Windows 11 (OEM and Retail)

Downloading a Windows 11 ISO and Creating a UEFI Bootable USB Flash Drive and Clean Installing on a Dell PC

In this guide I will go through the clean installation of Windows 11 on a Dell XPS 13 9305 which is equipped with an 11th Intel Generation Processor. I will go through the UEFI Settings, Creating Installation Media with Intel VMD Storage Controller Drivers, performing a Secure Data Wipe, performing a Clean Installation and installing Dell System Drivers.

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Product Keys

Since Windows 8 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Product Keys have been embedded in the systems firmware. Windows 11 Installation Media will automatically input these Product Keys automatically selecting the edition and going to the Windows License Agreement Screen automatically.

Windows 7 OEM Product Keys were typically printed on an external label affixed to the Device. These labels were originally prone to fading and therefore later shielded in a dedicated hatch which included the Service Tag, Regulatory Labels and COA. The Final Devices with Driver Support and Downgrade Rights to Windows 7 are all below Windows 11 Minimum System Requirements. Microsoft do not allow activation of Windows 11 with Windows 7 OEM Product Keys.

System Requirements

Windows 11 was previously developed internally by Microsoft as Windows 10X, a Windows 10X Edition that is optimised for the capabilities of newer firmware. Instead of releasing Windows 10X as another edition, Microsoft decided to move forward and release it as a new Windows version Windows 11. As a consequence the recommended system requirements of Windows 11 are substantially higher than that for Windows 10.

Microsoft will state Windows 11 Compatibility with your system on Windows Update in the last Windows 10 Build.

MSInfo32 and SMBIOS Version

To check the SMBIOS version use msinfo32. To get msinfo32, type in [ ⊞ ] and [ r ] to bring up the run dialog and type in:

msinfo32

The system model, processor, BIOS Version, SMBIOS Version, BIOS Mode and Secure Boot state should be listed:

The Basic Input Output System (BIOS) Version is system specific and corresponds to the system model specific BIOS Version which will change when a BIOS Update is issued, this will be discussed in more detail later.

The System Management BIOS (SMBIOS) corresponds to the technologies incorporated into the system at date of manufacturer. It has the form x.y where x is the major version and y is the minor version. Windows 11 requires a SMBIOS major version of 3 which has substantial improvements over version 2. For a SMBIOS version of 3.0, there is a caveat regarding processor generation (see below), which is not normally an issue with a system that has a SMBIOS of 3.2 or higher.

Processor Generation

Both Dell and Intel use a similar model labelling convention for their higher end products however the Intel and Dell Generations do not correspond to one another. This can be seen by comparing the Intel Generation with the Dell eXtreme Performance System Laptop Product Family:

Intel Generation	XPS 13	XPS 15	XPS 17
4	9333
5	9343
6	9350	9550
7	9360 9365	9560
8	9370	9570
9	9380	9575
10	7390	7590	9700
11	9300 9305 9310	9500 9510	9710
12	9315	9520	9720
13	9320	9530	9730

Dell use 4 digit numbers which indicate the:

• Quality (3 Entry, 5 Mid, 7 High and 9 Premium),
• Screen Size (3 for 13", 4 for 14 ", 5 for 15 ")
• Generation (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 0 where 0 is used for 10)
• Variant (numeric index).

Intel use a designation which specifies the:

• Quality (3 Entry, 5 Mid, 7 High and 9 Premium),
• Generation (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and 11)
• SKU, assigned in the order the processor is developed
• Graphics Version

The XPS 13 9305 corresponds to an eXtreme Performance System with a Premium Quality of 9, Screen Size of 13", Generation of 10 and a variant of 5. The i5-1135G7 corresponds to a Mid Quality of 5, an 11th Generation, and a Graphics version of 7.

Intel use the following designation for their main product line iQ-GSKU which specifies the Quality (3 Entry, 5 Mid, 7 High and 9 Premium), Generation (2-13) and SKU (which numerically indicates the order each processor was developed for that generation) respectively.

Intel also have the budget product lines Atom, Celeron and Pentium Processors which only have a SKU in their model number and therefore no clear indication of the processor generation in their product name. These processors are modifications of the main product line and sometimes build upon fabrication processes used for the former generations of processors which are made cheaper:

• Atom Processors are typically optimized for low power consumption, originally designed for example the mobile phone market where Intel had limited market penetration.
• Celeron processors are optimized to be as cheap as possible.
• The Pentium Product line generally lie within the Celeron and i3 Processors with Pentium Silver being like the Celeron optimized for price and Pentium Gold being optimized for performance.

Microsoft initially developed Windows 11 as Windows 10X with systems with 10th Generation Intel Processors and newer in mind. Before making it a new Windows Version they relaxed the system requirements recommending installation of Windows 11 on systems with an 8th Generation Intel Processors and newer and released the following list of supported processors:

The processor requirement is essentially an arbitrary indicator of the SMBIOS version and may unofficially be waived for a small handful of cases. For example the OptiPlex 7050 has a SMBIOS Version of 3.0 and the i7-7500T which is unsupported but has higher specifications than the Celeron N4200 which is supported.

