Windows 10 -> Linux -> Windows 11 - licensing problems?

[5pips49]

I got this computer second hand.
Dell Optiplex 3070
It had Windows on it when I received it. Since the computer rolled off of the assembly line ~ 2020, that must have been Windows 10 on it, probably Windows 10 pro. I installed Linux over that. Now, I want to install Windows 11.

Will I likely have some licensing difficulty?

Should I consider reinstalling Windows 10 first?

 

[pendragon1]

it should have an embedded key in the uefi. install 11 and just wait, it should activate itself in a few hours to a couple days. if not, massgrave.

 

[5pips49]

it should have an embedded key in the uefi. install 11 and just wait, it should activate itself in a few hours to a couple days...

(Edit: Unabridged version of the OP.) I think this is the computer's history.
1- received computer. It booted to the Windows 10 login screen and I didn't know the password and I thought eww, might have malware. So, physically removed the drive that had Windows 10 on it. It was an M.2 form factor drive.
2- installed a 2.5" SSD, which was an old drive of mine. Despite the user manual saying that your primary drive has to be M.2, it worked with just the 2.5" in there. Linux had already been installed on this drive.
3- Upgraded the motherboard firmware.
4- took 2.5" out, put the M.2 from step 1 in. Installed Linux over Windows 10.

Maybe we will see if updating the motherboard firmware without Windows being installed retains the Windows product key.

A long time ago, I remember working with Windows 10 installs that were not activated. Didn't bother me much. I was just using Windows for a couple of programs (so that makes it more tolerable).

 

[pendragon1]

doesnt matter.

 

[D-EJ915]

As long as it's the same version of windows home/pro it should activate. Sometimes if you have a multi-version installation media it'll automatically pick the licensed version too.

 

[pendragon1]

The Windows installer
the first screen asks me to choose language and keyboard, I think.
After that, the installer "works" for a while and then says,
the computer doesn't meet the Windows 11 system requirements.

Dell OptiPlex 3070 (circa 2020)
256GB M.2
Intel Core i7-9700T
2.00 GHz
16GB DDR4-2666 according to memtest86+
In the UEFI, it shows TPM 2.0

The only thing that I can think of is that the installer doesn't like the drives. Neither of the drives are formatted in a format that Windows can read (ext4).

stick to one thread. use diskpart the clean the drive and try again(assuming no data, google it).

 

[5pips49]

stick to one thread. use diskpart the clean the drive and try again(assuming no data, google it).

I went a little sideways so far.
Windows 11 installer 1st screen - brought up command prompt ( I think it was Shift F10) -
command line was in X:\sources
diskpart
list volume
it displays the 2 EFI system partitions for the 2 disks. I don't know which drive is which because there is (edit1: not much information given).

Should I just try to use linux tools to erase the drive? Or should I format it to fat 32 or NTFS for Windows?

edit2:
using your advice, I found this
https://onlinecomputertips.com/support-categories/windows/wipe-drive-installing-windows-diskpart/
I used the clean command in disk part. (from the article linked above, "You can also use clean if you want a quicker, yet less secure wipe of your hard drive.")
However, after reboot and starting the installer, I get the same message.
"This PC doesn't currently meet Windows 11 system requirements."

edit3:
I don't think that I am using the latest version of the windows 11 installer. I created it ~ 04/2025. I did create a newer one but the computer doesn't recognize the newer one. Says, "No boot device found. Press any key to reboot." When I press any key, nothing happens. I even pressed the number lock and the light on the keyboard does not react.

 

[zandor]

I'm wondering if maybe you got caught up in that UEFI certificate expiration? MS has been pushing out updates, but since you got the machine second hand maybe it was powered off when they were pushing them? Microsoft had keys that expired in June. I haven't really looked into it but apparently it's possible to update the key manually.

 

[kyang357]

IIRC, Optiplex 3070 have 8th and 9th gen Intel, you should be fine with Win 11. Go into dell bios > maintenance > data wipe. Insert USB win 11 media, wipe nvme, reboot. PC should auto boot from USB, follow installation instructions.

 

[pendragon1]

created it ~ 04/2025

make a new one, then (assuming no data) boot from it.
shift+f10 to open cmd>diskpart>list disk (check drive # ). diskpart>select disk 0>clean. close cmd and continue install.(assuming 0 is primary)

 

[MikeTrike]

I feel like there are a lot of unnecessary steps above.

Step 1. Download the Windows 11 media creation tool and create the bootable USB.
Step 2. Boot the OptiPlex using the USB you just created and install Windows 11 Pro (erase the whole damn drive).
Step 3. Activate it.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11

And if you have trouble with it activating automatically, the commands should be something like this.

Step 3.1.

 

[pendragon1]

I feel like there are a lot of unnecessary steps above.

