Just upgraded my Windows 10 virtual machine to Windows 11 through Windows Updates through the Insider Program. The upgrade went fine.

The Taskbar is quite different with the Start Button no longer located in the corner. While the Notification Area remains where it was everything else is centered. That is the default but can be changed to align things to the left if that is desired.

Photo Shop Express is available for free but you must have or setup an Adobe account.

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I installed it last week on 2 machines and the 3rd is being upgraded tonight. The test desktop is below the minimum spec, but it is running fine. When I originally took the upgrade, it was being blocked due to the specs, so I decided to upgrade my Surface Pro 7, which went fine. But then on a subsequent attempt on the old desktop machine, the block was replaced by a warning and it proceeded.

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

So what do you think so far? Since I just did it on my virtual machine earlier today I haven't gone into too much yet.

I AM glad that you can set the Taskbar to have the Start Button and pinned icons aligned left instead of the default center. I guess I'm just a bit old school and the Start Button belongs in the bottom left although it probably would have taken all of an hour before it no longer bothered me being centered.

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Did two upgrades, all went well. (once I figured out how to activate my TPM)

I've only done the upgrade on a virtual machine as I'm not involved with the Insiders Program on any of my physical systems. I THINK that I saw something about the TPM security chip during the upgrade but may be wrong. It had no affect in any case possibly due to being on a virtual machine which would not have TPM.

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I like what I've played with so far. I haven't encountered any issues yet. I don't yet know what I think about the centered Taskbar -- though it does feel a bit like they are copying the Mac OS with that change.

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

The older desktop doesn't have TPM enabled and I've not dug in to see if it is even available. When I initially tried to upgrade that machine it threw up a dialog that TPM was required and also that the CPU was below spec. I was led to believe that Microsoft wasn't blocking the upgrade for Insiders not meeting spec, but apparently the installer wasn't updated to allow a bypass at first. A few hours later I was able to proceed with the install with no block, so I assume that they corrected that. The third machine didn't get the warning at all and I was pretty sure that it didn't have TPM, but I could be wrong. That is a Samsung MN700 tablet from the early days of Windows 7 preview builds!

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I don't have a physical TPM, using the stuff built into the processor/chipset. I ordered one for my board through NewEgg, it was already to ship and the seller pulled the order. Probably figuring that they could jack the prices up.

You have me curious. I didn't know that TPM was available unless a part of the mother board. If you had gotten the thing would it be a card that would plug in a PCIe x1 slot? I could not see such a thing taking a PCIe x16 slot such as a video card.

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No, there is actual spot for it on the motherboard, mine is a rectangular 12 pin socket down near the area where the USB, front panel audio, power pins are.

I can't run it, I haven't tried the Asus as I only use that one for my banking and accounts, plus it only has a 320GB Hard Drive, it must be about 4 years old if not more it came with Windows 8.1.

My HP doesn't have enough room for it, I got that one late December 2017 it came with Windows 10 and has a 128 GB SSD and a 1 TB HD and even though most things are installed on the D: drive, which is the larger one, and everything I can move from the C: drive, which is the SSD, has been moved it only has just over 26 GB space left.

It will mean having to buy a new machine to be able to play with the new OS and I've started to look around but not sure just what to buy, I want a large SSD if possible.

I do still get emails from the Insider Program, I used to test out builds in the slow lane but stopped a few years ago but didn't actually fully leave just stopped downloading previews.

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Joan Archer
http://crossstitcher.webs.com

26 GB free should be enough to install the upgrade but you would want to remove the 'Windows.old' folder after. Probably best to not attempt.

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I wasn't going to try and put it on here, as soon as I saw just how much space I had I didn't want to touch it. I decided that I want, for the time being, to keep my Asus just for my banking and accounts, keep this HP for all my other stuff and get a new machine that is capable of running 11 and start to play with it so when it was finally released I'd be familiar with it and have a good idea of which of my favourite programs needed updating or replacing.
I love new technology and don't know how many years I'll have to be able to explore it.

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Joan Archer
http://crossstitcher.webs.com

If the HP is viable other than the drive space you could always just get a larger SSD and clone over the 128 GB SSD.

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I wouldn't know where to start fitting out a new SSD, I'd rather leave this machine as it is, that way as well it means I still have a Windows 10 machine to use, I don't want to start going into Virtual Machines.

I haven't checked the other requirements for 11 but taken the age of this machine it's possible the other bits and pieces wouldn't be up to scratch.

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Joan Archer
http://crossstitcher.webs.com

I've now got Windows 11 on 3 machines and 2 of them are most certainly below spec as they are pretty old, but it works fine. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft revises the minimum requirements before release -- particularly the TPM requirement.

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

What I want to see is these upgrades stop forcing me to do it with a Microsoft account. Windows 11 on a virtual machine made me do with my Microsoft account and just today my second system upgraded (not to Win 11) and in both cases I could not finish without signing into my Microsoft account. In neither case was it a major issue, as I just went back to a local account on both once things were done, but it IS an irritation. Used to be that, while small, you had the option to not use a Microsoft account during these upgrades. In neither of the above cases could I find such an option.

Not that I've yet messed with Windows 11 much but, so far, it seems to me to be mostly just an off schedule feature update of Windows 10 that has been re-branded as Windows 11 hence the upgrade to Windows 11 from 10 will be free. I expected something along these lines as Microsoft messed up by saying two conflicting things.

1. They at least strongly suggested that Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows; being upgraded on a bi-annual basis.
2. They put out and end of life for Windows 10 as October 14, 2025.

To me Windows 11 is just a way to get around the oops of putting out an end of life date for Windows 10.

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I recall seeing that Windows 11 was going to require a Microsoft Account -- ostensibly for security reasons, much like the TPM requirement. It will certainly rub some the wrong way.
I don't know that I'd call Windows 11 a feature upgrade, though it could be. Honestly, pretty much everything after XP were feature upgrades to Windows, some releases more so than others. I know that much of the Windows 11 experience remains rough around the edges, but what I've poked around with looks pretty good.

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Actually I was going to put my main system on Windows 11 by putting the system on the Insiders Program but it won't allow. You have to have your privacy settings set to allow optional diagnostics but it won't let me change from basic diagnostics to include optional. It MAY be that this is due to my using a local account on the system. Just switched to a Microsoft account and it still won't let me change the diagnostics setting. Mayhaps it needs a restart... I'll be back.

Nope, still won't let me change the diagnostic setting. Still a few things to try...

<edit>
Tried one supposed solution with no joy. There are other possibilities that I may try but not a big deal at this point.

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Interesting that diagnostic settings is locked for you.

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Agreed as I would think that Microsoft would rather my having full diagnostics enabled. Probably has something to do with one of the not normal tweaks I have setup. Still, with initial searches I've done, it is actually a small percentage of systems that are set for full diagnostics that actually are accessed.

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