Following up on the backlash to their initial announcement in the Windows Insider Program, Microsoft introduced a traffic light system where:

• Green Devices meet recommended requirements
• Yellow Device meet minimum requirements but not recommended requirements
• Red Device not meet minimum requirements

Microsoft doesn't allow upgrade of Yellow Devices via Windows Update but does allow clean installation of Windows 11 on them unhindered. There is the caveat that the processor is not officially supported and Windows 11 may not run as well as intended. The installation media will block installation on a Red Device because it doesn't have the capabilities to run Windows 11.

Unified Extensive Firmware Interface (UEFI)

The Unified Extensive Firmware Interface (UEFI) is used to change firmware settings of a Dell PC. For older, less capable systems it was called Basic Input Output Settings (BIOS). The term UEFI was coined to clearly distinguish the richer feature set introduced in newer hardware however the term BIOS is now normally used interchangeably with UEFI.

This section will look at the technologies required in the UEFI required for Windows 11 for a system with a SMBIOS of 3.1. The layout of the UEFI may differ slightly from system to system.

UEFI Overview

To enter the Dell UEFI power off the Device and then power it up holding down [F2]:

In the UEFI Overview, the Device Model, Service Tag, Manufacture Date, Processor Type, Memory Installed, Video Controller, Audio Controller and Wireless Card will be listed:

Storage Controller Operation

Windows 11 should be installed on a NonVolatile Memory express (NVMe) internal drive or a internal hard drive (HDD) that has been accelerated with a small internal NVMe cache drive using Intel Optane Memory and will not perform well without acceleration.

The default Storage Controller should be Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) On which for a system with a supported processor should configure the internal drives (NVMe or HDD/NVMe cache drive combination) as a single Volume Management Device (VMD). This VMD will also take advantage of newer processor features that maximise central processing unit (CPU) access to data and therefore will increase system performance even for a single NVMe internal drive.

This setting should not be modified until Windows 11 installation media is created as altering the settings will result in the current Operating System from Booting.

Unfortunately Windows 11 Installation Media does not include the Intel VMD Storage Controller Driver which the Windows Setup needs to recognise this VMD and the Intel VMD needs to be extracted from the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) driver. Instructions will be given below to prepare and load the driver. Note that the Storage Controller driver is sometimes referred to as a "F6" floppy preinstallation driver; this prehistoric name comes from prehistoric Windows versions which prompted the user to press F6 to load the driver from a floppy disk.

Microsoft initially developed Windows 11 as Windows 10X which would have used Intel VMD as a system requirement. This system requirement would have ensured that the Storage Controller used a fast access NVMe or an HDD that has been accelerated using a small NVMe cache drive and removed the possibility of using an internal hard drive (HDD) that has not been accelerated.

On systems with 8th and 9th Generation Processors, the RAID Storage Controller should be used which will also configure the internal drives (NVMe or HDD/NVMe cache drive combination) as a single volume. When these processors were released the name VMD was not yet coined and this was only referred to as Optane Memory. Note that only the older RAID Storage controller operation is available to these models and does not use additional processor enhancements. The Intel Optane Memory Application should be automatically installed from the Microsoft Store and opened post installation to manage Optane Memory.

Installation of an internal hard drive (HDD) that has not been accelerated is possible but the performance will be subpar.

Unfortunately at the time of writing there is no Intel VMD Storage Controller in the Linux Kernel. In order to install Linux, the AHCI/NVMe Storage Controller Operation must be used which uses each internal drive as an independent drive and does not use the newer processor features. In this configuration the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) Storage Operation is used for an internal drive attached to a SATA port and the NVMe is used for an internal drive attached to the NVMe port.

The Storage controller for the M.2 PCIe SSD should be On. The internal drive information should be detected, in this case a SN530 NVMe manufactured by WDC with 256 GB storage:

Trusted Platform Module Security

Windows 11 requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) of Version 2.0 to be enabled. The following Security Settings should be configured by default:

Additional Security options may be available if Enterprise Computrace software or BIOS Passwords are set on the Device. These are not required for Windows 11.

These Security options will help prevent the Device from being stolen and sold on however if set incorrectly and forgotten will make the Device Unusable.

Processor Virtualization Technologies

Windows 11 requires the following Processor Virtualization Technologies to be Enabled:

Processor Performance Technologies

Windows 11 requires the following Processor Performance Technologies to be Enabled:

Boot Configuration

Windows 11 requires a UEFI Boot Mode with Secure Boot Enabled. Secure Boot should be in Deployed Mode.

These settings should not be modified until Windows 11 installation media is created as altering the settings will result in the current Operating System from Booting.

Expert Key Management should be Disabled by default:

Integrated Devices

Integrated Devices can be used to Enable or Disable the Devices Camera and Audio at Firmware level:

Most Windows 11 Capable Systems will have Thunderbolt ports. The default Thuderbolt settings should be:

In my case I am attaching my XPS 13 9305 to a Dell WD19TB and have enabled all the Thunderbolt preboot technologies so I could output the video to a USB Capture Device to get the screen shots of the installation.

Keyboard

By default the FN lock will be configured to use the multimedia keys primarily by default and the function keys respond secondarily when the FN key is held down. To switch this behaviour the Lock Mode can optionally be change to Standard:

Windows 11 Installation Media

Windows 11 Installation can be downloaded from Microsoft.

Insert a 16 GB or superior USB Flash Drive:

To prevent confusion, remove any other USB Flash Drive, External Hard Drive or Memory Card:

Note: This USB Flash Drive will be formatted and any items on it will be removed when creating Windows 11 Installation Media.