Step 1. Download the Windows 11 media creation tool and create the bootable USB.
Step 2. Boot the OptiPlex using the USB you just created and install Windows 11 Pro (erase the whole damn drive).
Step 3. Activate it.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11

And if you have trouble with it activating automatically, the commands should be something like this.

Step 3.1.
View attachment 814693
View attachment 814695

i feel lik you havent fully read the tread....
hes got his drive partitions all fucked up from playing with linux, that will clean it up.

 

[MikeTrike]

i feel lik you havent fully read the tread....
hes got his drive partitions all fucked up from playing with linux, that will clean it up.

Probably not. But if I f***** up the partitions from Linux I would still full wipe it and let Windows do this thing from scratch so I'm not dealing with future nonsense beyond the nonsense of Windows itself.

 

[pendragon1]

Probably not. But if I f***** up the partitions from Linux I would still full wipe it and let Windows do this thing from scratch so I'm not dealing with future nonsense beyond the nonsense of Windows itself.

and thats exactly why i gave him the "clean" suggestion, then to just let windows set it up as it sees fit.

if he still has issues, he should check that all legacy shit is turned off and that its in full uefi mode. worst case ontario, use rufus, but there shouldnt be a need to with this system.

 

[mwroobel]

I got this computer second hand.
Dell Optiplex 3070
It had Windows on it when I received it. Since the computer rolled off of the assembly line ~ 2020, that must have been Windows 10 on it, probably Windows 10 pro. I installed Linux over that. Now, I want to install Windows 11.

Will I likely have some licensing difficulty?

Should I consider reinstalling Windows 10 first?

MAS FTW! Just download a fresh installed ISO from MS and go! Since you have a Dell, there was an inbuilt Win code so you are not doing anything wrong, since as long as it came with at least 7 there was a free upgrade path 7-10 and 10-11 so this is not Piracy (note for mods just in case)

 

[5pips49]

I haven't done any of the recent suggestions. But, just to back up a little.
I should have pointed this out earlier but I want to do a dual boot windows 11 and Linux Mint Cinnamon 22.3. Both of these will be on the same drive. Edit: the collective knowledge that I have read is to install Windows 11 first.

edit3:
I did create a newer one [Windows 11 installer thumb drive] but the computer doesn't recognize the newer one. Says, "No boot device found. Press any key to reboot." When I press any key, nothing happens. I even pressed the number lock and the light on the keyboard does not react.

tldr paragraph:
Not too relevant now but some background:
The thumb drive that I wrote the new Windows 11 installer was under suspicion of failure. Further, I used the Linux Mint graphical user interface to write to the drive (right click - [edit:] "make bootable USB stick"). Maybe the Linux command line would have showed something concerning if I had done it that way.

make a new one, then (assuming no data) boot from it.
shift+f10 to open cmd>diskpart>list disk (check drive # ). diskpart>select disk 0>clean. close cmd and continue install.(assuming 0 is primary)

the last that I checked it was disk 1. this is an M.2 drive.
the disk 0 is a 2.5" and I don't want to modify that drive at all.
Now that I have pointed that out, could that be what's causing the Windows 11 installer to have problems? Edit: it's pretty simple for me just to remove that drive.

 

[MikeTrike]

and thats exactly why i gave him the "clean" suggestion, then to just let windows set it up as it sees fit.

Fair.

I should have pointed this out earlier but I want to do a dual boot windows 11 and Linux Mint Cinnamon 22.3.

Gross, but that makes sense.

I usually only install an OS with a single drive present. I've seen funny business in the past with a primary SSD and a mechanical drive, where the boot loader ended up on the mechanical drive for example. At any rate, it ensures I don't accidentally touch a data drive during installation. Once you get your OSs situated, then plug in the other drive in assuming it's just data.

 

[5pips49]

I usually only install an OS with a single drive present. I've seen funny business...

I have removed the 2.5" drive so all that's in there now is the M.2 drive that I want to install the 2 OSes to.
It still gives the message,
"This PC doesn't currently meet Windows 11 system requirements."
But, I can see that this was still a good thing to do.

I am sure that I have used this Windows 11 USB thumb drive to install Windows 11 successfully (the one with the older version of W11). But, maybe I will try the idea of creating the up to date Windows 11 USB thumb drive.

Edit: I switched the motherboard firmware back to UEFI mode & turned on secure boot. I am using the USB thumb drive with the older version of W11. Success! I now get past the "hardware check." In other words, it doesn't display, "This PC doesn't currently meet Windows 11 system requirements."

 

[pendragon1]

I switched the motherboard firmware back to UEFI mode & turned on secure boot.

should check that all legacy shit is turned off and that its in full uefi mode.

that is exactly what i meant... you should have still remade the usb drive with the newest installer, it takes 5min.

 

[5pips49]

that is exactly what i meant... you should have still remade the usb drive with the newest installer, it takes 5min.

I'd say it took about 35 mins (because I was writing from USB 3.0 HDD exfat partition to USB 2.0 thumb drive).