Solved I cannot create an ISO

First of all, I STRONGLY suggest you abandon your idea of using Laplink. Moving from a old machine into a different OS that is totally redesigned will give questionable results. You should clean install Windows, clean install her apps, and manually migrate her files.

I will walk you step by step on how to do it all but it varies dependent on several factors. Answer the questions directly and I will give the appropriate set of instructions for your individual needs all the way from creating appropriate media as well as migrating files from one machine to another

1. Is the machine where you will install 11 100% compatible with 11. On that machine, run the PC Health check referred to here. How to check if your device meets Windows 11 system requirements after changing device hardware - Microsoft Support

2. Do you intend to sync her files to Onedrive? Or do you want to use a local account and keep her files on the local drive?

3. Do you intend to use bitlocker or device encryption on new installation?

I would suggest doing what glasskuter speaks of except step 1 since your Dell XPS8950 is a 12th gen Intel and is well into the requirements for Windows 11. Take the files off the old computer by copy/paste from File Manager's Downloads, Documents, Pictures, etc. folders onto a large enough USB flashdrive and later transfer them once you have Windows 11 clean installed. What you are wanting to do should be very simple as you've thought it should be and could be done in less than an hour except for extra time configuring Windows with accounts, Onedrive, etc.

glasskuter said:

First of all, I STRONGLY suggest you abandon your idea of using Laplink. Moving from a old machine into a different OS that is totally redesigned will give questionable results. You should clean install Windows, clean install her apps, and manually migrate her files.

I will walk you step by step on how to do it all but it varies dependent on several factors. Answer the questions directly and I will give the appropriate set of instructions for your individual needs all the way from creating appropriate media as well as migrating files from one machine to another

1. Is the machine where you will install 11 100% compatible with 11. On that machine, run the PC Health check referred to here. How to check if your device meets Windows 11 system requirements after changing device hardware - Microsoft Support

2. Do you intend to sync her files to Onedrive? Or do you want to use a local account and keep her files on the local drive?

3. Do you intend to use bitlocker or device encryption on new installation?

Click to expand...

Thanks. First of all, I'm a computer user, not a computer technology person. (Strictly as an aside, my academic background is an medieval historian.) I am self-taught in using computers, and finding programs such as Laplink is within my capability and even interest. Laplink has met my needs in the past, such as copying from a Dell SPS 8930 to a warranty-claim XPS 8950 which had a clean copy of Windows 11 installed. I think my first use of Laplink was to move from the Inspiron my wife is now using to a new Dell XPS 8900.) I can comprrehend that the current project is quite different even if I don't understand, nor need to so, why that is so.

1. The XPS 8950 is what I am trying to prepare for my wife, and as stated just above is Windows 11 capable. I am unclear as to your question about "changing device hardware," as the XPS 8960 was in use until the last day of November 2023 or perhaps a day or two later, and nothing has been changed to it since then.

2. The XPS 8950 will use a local account.

3. Neither bitlocker not device encryption will be used.

I trust this is sufficient, but if not, let me know and I will see if perhaps I can find something in the garage such as a ten-pound sledge hammer or an ECO electric chain saw. I no longer have access to a set of Jaws, having retired from the fire department (the second one I created, equipped, trained, and led as fire chief.

wordsworth said:

I would suggest doing what glasskuter speaks of except step 1 since your Dell XPS8950 is a 12th gen Intel and is well into the requirements for Windows 11. Take the files off the old computer by copy/paste from File Manager's Downloads, Documents, Pictures, etc. folders onto a large enough USB flashdrive and later transfer them once you have Windows 11 clean installed. What you are wanting to do should be very simple as you've thought it should be and could be done in less than an hour except for extra time configuring Windows with accounts, Onedrive, etc.

Click to expand...

Correct: The ONLY thing I am trying to do is to clear everything off of the XPS 8950, and install a clean copy of Windows 11. NONE of the current files on the XPS 8950 are going to be used again, as they are all on new XPS 8960. Eventually, the files on the Inspiron will be transferred to the XPS 8950 and that computer will be sent to recycling. While people have been kindly forthcoming with advice, I am not at all certain that they understand what I want and need to, which may well be as I have not explained it clearly.

I am not even sure that there would be any reason not to use Laplink for that, but as I hope I have made clear, while I have successfully used Laplink (as in populating the XPS 8960, perhaps there is some reason to not do that.

If you wish to use Laplink for the later task of transferring files and are comfortable using it then use that. Where getting Win 11 23H2 installed is concerned Megahertz and Mister Ed mentioned the Boot Menu. Have you been able to see that menu at all? If this does not work, then you may need to get into the BIOS itself if Dell allows this to solve the computer not booting to the thumb drive with the ISO on it. You should have your USB thumb drive with the ISO on it plugged into the back USB port on the computer before hand. Then, restart the computer and I believe on Dell you begin hitting several times the F2 or F12 key at the Dell logo, then select BIOS or System setup on a screen that pops up. Once in the BIOS, look around and you should see perhaps under a Boot Tab something about Boot Priority and you should see in the BIOS the USB thumb drive with the ISO as an item you can select to make it first priority for the computer to boot from. Make it first priority and save the change by hitting whatever key Saves changes in your BIOS, then restart the computer and it should boot to the USB with the ISO on it.