Media Creation Tool vs Direct Download Links

There are 3 options on the Windows 11 Download Page. The first one is the Windows Installation Assistant which is a Windows Application that can be used for an in place upgrade on a Windows 10 PC which meets Windows 11 minimum system requirements. Note that this usually results in slightly worse performance and this guide focuses on a clean installation.

The second option is the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool which is a Windows Application that can be used to easily create a Windows 11 Bootable USB directly. This creates installation media with an install.esd file, all of the files on the installation media are below 4.0 GB and the media creation tool makes installation media using the FAT32 file system:

It contains the most commonly used OEM Editions used by Home Users and Small Business Users:

The third option is the Direct Download ISO which can be accessed both on a Windows PC and a Linux PC. The Direct Download ISO has the additional Pro Education Editions designed for Educational Institutions such as Schools, Universities and Libraries. It also has the Workstation Editions designed for high end workstations such as the Dell Precision models which are used for high end research applications which require more computing power. Because this ISO has more Editions, it contains an install.wim that exceeds 4.0 GB. 4.0 GB is the upper file size for the FAT32 File System and a FAT32 partition is sometimes required for the Bootable USB to show up as a Boot Device on some UEFI Boot Menu. A number of additional steps are required to make a Bootable USB with a FAT32 Boot Partition and a NTFS Install Partition which are outlined in separate guides for Windows and Linux:

The Windows 11 Media Creation Tool

Download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool:

Go to the Downloads Folder and Launch it:

Accept the User Account Control Prompt:

Accept the License Agreement:

By default, the Media Creation Tool will Download Installation Media which matches the Language of the current installation. If using English, make sure it is the correct English. In this case English (United Kingdom) and not English (United States). To change language uncheck "Use Recommended Options for this PC":

This will reveal the language drop down menu:

There are no dropdown menus for Edition as it always downloads a multi-edition ISO. Once the language selection has been made, select Next:

Select USB Flash Drive:

Unfortunately in the next screen, I've had difficulties because the Media Creation Tool looks for partitions and not USB Flash Drives directly. It does not find a Drive with no partitions on it and does not work correctly with a Drive that has multiple partitions:

If this happens use DiskPart to make a USB Flash Drive that has a GPT Partition Table and a Single FAT32 Partition. Insert a 16-32 GB USB Flash Drive and right click the Start Button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) and then Accept the User Account Control. Input the following commands (update line 3 in accordance to the disk number of the USB Flash Drive, which should have a size consistent with the drives capacity):

Diskpart
list disk
select disk 1
clean
convert GPT
create partition primary
list partition
select partition 1
format fs=FAT32 quick label="USB"

The USB Flash Drive should be shown, select it and select Next:

The Windows 11 Media Creation Tool will Download Windows 11 Setup Files, Verify their file integrity and then create a Bootable USB from them:

When it's finished, select Finish:

The USB Flash Drive has a single FAT32 Partition which will be recognised as a Bootable Device in a Dell UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot Enabled:

It has a boot.wim and install.esd which are <4.0 GB:

Intel Rapid Storage Technology Controller Drivers

The boot.wim lacks the required Storage Controllers to recognise the Intel VMD during the Windows Preboot Environment Setup.

The Windows Preboot Environment setup is very basic and requires drivers to be in the .inf format and does not have the capabilities to extract them from an .exe application or .zip archive.

Select browse product and then select the Device Model and manually find drivers:

Select, Check for Updates and then close the Checking for Support Assist window in order to access the Drivers and Downloads page:

Select Windows 11 and Storage:

Look for Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver (and Application):

Double click the Downloaded Dell Update Package:

Accept the User Account Control Prompt:

Select Extract:

Create a folder in Downloads called IntelRST:

Select View Folder and then Close:

Look at the folders contents and navigate through until the Drivers folder:

In this Drivers folder is a subfolder for each Storage Controller Operation. Use VMD if the Device has a 10th Generation Processor or newer and the Storage Configuration in the UEFI Setup mentions VMD. Use RAID otherwise:

In this case RAID On is enabled in the UEFI Setup which uses VMD. The iaStorVD.inf file will be needed by the Windows setup to recognise the VMD:

It is recommended to paste the Drivers folder to the Windows 11 USB Flash Drive so that the three Drivers are available, that way the VMD driver can be attempted to be loaded and if that fails because VMD is not supported on the Device, the RAID driver can be loaded:

Dell Update

Dell Update and Dell Command Update are virtually the same Application… The only difference between both these Applications is Business Models have a Deploy Driver Pack and Dell Command Update can be instructed to Download and Install this Driver Pack before it Searches for Additional Drivers.

The latest version of Dell Update or Dell Command Update can be downloaded from the Dell Drivers and Downloads Page and saved on to the USB Flash Drive. The latest version of Dell Command Update can also be installed on a fresh Windows installation using the Windows Command Line Package Tool WinGet which will be covered in more detail subsequently.

When using Dell Drivers and Downloads on a Home Model change the category to Applications and Download Dell Update:

On a Business Model, change the Category to System Management and instead Download Dell Command Update:

The XPS Range are simultaneously classified as Home and Business models so are supported models for both Dell Update and Dell Command Update.

Save this to the USB Flash Drive:

Dell UEFI BIOS Update

Change the category to (UEFI) BIOS and download the latest (UEFI) BIOS Update for the Device:

Save this on the USB Flash Drive:

Now the installation media for Windows 11 is ready.

