Quickest way to upgrade to new computer?

[Velvis]

I've been approached replace aging Windows 10 desktops with new machines running Windows 11.

There are no MS accounts, OneDrive, Azure, or domain. Just a local account on each machine and a "server" computer for file serving using basic Windows shares.

I haven't updated computers in this type of scenario in a long time. What's the best and/or least time-consuming way to facilitate this?

 

[britechguy]

Unless I'm missing something in what you're saying, Fabs Autobackup should move all user settings and data from one system to another. But that leaves you with reinstalling programs, which can be a grand PITA.

I have never tried it, but since Windows 10 is in-place-updateable to Windows 11 on hardware that's Win11 compliant, you could do a trial of taking a system image (using the product of your choosing) restoring it on the new hardware, then doing the Win11 upgrade in place.

The latter would be, by far and away, the easiest option if it works. This presumes, of course, that this process is being done "by hand" for some reasonably small number of computers.

 

[lan101]

The last couple of times I've upgraded business machines I've just been getting a system backup image with Aomei and then restore that to the new computer. Then I upgrade to 11 and done for the most part. It just keeps everything pretty much idential to the way the user had it. That way I'm not getting calls for the next 2 weeks...where's this where's that this is missing that is missing...those calls get old lol.
So I find this way just makes for better outcomes.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Whelp, just look at...."What is there to move?".
Stuff kept in Documents...easy peasy.
Do they need all the stuff in Downloads? Maybe, maybe not...ask, point out, opportunity to cherry pick only what they want and ditch the rest.
Stuff on the Desktop...easy peasy. Same with Pics.
What do they do for email...thick client? Or ...web mail? If just web mail, easy peasy. If an email client, hopefully they know their password.

Any third party software to move? Reinstall, and if needed ...move the data over.

Browser saved stuff is easy these days.

I like clean images, and only moving what is necessary, not bringing over all of that extra bloated crap (which is what those profile migration utilities bring along).

 

[britechguy]

@YeOldeStonecat

I'm 100% with you in that I like clean images. And when I find that there's very little to re-set-up, programs-wise, that's absolutely what I'll do. Data transfer is simple, and it's even simpler with Fabs AutoBackup.

But there are clients who have years of software installed, for which they've invariably lost license keys, etc., etc., etc. There are also senior citizens, which form a significant chunk of my clientele, for whom keeping things as close to what they had as possible is a high priority. For those circumstances, what I like is not nearly so important as what the client does, and I'm willing to try to get them what they want if I can. All the more so when an in-place upgrade is involved, which involves an almost wholesale replacement of Windows itself.

I'm not personally looking at this method as "one size fits all" but as "perfect fit for specific circumstances" and would like to know where it's likely NOT to work, no matter what you do.

 

[HCHTech]

Original post is confusing. Mentions replacing computers not updating them. Mentions simple setups with a single "server" computer hosting shares. It doesn't sound like there is any updating to do at all. Replace them with new, use Fabs to copy the data from the old to the new. What am I missing?

 

[britechguy]

It doesn't sound like there is any updating to do at all.

Well, we're reading "update" differently. I see it being used in the broad, general sense of replacing old hardware with new hardware, and in this case specifically involving old Windows 10 machines being replaced with ones compatible with Windows 11.

At the same time, pretty much everything that exists on the current Windows 10 machine is wanted to be carried over to Windows 11, and that means not just local data and, in fact, may be about almost no local data but mostly about whatever bundle of software has been installed over the years, in its current configuration, without needing to be fresh installed and then configured again.

That would mean a "lock, stock, and barrel" carry-over of the existing Windows 10 environment to the Windows 11 machine, and then in-place upgrading Windows. Or it would mean (potentially) doing a boatload of software installation and configuration on a new, "naked" Windows 11 machine. Either of those two things is part of an equipment update when update is construed broadly.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

And this is where "putting on your IT hat"....should come into play.
Starting to document software that the business uses...licensing, versions, how to deploy to workstations
Documenting, organizing, how data is stored.
Leveraging...in the old days, "folder redirection"...so that data on end users computers (desktop, documents, pictures)...actually lives on the server. Modern equiv these days is leveraging OneDrive for Business.
Business grade email...IMO...should be either...Microsoft 365, or Google Workspace. Either way....easy peasy setup, nothing to "migrate" there.