LOL at the sledgehammer comment. I've been there so it's good to see your sense of humor is still intact.

Here ya go.
HOW TO MAKE INSTALLATION MEDIA

1. Go here, scroll down to "Download Windows 11 Disk Image". Select Windows 11 Multi-edition ISO from the dropdown arrow. Click Download now.

2. Go here. Download the portable edition of Rufus filename rufus-4.3p.exe. Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way

3. Insert a known good 8 gb or larger usb flash drive. Any name brand should work. (Some of the cheap unbranded ones can prove not to be bootable)

4. Open Rufus by double clicking on the file you downloaded.

Screenshot 1-
Select the flash drive you want to use. (RED)
Click SELECT browse to where your iso is saved, and select the ISO image you downloaded. (Orange)
Verify the iso image shows in the box (Blue arrow)
Press START.


Screenshot 2 Select your options & click OK. The 'remove requirement for Microsoft account' will bypass the internet connection requirement during windows setup. If you wish you can check the box beside red arrow and pre-name your wife's account or do so during installation. I prefer to leave the name blank and create the user during install. That way this same installation media can be used to install Windows on multiple computers if necessary.


Click Ok and Rufus will burn the iso to the flash drive

Follow the steps in this tutorial to clean install windows. Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial.

NOTE -At step 11 of that tutorial, I can tell you right now, your drive will not be detected during a clean install until you do one of 2 things; either load the Intel Rapid Storage Controller Driver during installation (RAID is default setting for that machine per its documentation) OR prior to beginning installation go into Dell UEFI BIOS and disable RAID. Changing the option in bios may be easier for you.
To get into Dell bios, boot the machine. As soon as you see the Dell flash screen, hit F2. This puts you into bios setup. Go to Advanced Menu. Change sata/NVME operation to AHCI. Be sure to save your settings change.
Note: your current Windows will no longer boot after you make this change.

Now you can clean install Windows
To boot from your install media, restart the machine and tap F12 immediately when you see the Dell flash screen.
You will be given a list of boot options. Select the option that is your USB device. The actual name varies from one device to another. It may say USB mass storage , UEFI-USB, or something similar. The install process begins. Follow the tutorial steps.

At step 11 your drive should now be detected. BE SURE to delete ALL partitions on your drive and chose to install Windows on the unallocated space.

At step 16 DO NOT CONNECT TO THE INTERNET. The Rufus iso will have resulted in a new item to be added to this screen "I don't have internet". Select this option. (Rufus makes it unnecessary for you to have to enter the OOBE\BYPASSNRO command mentioned in the tutorial to get this option. It should already be there for you. Select it and you can install a local account.)

glasskuter:​

First and foremost, my sincere thanks for taking the time to post such a through and even something I can understand and follow. As I've stated, I neither understand nor care why this works, I only care about results, and this certainly looks to me, as an outsider, that it will. It is going to take me a while to do this, as other matters come first.

The complexity reminds me of the twenty-seven months it took me to establish a fire protection district under state statutes. This was partially due to my having no idea where my project was going to go, and to the isolation of the area at the time even though it was a major ski area and summer recreation area. No one in the area had ever been exposed to a fire protection district, the nearest such entity being several hundred miles away.

I have many memories of this; let me share with you one that I still find amusing: Fire Protection Districts had to be (and still maybe as far as I know) sanctioned by the board of county commissioners, so I asked to be placed on the agenda. The first question I was asked was how many people were on the organizing committee (district boards of directors had five members.) When I replied, one, me, there was some laughter; when that subsided I explained that I had already recruited four other members, but if the commissioners did not pass a resolution showing that they would permit the district project to proceed, the project would stop then and there. the resolution was passed.

Maybe, but certainly doubtful, I shall recall this project to have been amusing!

quod factum est, factum est (Latin, "what has been done is done")

That which has been done is that I now have a clean Dell XPS 8950, waiting for my wife to clean up her current computer so that I may make the XPS 8950 hers.

How did I accomplish this? I called Dell Support to ask for some assistance, as I could not make a second bootable USB key boot. The Support Agent was at first a bit confused as to what I wanted to accomplish, but one he grasped my intent was incredibly helpful.

As there was almost nothing left in the D:\ mechanical disc, he cleaned up and formatted that disk as the first step in our on-line support session..

The next step was to guide me through the use of a wonderful Dell tool that works on any Dell computer starting two years ago or so. This tool, which has quite a few steps, is designed to remove Windows from a ssd drive and replace it with either existing files or, as I needed, nothing but Windows, even updating it. Once that process started, we said goodbye, leaving me to fill out the survey, for which I teased him that I would rate him as perhaps a negative five.

I needed to answer questions at certain steps as the tool ran, and of course MS insisted upon my making multiple choices, even allowing me to skip ones that I did not want. Being a Dell product, even Dell Support was installed, along with some related Dell items that do not interfere with the clean Windows install.

Gamers nexus did a video of Dell items