Updating the Dell UEFI BIOS

Before installing Windows 11 make sure that the (UEFI) BIOS is at the latest version as it may contain some fixes which facilitate the Windows 11 Installation.

The Dell UEFI BIOS can be updated from USB from the Dell UEFI BIOS Boot Menu. Power off the Device. Insert the Windows 11 Bootable USB and power up the Device and press [F12]:

To the left hand side the Windows 11 Bootable USB will be listed. It should not be selected just now. Before installation select BIOS Update:

Then select Flash from File:

Select the USB Flash Drive "ESD-USB":

Select the UEFI BIOS Update and then Submit:

The version of the current UEFI BIOS revision and the version of the UEFI BIOS Update will be listed. Select Update (UEFI) BIOS. If it is current there is no need to Update. Otherwise select Update (UEFI) BIOS:

Select Confirm Update (UEFI) BIOS:

The Devices UEFI BIOS will be updated and then the Device will restart:

Removing Old Boot Entries and Dell Data Wipe

Power off the Device. To enter the (UEFI) BIOS Setup power up the Device and press [F2]:

Select the Boot Configuration tab to the left hand side. To prevent confusion Delete any Boot Entries from a previous Windows or Linux installation, leaving only the Windows 11 Bootable USB:

Select Apply Changes:

Then select OK:

The Dell UEFI BIOS has the capability to Securely Erase (make unrecoverable) any data on a NVMe SSD. Select the Security Tab to the left hand side and turn on Start Data Wipe. Note that some Dell models have Dell Data Wipe on a separate Maintenance Tab:

Select OK to proceed:

Select No when prompted to Cancel:

Select Apply Changes:

Select OK:

Select Exit:

The Device will restart and the Dell Security Manager will display the Data Wipe Operation. Select Continue:

Select Erase:

The NVMe SSD should be wiped in a couple of minutes. If the system has any SSDs or HDDs these will take slightly longer and several hours respectively:

Select OK:

Booting from a Windows 11 USB

Power off the Device. Power up the Device and press [F12] to get to the Dell (UEFI) BIOS Boot Menu:

To the left hand side select the Windows 11 Bootable USB:

In the next screen the language options will display and should match the language selected from the Media Creation Tool. The Time and Currency Format and Keyboard Layout should be customised as desired. Once the selection has been made, select Next:

Windows 11 Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Product Key

Select Install Now:

An hourglass will display while the Windows Installation Media is searching the Devices firmware for an embedded Windows Original Equipment Manufacturer Product Key:

The Edition will be selected from this OEM Product Key and the License Agreement Screen will be shown:

Failure to find an OEM Embedded Product Key will prompt for input of a Retail Product Key which will select the Edition.

As it is a nuisance locating and inputting a 25 digit Retail Product Key, this screen is designed primarily for first time installation. If a Retail License has previously been activated on the Device the Device is registered with a Microsoft Product Activation Server. For a reinstall, I don't have a Product Key can be selected alongside the correct Edition from the Dropdown List. When connected to the internet, in the background the Devices details will be resubmitted to the Microsoft Product Activation Server which will recognise the Device and give the Windows Install the green light for Product Activation:

Loading Storage Controller Drivers

To begin a Clean Install select Custom: Install Windows Only (advanced):

If the boot.wim of the installation media contains the Storage Controller Drivers for the Device it will recognise the internal drives configured as a VMD. When, the installation media lacks the Storage Controller Driver, like this case below, no VMD will be listed. Select Load Driver:

Select Browse:

Select the Windows 11 Bootable USB, then the Drivers subfolder and navigate directly to the subfolder with the VMD drivers. Select OK:

Hide All Drivers Incompatible with this Computers Hardware should be checked showing only a list of compatible drivers. Select all of these and then next:

The systems VMD should now display.

If none of the Drivers from the VMD folder are compatible, the hardware doesn't support VMD and the RAID folder should be loaded instead.

Highlight Disk 1 Unallocated Space and select Next.

Note: if a Dell Data Wipe has not been performed, each old partition will need to be selected (including old Recovery Partitions) one by one and then deleted using Delete until all space on the VMD is unallocated:

The Windows setup will copy all the Windows setup files from the install.esd to the VMD and begin to install Features:

The installation will restart in 10 seconds. Select Restart Now:

Windows 11 Out of the Box Experience (OOBE)

The Windows Out of the Box Experience (OOBE) will now begin after the Windows 11 Logo.

Note: If the Windows 11 language options display again, the system has rebooted to the Windows 11 Bootable USB instead of the Windows 11 Installation on the VMD. Remove the Bootable USB and Exit the Windows Setup in this case. The Windows Out of the Box Experience should then load.

Language Options

Select the desired Region and Keyboard Options:

Connect to the Internet

Select the desired Wireless Network and select Connect:

Input the desired password and select next:

The system should now be connected to the internet:

Select Next:

The Windows 11 Setup will begin checking for updates:

Computer Name

Supply the Device, a computer name, for example the name of the model. Select Next.

Note: Setting a computer name makes it easier to identify the Device registered under a Microsoft Account, for example when it comes to installing Microsoft Office. Selecting skip will assign the Device an automatic randomly generated name:

The Device will restart:

User Account Setup

In the next screen there will be an option to setup for personal use or for work or school. Details will be given by your IT department for the latter option. For personal use, select Set up for personal use:

On Windows 11 Pro there used to be an option to get additional Sign In Options for a Local Account:

Sign In Options used to include "Offline Account":

However when connected to the Internet, Microsoft have removed the Offline Account option in order to entice as many users as possible to sign in with a Microsoft Account. This deliberately makes the OOBE setup cumbersome for setting up a Local Account.