The workstations should be considered disposable, (thus...no data actually stored on them) and...if something happens, easy peasy to stand up a new workstation, join the domain (or AzureAD)...and if client apps are used (Quickbooks, CRM, or other line of business software)..it's a SOP (standard operating proceedure) to easily stand it back up again. BAM all data is usable again.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

OEM licenses of Windows are not transferrable...they live and die with the hardware they were purchased with. "cloning" an image to new hardware breaks Microsofts OEM EULA.

 

[HCHTech]

Well, we're reading "update" differently.

Fair point. We've been doing so much of this for the past year, I guess I didn't appreciate that everyone else in this business wasn't doing the same.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Quick example....Thu and Fri of this past week, I spent totally converting an accounting firm from "on prem...domain controller...the whole locally installed Intuit accounting suite...Quickbooks Enterprise Accountant, LaCerte (current 5x years), DMS, PPC, etc. .....to "Intuits Cloud"....which is actually sub'd to RightWorks.

They had workstations...Tiny Dell Optis and Lenovo TinyPCs...dual monitors....joined to local domain. And...laptops...most of which were too old to upgrade to Win11. So I had those "azure registered" on 365...with the InTune company portal on all.

I replaced "most" of the computers with new ThinkPads with docks....but since no more domain controller/on prem server...I AzureAD joined them. And I let InTune do the majority of the work. There's a 365 setting to store some user profile stuff in the cloud. So...InTune pushed out so much stuff to the new laptops, OneDrive handled the folder redirection, Edge has the browser faves, some user profile settings pushed to the laptops...such as...known wireless networks from their old laptops. Love that one right there...since these accountants visit their clients offices a lot. Nice to have a new computer that will auto join their clients wifi cuz it's already known. 365 makes the email easy, since it's all built into the mailboxes...even signatures. I even used Universal Print to push out the big Ricoh printers on both floors. I had very little to do on the "new laptops" to finish them for each user....it was all already there! Pretty much all that was left was...I like having the desktop show all icons, I set the windows firewall to "know" the office LAN and set to work, (although I am pretty sure I can master this with InTune), and I customize the icons on the task bar. And then install the RightWorks stuff...which most of the end users did anyways since they went through the training.

 

[britechguy]

OEM licenses of Windows are not transferrable...they live and die with the hardware they were purchased with. "cloning" an image to new hardware breaks Microsofts OEM EULA.

And I'll come out, right now, and say I have finally reached the stage where I don't give a flying rat's ass. It is up to Microsoft to police license validity. If I clone a drive and place it in a different machine, if they don't want that instance of Windows to be validly licensed or to run, it is entirely within THEIR power to do just that, but they don't.

Every story I hear about this being done is that it works, and that the Windows instance is validly activated, and I'd presume that's under the license (whether OEM or retail) that came with the hardware into which it's transferred.

My days of trying to figure out Microsoft's utterly labyrinthine licensing paradigms are over. They are the gatekeepers and it's their job to make sure that what they don't want running can't run. It's not mine, it should not be any independent technicians. They've got the resources to control all this to the Nth degree and have changed the rules so many freakin' times I can't count.

It is up to any entity that licenses software to make sure that instances of said software should be allowed to run based upon the terms they set and their ability to interrogate exactly what hardware is trying to run it.

 

[Velvis]

Original post is confusing. Mentions replacing computers not updating them. Mentions simple setups with a single "server" computer hosting shares. It doesn't sound like there is any updating to do at all. Replace them with new, use Fabs to copy the data from the old to the new. What am I missing?

Sorry for not being more clear.

They have 5 older Windows 10 computers that they want to replace with 5 new modern computers. Partly because of Windows 10 end of support and partly because of the age of the computers.

The existing computers only have a basic local user account with no Microsoft account, M365 account, OneDrive account etc. So, there is no signing in on a new PC and have everything sync via the cloud.

And cloning the drive would be a Windows 10 image that would then have to reconfigure for the new hardware and then update to Windows 11.

I haven't run into something like this in a long time, so I was looking for the most efficient way to do so.

