You can immediately download and
install Windows 11 for free as an upgrade to Windows 10 or even for a clean
installation on a new PC
In, 5 October 2021, Windows 11 , the new
version of the historic Microsoft operating system installed on 1.3 billion
computers, tablets and other devices, is available for download
worldwide. Windows 11 can therefore, already now, be downloaded as a
free update for those who have Windows 10.
Windows 11 will be released gradually to everyone as a free
update to Windows 10 directly from the Windows Update service, based
on hardware suitability, reliability metrics, and other factors that impact the
update experience. According to Microsoft, all eligible Windows 10 devices
will be automatically upgraded to Windows 11 by mid-2022.
This, however, does not mean that you cannot install
Windows 11 for free, already today on your computer , without waiting
to receive it in Windows Update.
There are several ways to download and install Windows 11 and
you can therefore go through a simple automatic update or use manual methods
and then force the installation of the latest operating system.
Requirements for installing Windows 11
Before seeing how to update, however, it is necessary and
fundamental (this time it really is) that your PC meets the hardware requirements for Windows 11 that
we talked about some time ago.
The problem, which did not exist for previous versions of
Windows, is that Windows 11 requires a PC with the TPM 2.0 module integrated and enabled and
that Secure Boot is supported .
Windows 11 has some very specific requirements, meaning that
many older PCs won't be supported even if Windows 10 works great. If you
have a good PC no older than 5 years, these requirements should be met.
To check if your PC meets the system requirements, you can download
and install the Microsoft PC Health Check tool
, which will immediately give you the answer as to whether you can upgrade your
PC to Windows 11 or not yet.
Another important thing to do before updating Windows 10 to
Windows 11 is to check that all past updates have already been installed and
that there is no other update available in Windows Update. In particular,
the latest version of Windows 10 , 21H1 of May 2021 (or at least version
2004), must be installed. Furthermore, all updates released before
September 14, 2021 must be installed.
You can still install Windows 11 if your PC is not compatible with the
requirements , as described in another guide.
Install Windows 11 via Windows Update
As mentioned above, you can proceed with an upgrade from
Windows 10 to Windows 11 through Windows Update .
Simply open Settings , go to the Updates and
Security section and click on WIndows Update to see if Windows 11
is ready for installation. If it is, you will be able to follow the usual
guided procedure for each system update, otherwise you will have to wait for
the notification which will arrive in the next few days.
Install Windows 11 now as a manual update
You can download Windows 11 from the Windows 11 download page . If
you are upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11, press the Download Now button
under the Windows 11 Setup Assistant section .
You can then download the Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe file which
starts the (rather quick) download and update procedure. During the
update, you can continue to use your computer for at least 30 minutes after the
installation is complete.
Keep in mind that if you skip the queue and immediately install
Windows 11 without waiting to receive it in Windows Update, you may encounter
bugs or problems, so you need to be ready for any unexpected events (for
example, the audio or printer may not work). The fact remains that this is
an official option, not a scam or a trick, so everything should go well anyway
(also because programs that work in Windows 10 will also work easily in Windows
11).
Force the update with a clean install
If you want to install Windows 11 from scratch and also if you
want to try to install it on a PC that is not compatible, you can still do it
with a clean installation.
From the Windows 11 download page seen
above, instead of downloading the Windows 11 installation assistant, you can
scroll down and press Download Now under the Creating
Windows 11 installation media section . You can then download the
Windows 11 Media Creation Tool which is used to create the USB stick or DVD for
a new installation of the system, from scratch.
From the same page, scrolling even further, you can also download
the Windows 11 ISO file , which can also be useful if you want to run
Windows 11 on a virtual machine or to always have the disk at hand.
At that point, you can boot the PC from a USB stick or DVD
player to proceed with a clean installation. In this case, however,
Windows 11 will require you to purchase the license (even if, like Windows 10,
it will still work without problems).
Conclusion
If you have an incompatible PC or don't want to risk creating
problems for your work PC, there's no rush. Microsoft has promised to
continue updating Windows 10 until at least October 14, 2025, so you can
continue to use Windows 10 for another 4 years without any shortcomings and in
complete safety.
Keep in mind that you can go back to Windows 10 after installing the Windows 11 update , without problems and without losing any files, restoring your PC as it was before.
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