Although most users will get the best experience with a Microsoft Account. There are for example sometimes cases where my work for example as an OEM setups a PC with Windows and installs acquisition software on a customer PC for scientific instruments. To do this setup requires a Local Account as we don't have the customers Microsoft Account details. And our customers can then switch to a Microsoft Account later should they wish:

The OOBE forces a Microsoft Account unless it encounters a problem with the email. The easiest way to sign in with a Local Account is to attempt to sign in with a Microsoft Account using an email that exists and has been overused. For example the email:

a@a.com

And (wrong) password:

a

When attempting to sign in with the wrong password:

Oops – something went wrong

Someone has tried an incorrect password for this account too many times. To help protect you, we've temporarily locked your account. Please try again later.

Selecting Next displays the Local Account screen:

If using a Local (Offline) Account. It is recommended to create a username that is all lower case without any special characters or spaces. Some third party programs such as Python Libraries may not work correctly if there is a username with special characters or spaces.

In this example a Microsoft Account with 1 TB OneDrive Storage and an Office365 subscription will be used:

Input the password to the account and select Next:

Select Create Pin:

Input and confirm the Pin and select OK:

Privacy Settings

If Windows 11 has been installed on another Device with that account there will be an option to restore previous privacy settings from the old Device or to Set it up as New Device. Select Next:

To use Maps and relevant News, the Devices location will be enabled:

Select Yes and Accept if you intend to use these features otherwise select No and Accept:

"Find My Device" will allow location of the Device from the Microsoft Account (providing that it is turned on and connected to the internet). Select Yes and Accept if you intend to use this feature otherwise select No and Accept:

The next screen will give an option for the Devices Diagnostic Data. Optional data will help Microsoft diagnose problems when working on Windows. Select the desired option and Accept:

The next screen will give an option for the Devices Keystrokes and Input Data. Microsoft will use a random set of your keystrokes to help improve typing and inking. Select your option and select Accept:

The next screen will give an option for Tailored or Generic Diagnostic Data Feedback. Once again select your option and then select Accept:

The last privacy setting is related to Microsoft Apps primarily Microsoft Edge and the Bing Search Engine but also some Games which show adverts. Microsoft would rather share an Advertising ID across all the Apps to target Adverts for monetisation. Once again select your option and then select Accept:

The Advertising ID will be shared across Microsoft Edge when the Bing Search Engine is used, alongside any Apps such as Games that may display an advertisement for a moment when they are launched or within a sidebar:

Select the way(s) you plan to use your PC. This will relate to the tips and notifications you receive and suggestions displayed on the Start Menu. For example if you select Family, you may be prompted with additional notifications such as Family Safety. Once you have your option(s) select Accept or alternatively select Skip:

OneDrive

The next screen will prompt for integration with OneDrive. Only do this if you have an Office 365 subscription as it includes 1 TB of OneDrive Storage.

Note: Free OneDrive Storage without a Microsoft Account is ~5 GB and you will therefore be hassled continuously about having low OneDrive storage if this option is selected without an Office 365 subscription. Select Only Save Files to this PC.

When Only save files to this PC is selected. The Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music and Video folders are locally stored on the PC:

When Next is selected the Desktop, Documents and Pictures folder are automatically integrated with OneDrive and a cloud icon displays beside these folders. The Downloads, Music and Videos folders are not automatically integrated as file sizes in these folders tend to be very large and therefore it is less common for these files to be uploaded to OneDrive:

If the shortcut created by Microsoft Edge is deleted for a OneDrive integrated Desktop, a notice about the file being moved to the OneDrive Recycle Bin will display:

Signing into a Microsoft Account with OneDrive on a PC with a Windows 11 Pro OEM License with a TPM will automatically use Bitlocker on the C: Drive. This is a Pro only feature and not carried out on a PC with a Windows 11 Home OEM License:

Final OOBE Screens

The Windows OOBE will check for some more updates and the Devices video drivers may be updated at this stage:

The final OOBE screens will display as your user account is setup:

The new Start Menu will display:

The Powers User Menu can be accessed by right clicking the Start Button:

Product Activation

Right click the Start Menu to get to the Power Users Menu and select Settings. If the Device is not activated, there will be a watermark at the bottom of Settings. This is a rarity with an OEM License as the Product Key is embedded and Product Activation occurs subtly in the background.

Windows Update

In Windows 11 Settings is finally updated to include all the most commonly used settings. There is no need to keep bouncing back and forth between Settings and the depreciated Control Panel like in Windows 10.

To the left hand side select Windows Update. Then select Check for Updates and then Download Now at the Top:

Most of the Unknown Devices in your Device Manager (which can be accessed from the Power Users Menu) should get a Driver from Windows Update:

Select Restart

The Computer should Restart and the Updates should Install:

Repeat the process until Windows Update states You're up to date:

Microsoft Store and winget

Microsoft Store and Universal Windows Platform Apps

Preinstalled Windows applications are managed separately from Windows Update using the Microsoft Store. The Library tab should be selected and Get Updates should be selected. This will Update the Microsoft store (it will close after update), the App Installer, the Windows Terminal, the Snipping Tool, Paint and Windows Notepad to their latest version:

Windows Command Line Package Manager WinGet

Windows 11 includes the Windows Package Manager WinGet and Microsoft have setup WinGet repositories for commonly installed software packages that have silent installers.

