📎 AI Summary:
The forum thread discusses whether upgrading to Windows 11 requires reinstalling existing programs. Several users suggest that an upgrade generally preserves installed applications, but a clean install might be more reliable, with some emphasizing that data loss is unlikely if the disk is in good condition. The overall sentiment indicates that upgrading can retain programs, but users caution that reinstalling might sometimes be necessary and recommend backing up data before proceeding.
The forum thread discusses whether upgrading to Windows 11 requires reinstalling existing programs. Several users suggest that an upgrade generally preserves installed applications, but a clean install might be more reliable, with some emphasizing that data loss is unlikely if the disk is in good condition. The overall sentiment indicates that upgrading can retain programs, but users caution that reinstalling might sometimes be necessary and recommend backing up data before proceeding.
helpifIcan
Fantastic Member
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2009
- Messages
- 932
It depends on how you do the install. If an update from MS no clean install yes.
karolkaz746
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2021
- Messages
- 3
Also interested about this. Keep me posted!
techwind07
New Member
- Joined
- May 5, 2022
- Messages
- 4
I tried to install windows 11 but my hard disk broke lol, now my laptop is not working
Callistemon
Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2022
- Messages
- 60
That's the fault of the HDD or SSD in the laptop. Windows 11 installation, like all reading and writing of disks, is not any more particularly capable of damaging an HDD or SSD. The only way it could is if it constantly spun down and spun up an HDD, or intentionally wrote to the same sectors of an SSD hundreds of times, or sent destructive ATA commands to the disk. Windows installers don't do any of that, therefore this isn't relevant to the topic of being able to upgrade without data loss, as long as the HDD or SSD is in decent condition.
WindowsPro
Extraordinary Member
- Joined
- May 19, 2017
- Messages
- 137
It you have an "older" version of Windows (like 10 or 8 etc.) you can always try to use the UPGRADE function at: Link Removed
This way you will keep all your programs, apps and drivers etc.
But remember that once you have upgraded, you should run Windows update manually so that the necessary drivers etc. gets updated..
An in Windows update/Advanced there is an option for you to select "optional updates", that you may use later on if some hardware shows issues..
THEN! IF you feel a need for it you may reinstall Windows by running tha RESET function that is built into Windows..
so that you may run windows in the way it is supposed to (read more here: Link Removed )
I have no idea why noone informed you about this earlier...
This way you will keep all your programs, apps and drivers etc.
But remember that once you have upgraded, you should run Windows update manually so that the necessary drivers etc. gets updated..
An in Windows update/Advanced there is an option for you to select "optional updates", that you may use later on if some hardware shows issues..
THEN! IF you feel a need for it you may reinstall Windows by running tha RESET function that is built into Windows..
so that you may run windows in the way it is supposed to (read more here: Link Removed )
I have no idea why noone informed you about this earlier...
Really is it right?
WindowsPro
Extraordinary Member
- Joined
- May 19, 2017
- Messages
- 137
Yeah! I have never lost anything during an upgrade...
Similar threads
- Article
- Article
- Article