 

[Metanis]

I would do it mostly the old fashioned way. Have the new PC's delivered to your shop. Complete the OOBE on every machine as you see fit. (I would talk them into M365 if possible.) Pre-load as much of their LOB software as possible. Create a local Supervisor account with strong password for your use only!

Haul the machines to your client, use Fabs to pull data from each machine one at a time. Restore to new machines, configure new machine as necessary to make the client happy. (It will get easier and faster as you go!)

Yes, it would be rather labor intensive, but they would end up with pristine copies of Windows which you can joyously support for years to come.

If it was me I'd convince them to let you create "dummy" Microsoft accounts for each machine. Then buy the family version of M365 and share it to the other 4 user accounts. Configure each machine to backup to OneDrive but change the default setting so it leaves a copy on the local machine. $130 bucks a year for 6TB of cloud backup space and 30 Office app installations!

Hide the "real" passwords for each Microsoft machine and only allow the end user to decide on the PIN. Have the owner keep the password file locked away. Set the owner's "real" email as the recovery email for each 'dummy' account. Strongly discourage the end users from messing with the Microsoft account and to never try to use it elsewhere. (They couldn't without the password, but they could lock the account from hammering it repeatedly.)

I would estimate something like 16 hours of labor but would probably take a few hours over multiple days unless you worked a weekend and had unfettered access to the facility / machines.

 

[britechguy]

@Velvis

Am I safe in presuming this is a micro-business environment? That is, not a home user?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

My days of trying to figure out Microsoft's utterly labyrinthine licensing paradigms are over.

It's uhm...pretty clear and simple...for decades...Retail vs OEM licensing rules. But...ok.
I've seen craigs list techs do this stuff...end up with computers that have odd quirks and glitches. Won't resume out of sleep properly, or..some gaming rig that will CTD (crash to desktop) under heavy load, or...well, this or that for quirks and glitches. Some people have a tolerance for that, I prefer to raise the bar.

 

[Velvis]

@Velvis

Am I safe in presuming this is a micro-business environment? That is, not a home user?

Yes, a small business whose primary business isn't really normal day to day office work. So, no need for Office 365. They use Thunderbird for email.

 

[frase]

Quite simple really, purchase the new systems I would opt towards Lenovo SFF with Win11 Pro.
Grab Fabs Autobackup if you do not own already.
Use Fabs to backup any data requested (ask is anything installed on C:\ for some reason people do this)

The system will come with Win11 Pro preinstalled
Just go through the user name process of each system, making sure to enable network shares, public to private.
Assign each system a unique name relevant; so if you need to remote in you know which one it is and a secure password for each system to give in documentation to the client.

Run Fabs and run the restore, at the end of the restore it will save a file on the system. This file is relative to any programs that were on the previous system and install as per need. Run all updates and drivers if necessary.

I use Ninite for this purpose as one can select a variety of common apps to install, so you can use this Ninite package on all systems.
Once all done, the rest is work to be done onsite if networked or on a domain.

I would encourage them to use 365 in this environment, even a small business it makes more sense and is more collaborative than thunderbird.

 

[Velvis]

Quite simple really, purchase the new systems I would opt towards Lenovo SFF with Win11 Pro.
Grab Fabs Autobackup if you do not own already.
Use Fabs to backup any data requested (ask is anything installed on C:\ for some reason people do this)

The system will come with Win11 Pro preinstalled
Just go through the user name process of each system, making sure to enable network shares, public to private.
Assign each system a unique name relevant; so if you need to remote in you know which one it is and a secure password for each system to give in documentation to the client.

Run Fabs and run the restore, at the end of the restore it will save a file on the system. This file is relative to any programs that were on the previous system and install as per need. Run all updates and drivers if necessary.

I use Ninite for this purpose as one can select a variety of common apps to install, so you can use this Ninite package on all systems.
Once all done, the rest is work to be done onsite if networked or on a domain.

I would encourage them to use 365 in this environment, even a small business it makes more sense and is more collaborative than thunderbird.

Thank you!

I have Fabs 6 Pro which if I recall isn't the latest version. Is it still good enough?

 

[frase]

Thank you!

I have Fabs 6 Pro which if I recall isn't the latest version. Is it still good enough?

I would recommend purchasing the latest updated version, like all applications newer features are added.