Windows Terminal (User)

To use WinGet, the Start Button should be right clicked and Terminal should be selected:

Selecting Terminal which is Terminal (User) will install software for a single user which is now the recommended installation setting for most applications. If elevated permissions are required, a User Account Control Prompt will display.

Selecting Terminal (Admin) will install the software for All Users.

WinGet Overview

Typing in the command:

WinGet

A number of command line arguments will display such as:

list
search
install
uninstall
upgrade

winget list

To list all installed software use:

WinGet list

Each App has a:

• Name
• ID of the form Vendor.AppID
• Version
• Available (Latest Version Available)
• Source (Should be WinGet)

For example in my case the WinGet Apps installed have the IDs:

Microsoft.Edge
Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
Microsoft.OneDrive

Dell.CommandUpdateUniversal

Google.Chrome
VideoLAN.VLC

Anaconda.Anaconda3
Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

WinGet search

An app can be searched for using a keyword. For example a search for Dell can be used:

WinGet search Dell

For example Dell Command Update has the App ID Dell.CommandUpdateUniversal and old App ID Dell.CommandUpdate

The following arguments require use of an App ID: Dell.CommandUpdateUniversal will be used as an example:

WinGet Install

To install an App use:

WinGet install Dell.CommandUpdateUniversal

WinGet Upgrade

To list apps available for upgrade use App:

WinGet upgrade

This will list Apps with possible newer versions. Be careful when using programming applications such as Anaconda which have their own package manager. In my case Anaconda is listed as an upgrade but is the same version. Using upgrade here will revert the changes made by the conda package manger to update the current version of Anaconda.

To upgrade a specific App use:

WinGet upgrade Dell.CommandUpdateUniversal

To upgrade all Apps to the latest version available use:

WinGet upgrade --all

Be careful with this command as it may downgrade the changes made by some apps that have their own package managers for example Anaconda.

Winget Uninstall

To uninstall an App use:

winget uninstall Dell.CommandUpdateUniversal

Commercial Software and Trusted Platform Module TPM 2.0

The Windows Package Manager WinGet is not yet adopted by all third-party vendors. In addition the Microsoft Store has not been updated to complement a GUI interface for every package available from WinGet. Searching for Dell in the Microsoft Store does not show DellCommandUpdate from WinGet and searching for Anaconda does not show Anaconda.

At the time of writing most of the software packages available above are open source or free for individual use which means all the software packages can be installed without any monetary transactions or the associated pains of Product Activation. The closest application to commercial software in the list is Microsoft Visual Studio Community Edition as this software requires the user to login with a Microsoft Account during the first launch for the purposes of Software Licensing. Microsoft have made a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 as a mandatory system requirement for Windows 11. The TPM acts a unique hardware based serial key embedded within your systems motherboard. At current, the only place it is really used is with Bitlocker Drive Encryption. It is likely that Microsoft will use this technology alongside a Microsoft email address as part of a more sophisticated software licensing and product activation mechanism and roll this out as an API in C# which is used for Windows App Development.

Dell Update

Windows Update has been searched for the latest system updates and drivers from Microsoft Servers. Dell may have additional driver updates not yet catalogued by Microsoft.

Dell Command Update can be installed using winget with the following command:

winget install Dell.CommandUpdateUniversal

Alternatively it can be installed the conventional way by downloading the application and double clicking the Application:

Accept the User Account Control Prompt:

Select Install:

Select Next:

Accept the License Agreement and select Next:

Select Install:

Select Close:

Now Restart the Device:

Open the Start Menu and Launch Dell Update from All Apps:

Select Check:

Select Automatically Restart System and select Install:

Select Restart:

Launch Dell Update again to check if there are any additional drivers. When no updates are available This System is Up to Date displays:

Dell Optional Applications

There are a number of optional Dell Applications and Utilities which you may wish to install that are not installed automatically via Dell Update but are available on your Dell Drivers and Downloads Page.

Intel Rapid Storage Technology Application

The Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver has been installed and the Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management should be installed automatically from the Microsoft Store:

Launch it and accept the User Account Control Prompt:

Details about the Devices VMD will display:

If the Intel VMD is configured using a Hard Drive attached to the SATA port and an NVMe Memory Module is used as a Cache Drive, the Disk Pair will display under Intel Optane Memory:

If using a hard drive attached to a SATA port, there is an option to Enable Link Power Management which will reduce the power consumption of the Intel chipset and hard drive when on battery, prolonging battery life:

On a high end Dell Precision with multiple PCIe ports, it is possible to configure a multiple drive configuration. When two identical drives are installed it is possible to create a RAID0 or RAID1 Volume.

In RAID0 both drives are combined to create 1 large virtual drive, which has double the capacity and double the speed as it uses two RAID controllers simultaneously to access data across the virtual drive. If either one of the two drives fails however the data on the RAID volume is essentially unrecoverable.

In RAID1 the contents of the first drive are mirrored onto the second drive. The OS only sees one virtual drive. the primary drive. However if this drive fails, all the data remains on the secondary drive.

