Upgrade to Windows 11 and BIOS Setting

Question

My Dell XPS 8930 i7 9700, 16GB Ram, M.2 512GB PCIe x4 SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti was purchased in 2019 and with Windows 10 Home Edition.

I want to install Windows 11 without having to do a Factory Restore to Windows 10 first and then upgrade to Windows 11.

How can I do that ?

Will the Recovery Partition on my hard drive be deleted during the Windows 11 installation ?

Also, I have added two internal Seagate 4TB mechanical drives to the computer as Drive D and F.
In the BIOS (1.1.24) are the following settings correct:
BIOS setting shows RAID On.
BIOS Recovery from hard drive is Enabled
BIOS Auto-Recovery Enabled
Always Perform Integrity Check Disabled
SupportAssist System Resolution Auto OS Recovery Threshold [2] And SupportAssist OS Recovery Enabled

One last thing - I can't change my e-mail address in the Community Profile.
I have changed it in my Dell Account and thought it would automatically pass on to the Community Account.

Thanks for your help and time.

Chino de Oro · Accepted Answer

Usually Windows 10 updates would notify users if a machine is meeting requirements for Win 11 upgrade and users could go from there. There are other methods for clean install as well.

It seems that similar question was inquired and responses given at this thread https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/xps-desktops/xps-8930-clean-windows-11-install/647fa2b8f4ccf8a8de85531b

Chino de Oro · Accepted Answer

No, you do not need to supply a product key.  Your XPS 8930 was shipped with Windows Home license embedded in motherboard BIOS.  When you use an installation USB key created by Windows Creation Tool, the process would automatically recognize it and installing Win 11 Home edition.  For whatever reason, if the process is asking for the key, just tick the box I don't have the product key and select Win 11 Home edition.  After the installation is complete, when you connect the machine to internet, the license will be activated.  You can go to Settings, System, Activation to verify if status shows Active.

RoHe · Accepted Answer

@Tedco  -  You may want set Always Perform Integrity Check to enabled, and change UEFI Capsule Updates to disabled in BIOS setup on XPS 8930 too. Disabling Capsule Updates prevents Windows Update from installing BIOS updates without warning or permission.  You listed BIOS 1.1.24.  Latest XPS 8930 BIOS is now 1.1.30, so you may want to update to this latest version. If you choose to update BIOS, follow the instructions to do it entirely outside Windows using a 2-GB USB stick and the Flash Update option on the F12 boot menu.  NOTE: If you update BIOS you will have to reset the settings you listed, and the ones I mentioned again because the update will restore all the default settings.   A moderator can change the email address you use on this forum.  Send a direct message through the forum to either @Dell-Brad L or @DELL-Chris M. Include your username here, your current email address and the new one you want to use, all in the same DM...

Tedco · Answer

How embarrasing, I feel rather silly.Completely forgot I've asked this question before, so my apology. However, any thoughts on:I have added two internal Seagate 4TB mechanical drives to the computer as Drive D and F.In the BIOS (1.1.24) are the following settings correct:BIOS setting shows RAID On.BIOS Recovery from hard drive is EnabledBIOS Auto-Recovery EnabledAlways Perform Integrity Check DisabledSupportAssist System Resolution Auto OS Recovery Threshold [2] And SupportAssist OS Recovery Enabled One last thing - I can't change my e-mail address in the Community Profile.I have changed it in my Dell Account and thought it would automatically pass on to the Community Account. Thanks again

Chino de Oro · Answer

There is no need for apology, I can't find or locate my own posts in this new forum neither.

BIOS settings is up to user usage and components setup. One thing stands out is RAID. If you are not using RAID volume setup, you may consider to change it to AHCI.

Besides Win 11 upgrade methods, you can choose a clean install Win 11. For this process, it's better to delete every partitions on your boot drive to prevent any Windows boot issue. You do not want a several years old recovery partition, you can get an up to date Win 10 reinstallation from Microsoft if needed.

As for your account change, you can send private message to forum mods for help.

Tedco · Answer

Thanks Chino de Oro you for your reply - makes me feel a whole lot better. Just a quick question - when doing a clean install with Win 11 using USB key, do I need to supply product key ? Thanks again,

RoHe · Answer

@Tedco And one more thingy... If you want to update to Win 11 but it's not being offered by Windows Update, scroll down the Windows Update screen to the "Get ready for Windows 11" section.

Click the Hardware Requirements link below that heading. When the page opens in your browser, use the right scroll bar to scroll down a little and a blue Get Windows 11 button should appear at the top of the screen just to the left of the scroll bar.

Tedco · Answer

Thank you all, for your help and support.

I did update BIOS a few months after I got my pc which resulted in a new motherboard needed.

Thankfully the pc was still under warranty and was replaced without charge.

I must admit I am a bit hesitant to do another update any time soon.

Thanks again for all your help.

Chino de Oro · Answer

Glad to help out.  There is nothing bad to play it safe.  Many users ended up with breaking their machines from flashing those latest BIOS firmware.

RoHe · Answer

BIOS 1.1.27 for XPS 8930 caused problems and bricked some motherboards. That update was eventually pulled. Both 1.1.28 and 1.1.30 work ok on my XPS 8930 and I haven't seen any complaints posted about either of them.

Your PC, your decisions...

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Upgrade to Windows 11 and BIOS Setting

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