Win8.1 -> Win10

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admin
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Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by admin »

In case you're wondering: No, the daily publication of new official versions is not my new pastime. My goal is to have a version up there that does not require immediate attention, a version where the new feature dust has settled. Because: I will upgrade my work station to Win 10 very soon. And I plan to do it using the Creation Tool by MS. It will probably take some days to go through this.

Have you had experience with the Creation Tool process? Are there important tips?

GreetingsFromPoland
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by GreetingsFromPoland »

hi! i use the same process for each major and minor release and it has worked every time on each workstation that i do it on. each of my machines (3 in total) have started with windows 7 and are all on windows 10 22H2.

1. make a full disk image using macrium reflect (this is in addition to my already weekly FULL+DAILYDIFF). make sure your macrium bootable USB is up-to-date using their creation tool.
2. using the creation tool, download the file as an ISO (save to disk, do not burn). save to local drive that is not my boot (C:) drive, e.g. D:\Installs\ISOs, etc.
3. disable any firewall monitoring services, e.g. Windows Firewall Control. this way the upgrade can run without interruption.
4. mount the ISO and run setup. step through the initial prompts and go get coffee. i always run it locally, never from a device or network location.

after a series of reboots and updates, you should be up and running at the desktop. if so, i run windows updates to ensure everything is current, including optional updates. depending on the age of your hardware and software, it may take you a little time to ensure drivers, etc. are working and that software is up-to-date for windows 10. this is the time that i run through each of my "core" apps to make sure they run and are updated.

after that you should be at a point where you can safely run disk cleanup (advanced) so you clean up the leftovers from the upgrade process (including "the previous version of windows" - which is safe because you have a full image prior).

depending on your desired level of privacy, i run O&OShutup10 with recommended settings and WPD (recommended settings). this will tone down the majority of the unwanted telemetry without interfering with day-to-day operations. further tweaks can be made manually or blocked via firewall or IP blocks.

once i determine everything is running smooth i go through any cosmetic tweaks, e.g. desktop, taskbar, etc. i will also re-run my weekly full image so the daily DIFFs can run again.

this process has served me well from 7 to 10, to october update, to may update, to 21H1, to 22H2 or whatever number lettering scheme they are running. each update since the original has gone significantly faster, now an update only takes ~20 minutes to complete (excluding disk imaging time).

admin
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by admin »

Great, thanks a lot! :tup: :beer:

admin
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by admin »

GreetingsFromPoland wrote: 30 Jan 2023 14:34 2. using the creation tool, download the file as an ISO (save to disk, do not burn). save to local drive that is not my boot (C:) drive, e.g. D:\Installs\ISOs, etc.
But it can be on the same physical disk, right?

highend
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by highend »

Sure, only the system partition gets modified
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GreetingsFromPoland
Posts: 214
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by GreetingsFromPoland »

highend is correct. only your system/boot partition is modified by the upgrade process. it really comes down to the age and compatibility of your hardware and software. honestly, windows 10 has found everything without issue that i have thrown at it. i can't recall anything that i truly needed a custom manufacturer driver (exception of my NVIDIA and custom Logitech mouse software). upgrades were surprisingly painless.

i also depend heavily on my macrium images. i am using 8.1 with a 4 pack license and have never regretted that purchase. there are other products and some are free and probably work just fine. macrium has just worked for me without issue (and yes, i have rolled back entire systems using the images, both for dry-run tests and actual "i need to restore" times).

admin
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by admin »

I'm using Acronis for images.

My plan is to image-copy my main disk to another brand-new disk (located in a Hot Swap Rack) using Acronis, then switch boot sequence to boot from the copy disk in the Hot Swap Rack, then upgrade this disk to Win10 using Creation Tool. If all works well, I'll install the copy disk in my tower, and put my old Win8.1 disk in a safe place. Sounds good?

GreetingsFromPoland
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by GreetingsFromPoland »

that sounds like a plan that will work. you have the key element taken care of - backups ! i was a long time acronis user and never really had issue with their product. i recall switching due to pricing, etc., but their product was solid for images.

admin
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by admin »

Wanted to start the process now, but met a ridiculous problem: Can't seem to find a way to buy a legal Win 10 key from Microsoft. :om: The page where this should be possible is https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/windows/get-windows-10 but it redirects to https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/windows/get-windows-11 right away. :eh: The page worked about a week ago but now it's over? You cannot buy Win 10 anymore???

Well, I guess it's time to unpack the NUC (viewtopic.php?p=195958#p195958). :beer:


admin
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by admin »

Thanks, but I would not buy it from anywhere but MS.

* * *

Anyway, I've made my decision. I will build a clean Win11 system from scratch (hardware and software). Will take many weeks, we'll see, but I think it's worth it. Win10 ends 2025 anyway, and my old hardware does not support Win11. So I can just as well do it now and go all the way.

Filehero
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by Filehero »

How is the Win11 experience so far?

Garonne
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Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by Garonne »

Works nice and smooth for me... Even improved performance for me... But that might just be a coincidence as the update probably got rid of some junk that accumulated...

eil
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Joined: 13 Jan 2011 19:44

Re: Win8.1 -> Win10

Post by eil »

Just checking: hope this migration won't result in cutting smth for older versions in future?
Win 7 SP1 x64 100% 1366x768

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