Thunderbolt

On the Dell Drivers and Downloads page, you may wish to install additional applications such as the Intel Thunderbolt Controller Application:

The Thunderbolt Controller can be launched from the Start Menu. This will tell you about the Thunderbolt Devices attached to your Thunderbolt ports:

This will only work if your Thunderbolt UEFI BIOS Settings are at their default Security Settings and you'll get a security prompt asking you if you wish to connect to a device, every time a new device is found:

Intel Processor Power Management Utility and Dell Power Manager

In the Systems Management Category, you can download the Intel Processor Power Management Utility and the Dell Power Manager Service (only the newest version, in my case an older version is also listed):

The Intel Processor Power Management Utility runs automatically in the background and there is no Application for the User to Interact with. The Dell Power Management will on the other hand allow the user to configure their systems Thermal Management which adjusts their processor performance, thermal limits and fan speed.

There is a trade-off in the three above categories and different settings optimised for each category.

Battery Extender options will be available when on Battery Power:

Network Applications

A number of Network Applications may be available for your model, depending on your installed Network Adapters:

These can be checked quickly in the Device Manager:

On the XPS 13 9305, the Killer Control Centre Application is installed from the Microsoft Store:

Office

If you have a Office 365 with 1 TB OneDrive Storage you can install it using the preinstalled Office App by logging into your account. If you are not using OneDrive and do not have an Office 365 subscription and are instead looking for a free alternative, with a similar user interface you should try OnlyOffice Desktop Editors or SoftMaker FreeOffice.

The LibreOffice suite is also available which has full functionality but a more clunky user-interface.

Office 365

If you have an Office 365 subscription you should be able to open up the preinstalled Office App and use it to install the latest version of Office on your computer. I had to close the Office App and open it again:

In the top right, you can select Install Office:

This takes you to the Office365 website where you can login and manage your installations:

Select Install Office:

This will take you to the Office Website:

To the bottom, you will see the Devices you are signed into. Since I have just reinstalled Windows on the XPS-9305, I will sign out of the XPS-9305 as this license corresponds to the old installation.

Confirm that you want to sign out of the old Device:

Select Done:

Now select Install Office:

Select, your language and the Default Version. The Default Version corresponds to the 64 Bit Architecture which is standard for a Windows 11 installation. Select Install:

Then launch the Downloaded Application:

Accept the User Account Control Prompt:

Then Office will install in the background:

You can then launch a program such as Microsoft Word:

Select Get Started:

Select Office Open XML Formats and then OK:

Office should now be installed and activated.

Only Office

OnlyOffice Desktop Editors is a free product. It has three programs Document (Word like), Spreadsheet (Excel like), Presentation (PowerPoint like). The user interface is very similar to Microsoft Office and most of the most commonly used features are there. However the gridlines option is missing from Document and it was not possible to copy and paste cells transposed in Spreadsheet (no Paste Special option). Unfortunately it does not have a Visio like program included.

OnlyOffice Desktop Editors can be installed from winget using:

winget install ONLYOFFICE.DesktopEditors

Alternatively Only Office Desktop Editors can be downloaded from the Only Office Website:

Free Office

Softmaker FreeOffice has a free and a paid version. This free version has most the functionality that standard users require however some of the advanced functionality is stripped out such as the equation editor and only available in their paid product. The free version unfortunately requires email registration in order to get an activation code which is used as a means of advetising their full paid software suite. It does not have a Visio like program included.

SoftMaker FreeOffice is not currently on winget.

SoftMaker Free Office can be downloaded from the FreeOffice Website. It contains TextMaker (a Word Processor similar to Microsoft Word), PlanMaker (a Spreadsheet Application similar to Microsoft Excel) and Presentations (a Presentation Application similar to PowerPoint):

Once you have installed the software you may be prompted to register and an email in order to obtain a Free License Key.

Libre Office

LibreOffice can be installed from WinGet using:

WinGet install TheDocumentFoundation.LibreOffice

Alternatively it can be downloaded from the LibreOffice Website.

It contains Writer (a Word Processor similar to Microsoft Word), Calc (a Spreadsheet Application similar to Microsoft Excel),Impress (a Presentation Application similar to PowerPoint), Draw (a Drawing Application similar to Visio) and Base (a Database Application similar to Access).

Chromium Browser

In previous versions of Windows, Microsoft created their own web browser from scratch and as it was primarily closed-source this created a lot of conflicts, rendering issues and general bugs when it came to browsing and navigating through websites. Microsoft would advertise that their web browser Microsoft Internet Explorer, later rebranded as Microsoft Edge performed better in performance and security (on some arbitrary tests) than their main competitor Google who support Google Chrome across multiple platforms. However for many users the only time they opened Microsoft's Browser was to download and install Google Chrome.

The open-source project Chromium aims to build a safer, faster, and more stable way for all users to experience the web. The Chromium Open Source Project has a stream of continuous commitments by professional developers working on different file formats such as markdown, hyper text mark down (html) and a variety of multimedia formats such as Media Player 4 (MP4) as well as Security Experts who look for and address Security Exploits.

Chromium is the basis of Google Chrome and Google essentially add some proprietary code on top of Chromium to customise it for integration with Google Services and a Google Account as well as optimising it for use with the Google Search Engine. As Chromium needs to be stable for Google Chrome to be stable, Google also commit a lot of developments directly to the Open Source Chromium project. Other less commonly used Browsers such as Samsung Internet, Opera and Brave are also Chromium Based.

