listed under the Other category. This is also a good time to install any custom drivers supplied by the device maker that might unlock additional features not available with the class drivers provided through Windows Update. For more information on working with device drivers, see “How device drivers and hardware work together” in Chapter 13.
Adjust display settings. Confirm that the display is set for its native resolution and that any additional tasks, such as color calibration, have been completed.
Check your network connection. Go to Settings > Network & Internet to view and change current network connections. Click the Properties icon (at the top of the page, just to the right of the connection name) to adjust advanced network settings (such as DNS server addresses) or to switch from a public network to a private network and allow local file sharing.
Verify security settings. Open Windows Security and look for any required actions; if you use third-party security software, install it now and get the latest updates.
Change default programs. Use this opportunity to install and configure your preferred browser, email client, music playback software, and so on.
Adjust power and sleep settings. The default settings are usually good enough, but they’re not always a perfect match for your preferences. Now is a good time to adjust when your device sleeps and whether it requires a password when it wakes.