Windows 11 Upgrade Strategy (To Avoid 8-Hour Pain)

Your friend’s 8-hour fresh install was likely due to:

1. Reinstalling all applications manually
2. Restoring files from backup
3. Reconfiguring everything from scratch

In-place upgrade is much faster (1-2 hours typical).

Pre-Upgrade Preparation Checklist

1. Verify Hardware Compatibility (5 minutes)

powershell

# Run in PowerShell
# Download Microsoft's PC Health Check tool
# Or use this quick check:

# Check TPM 2.0
Get-Tpm

# Check Secure Boot
Confirm-SecureBootUEFI

# If either fails, you may need BIOS changes before upgrade

2. Document Your WSL Setup (10 minutes)

bash

# In WSL, create a snapshot of your configuration
wsl --export Ubuntu-24.04 D:\Backups\WSL-Ubuntu-24.04-backup.tar

# This is your safety net if something goes wrong

3. Backup Critical Registry Keys (5 minutes)

powershell

# Export startup registry
reg export "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" D:\Backups\Registry-Startup.reg

# Export your WSL auto-start specifically
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" -Name "WSL-AutoStart" |
  Export-Clixml D:\Backups\WSL-AutoStart-Registry.xml

4. Your Existing Kopia Backup (already done ✓) Your my_backup system already captures everything, so you’re covered.

5. Ensure Clean Disk Space (15 minutes) Windows 11 needs ~20GB free on C:\ for the upgrade process.

powershell

# Check free space
Get-PSDrive C

# Clean up if needed
cleanmgr /d C:
```

---

## Recommended Upgrade Approach

### Option A: Windows Update (Safest, Slowest - 2-3 hours)
```
1. Windows Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update
2. "Check for updates"
3. If Windows 11 offered: "Download and install"
4. Follow prompts (will reboot multiple times)
5. Keep files, apps, and settings: YES
```

**Timeline:**
- Download: 30-60 min (depending on internet)
- Installation: 60-90 min
- Post-upgrade setup: 15-30 min

### Option B: Media Creation Tool (Faster, More Control - 1.5-2 hours)
```
1. Download Windows 11 Installation Assistant from Microsoft
2. Run as Administrator
3. Choose "Upgrade this PC now"
4. Keep personal files and apps: YES
5. Let it run (fewer reboots than Windows Update method)

Timeline:

• Download: 10-20 min (direct download)
• Installation: 60-75 min
• Post-upgrade setup: 15-30 min

---

Post-Upgrade Verification (30 minutes)

After Windows 11 upgrade, check these in order:

1. WSL Status

powershell

# Verify WSL still works
wsl --list --verbose

# If Ubuntu-24.04 not showing or not default:
wsl --set-default Ubuntu-24.04

# Test WSL works:
wsl echo "WSL survived upgrade"

2. WSL Auto-Start Registry

powershell

# Verify registry entry survived
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" -Name "WSL-AutoStart"

# If missing (unlikely), re-add:
$regPath = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run"
$command = "wsl.exe --exec dbus-launch true"
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "WSL-AutoStart" -Value $command
```

### 3. Total Commander
```
- Launch TC
- Test WSL bookmarks (Ctrl+D → WSL Home)
- Should connect normally (might have 10s delay first time post-upgrade)

4. Python Utilities

powershell

# Test your backup system
cd D:\FSS\Software\Utils\PythonUtils\my_backup
uv run my_backup --dry-run

5. Network Adapter Profile (If TC slow to WSL)

powershell

# Check WSL network profile
Get-NetConnectionProfile

# If "vEthernet (WSL)" shows as Public:
Set-NetConnectionProfile -InterfaceAlias "vEthernet (WSL)" -NetworkCategory Private

---

Recovery Plan (If Something Goes Wrong)

Worst case: WSL doesn’t survive upgrade

powershell

# Restore from your backup
wsl --import Ubuntu-24.04 C:\WSL\Ubuntu-24.04 D:\Backups\WSL-Ubuntu-24.04-backup.tar

# Set as default
wsl --set-default Ubuntu-24.04

# All your files in D:\FSS\ are untouched
# Your Kopia backups include WSL data via UNC paths

Extremely unlikely, but you’d be covered.

---

My Recommendation

For your situation:

1. Before upgrade:
   • Create WSL export backup (10 minutes)
   • Ensure recent Kopia backup completed (already doing this daily)
   • Export registry startup keys (5 minutes)
2. Upgrade method:
   • Use Option B (Media Creation Tool) - faster, more reliable
3. Timing:
   • Do upgrade when you have 3-4 hours of uninterrupted time
   • Saturday morning ideal (whole weekend to troubleshoot if needed)
4. Post-upgrade:
   • Verify WSL, registry, TC (30 minutes)
   • Resume normal work

Total realistic time: 2-3 hours (vs 8 hours for fresh install)