The new version of Microsoft Edge is now also Chromium based and therefore has a very similar user interface to Google Chrome. Since both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are Child Browsers of the Parent Browser Chromium, websites that render well in one Browser should equally render as well in the other Browser.

Microsoft Edge has slightly better integration with Windows 11 Security Features and slightly better Privacy Settings however it uses tight integration with the Bing Search Engine. The Bing Search Engine is quite inefficient compared to other Search Engines, generally taking a lot more effort to find a relevant link.

Google Chrome

In general if you are using the Google Search Engine and Google Services such as GMail and YouTube you are still best to install Google Chrome. On Windows 11 you can install Google Chrome without even opening Microsoft Edge. Open the Windows Terminal (admin) and use the command:

winget install Google.Chrome

Microsoft Edge

When you first launch Microsoft Edge, you will be prompted for integration of Microsoft's services via your Microsoft Account:

Select your desired option and Confirm:

Then select Let's Go:

On a New Tab you have both an Address Bar and a Search Box:

To change the Search Engine, you can go to Settings:

Then select Privacy, Search and Services:

You can change the behaviour of the Address Bar:

And then the behaviour of the Search Box:

Note when you close and reopen Microsoft Edge, Microsoft will recommend you use the default Settings i.e. the Bing Search Engine. Select don't update your browser settings and select apply:

Taskbar and Multiple Monitors

Windows 11 has a number of improvements for multi-monitor use. When using a multi-monitor setup. Right click the Desktop and select Display Settings. You can also open up Settings and select Display:

Ensure your Monitors are in the order desired (in my case 2 is my left hand side monitor). There are two additional multi-monitor options. "Remember Window Locations Based on Monitor Connection" and "Minimise Windows when a Monitor is Disconnected":

We also have a number of Taskbar options for multi-monitor setup. Select Personalisation and then Taskbar:

Select Taskbar Behaviours:

Windows 11 by default centres the Start Menu and open icons acting like a central dock. If you want a more traditional start button to the left hand side, you can move it by changing the Taskbar Alignment to Left:

You can change the setting for "When Using Multiple Displays show my Taskbar Apps" on All Displays to Taskbar where the App is open:

Now Settings displays on the right (Primary Taskbar) where it is open and Windows Explorer displays on the left taskbar where it is open:

The Windows Explorer Icon is pinned on the Primary Taskbar (right monitor) and the icon displays here and indicates that no Windows Explorer instances are open on this monitor. Windows 11 only allows pinning of Taskbar Items onto the Primary Taskbar and both monitors display an identical Start Menu.

It would be useful for a Multi-Monitor setup if Microsoft allowed users to instead Pin Items on each Taskbar independently and allow users to have an independent Start Menu on each monitor which they can pin different Apps to. This can be done but requires a paid third-party utility such as Actual Window Manager who have been addressing Microsoft's shortcomings for a multi-monitor setup since Windows XP. A lot of the features this utility offers has natively made its way into Windows such as Multiple Taskbars and Virtual Desktops but Microsoft still have a lot of work to do in this area.

Paste Clipboard, Emoji Panel and Touch Keyboard

Windows 11 comes with an Emoji Panel, that has integrated Symbol Input and a Paste Clipboard. The Paste Clipboard allows you to Copy and Paste Multiple items but has to be turned on. To access the Paste Clipboard press [ ⊞ ] and [ v ]. You will need to turn it on, the first time you launch it. To Copy press [ Ctrl ] and [ c ] and to Paste the last item copied press [ Ctrl ] and [ v ]:

I have for example selected a picture in paint and pressed [Ctrl] and [ c ] and now the image displays in the Paste Clipboard. Note images copied from one File Explorer will not be shown in the Paste Clipboard. Only images copied within an Application or text copied within an Application:

The Paste Clipboard Settings can also be accessed by going to System and then Clipboard:

The Emoji Panel can also be opened directly by pressing [ ⊞ ] and [ . ] and has a search box to search for Emojis:

Note the Search box will only search for Emojis and not Symbols (at this current time of writing) giving it limited practical use.

Symbols can only be accessed by selecting the Symbols Tab from the Emoji Panel and then by scrolling through the Emoji Panel. The descriptions for each character are not helpful. In Microsoft Word, this would give a description of the symbol saying lower case Greek character alpha. Microsoft should update the Symbols tab of the Emoji Panel to be searchable and add a searchable detailed description for each character:

Related to the Emoji Panel is the Touch Keyboard. Its settings can be Personalised by selecting Personalisation and Touch Keyboard:

Note however, the setting to display the Touch Keyboard om the Taskbar is however in the Taskbar section of Personalisation:

The Touch Keyboard has an elongated version of the Emoji Panel:

In the case of symbols, it is slightly easier to display a symbol as more symbols display at once. The search feature however is as limited as the standard Emoji Panel lacking the capability to search for a symbol:

Snipping Tool

The snipping tool has been updated to give Windows 11 a native screen recorded:

Snap Windows

Windows also has a Multi-tasking Setting under Settings then System:

One of the new Features is Snap Windows, an update to AeroSnap exhibited in Windows 7 and later. Snap Window layouts will be displayed when you hover over the Maximise button:

Task Manager

Task Manager has been updated in recent builds of Windows 10 and the new Task Manager is in Windows 11:

Expanding more details gives details about how much resources you are using:

And the Performance tab can be viewed to see how well your Computer is performing:

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