“Fresh installs provide maximum reliability and performance while in-place upgrades offer minimal disruption but inherit existing system problems.”
When upgrading your devices to Windows 11, you have two main approaches available – a “Fresh Install” or an “In Place Upgrade”. Understanding the differences between these methods will help you make the right choice for your users.
Executive Summary
A fresh install is where we perform a workshop based installation of Windows 11 on a brand new hard disk. All programs have to be reinstalled and configured, and any data that is on the old disk can be moved to the new one. This can take the best part of a day including collection and redelivery and on site setup, but results in a computer that is free of any errors or accumulated bloat on the hard disk or in the registry. Roughly speaking this will cost around £150 for a disk upgrade, RAM upgrade and Windows 11 licence plus 4 – 8 hours labour.
Fresh installs work best for devices that will remain in service for two or more years, systems experiencing performance issues or errors, situations where your users need maximum reliability and performance.
An in-place upgrade is where we perform an on site upgrade your users existing Windows 10 installation to Windows 11 while preserving all their programs, files, and settings. Windows 11 is installed “over the top” of Windows 10. This is the quickest and easiest way to upgrade to Windows 11 taking just an hour or two, but results in a system that will perform more slowly and less reliably. Roughly speaking this will cost around £50 for a Windows 11 licence plus 1 -2 hours labour.
In-place upgrades work best for newer devices with ample storage space, systems that are already running smoothly without issues, situations where minimising downtime is absolutely critical, and when budget constraints make the fresh install approach too costly.
What Happens During a Fresh Install
We collect your device and take it to our workshop where we install a brand new 1TB SSD drive along with a RAM upgrade to our minimum recommended 16GB. Your original drive is carefully removed and preserved – this becomes a backup. We then install Windows 11 from scratch on the new drive, along with all necessary drivers and updates.
All your business applications are reinstalled and configured to match your previous setup, and any data that may be on the old disk is hunted down and transferred manually from the original drive to the new system. For customers with Active Directory servers or specialised network configurations, such configuration work may need to be completed on-site rather than in our workshop.
Fresh Install Advantages
The most significant benefit of a fresh install is the superior performance and reliability your users will experience. By eliminating years of accumulated system clutter and registry bloat, their computers will run at optimal Windows 11 performance from day one. This clean foundation significantly reduces future support calls and system problems, while taking full advantage of Windows 11’s security and performance improvements.
The hardware upgrades included with every fresh install provide substantial value. A new 1TB SSD offers a significant storage capacity increase over typical business computers, while the RAM upgrade to 16GB ensures smooth Windows 11 operation. Your users will notice faster boot times and application loading with the fresh SSD, and all new components come with full manufacturer warranties.
Data protection is enhanced throughout the process. Each user’s original drive is preserved as a complete, bootable backup, meaning there’s almost zero risk of data loss during the upgrade. You’ll have the ability to access any files that might be missed during the initial transfer, providing peace of mind knowing everything is safely preserved.
From a long-term value perspective, a fresh install extends your devices’ lifespan while reducing ongoing maintenance and support costs. It provides a stable platform for future software updates and maximises the return on your hardware investment.
Fresh Install Disadvantages
The primary consideration with fresh installs is the time and cost investment required. There is an upfront cost of approximately £150 to cover the new hard disk, RAM upgrade and Windows licence alongside the 4-8 hours of technician time including collection, installation, redelivery and setup. Your users’ devices will be unavailable for the better part of a day, which requires careful scheduling and coordination to minimise business disruption. All software must be reinstalled and reconfigured, with preferences and settings being reapplied from scratch.
What Happens During an In-Place Upgrade
An in-place upgrade is performed on-site at your location, working directly on your users’ existing computers. We upgrade the Windows 10 installation to Windows 11 while all programs, files, and settings are preserved exactly as they are. Windows 11 is essentially installed “over the top” of the existing Windows 10 system.
The process typically takes one to two hours per device, after which time the work is completed. All their familiar programs, desktop shortcuts, browser bookmarks, and personal settings remain exactly where they were. When complete, they’ll see the new Windows 11 interface but everything else should function as before.
In-Place Upgrade Advantages
The most compelling benefit of an in-place upgrade is the minimal disruption to your users. Since everything is preserved as it was, users can resume their work immediately with a shorter adjustment period. All their programs remain installed and configured, their desktop looks familiar, and their workflow continues uninterrupted.
The time and cost efficiency makes this approach attractive for many organisations. There is an upfront cost of approximately £50 to cover the Windows 11 licence alongside 1 – 2 hours of technician time. Multiple devices can be upgraded in a single day. There’s no collection and delivery logistics to coordinate, and no extended downtime to significantly affect productivity.
In-Place Upgrade Disadvantages
The primary limitation of in-place upgrades is that they inherit all existing system problems and accumulated inefficiencies. Any performance issues, registry bloat, or software conflicts that existed in Windows 10 will carry forward into Windows 11. This means your users may not experience the full performance benefits that Windows 11 can provide, and existing problems could worsen over time.
In-place upgrades may be constrained on system with insufficient free space for the upgrade process, so some in place upgrades may need to be aborted for a workshop based disk clone, adding extra costs and complexity to the process.
Systems that undergo in-place upgrades typically require more support calls and maintenance over time. The accumulated clutter and bloat of older Windows installations may mean poorer performance and reliability for users and higher support costs in the months and years following the upgrade.
The upgrade process itself carries some risk. If your user’s existing drive has any underlying issue or the system encounters problems during the upgrade, there’s potential for data loss or system corruption. While we take precautions, the process isn’t as controlled as a fresh installation in our workshop environment.
Stuart’s View
I have a preference for fresh installs of Windows. Ever since you could upgrade Windows 3.11 to Windows 95 , Microsoft have offered an upgrade path which – if taken and without fail – has always caused more problems for customers on the long term. The same was true for Windows 95 to 98, Windows 98 to XP, and Windows 7 to Windows 10. (Any mention of Windows Vista and Windows 8 has been deliberately avoided).
The fundamental problem with in-place upgrades hasn’t changed in 30 years: you’re building a new operating system on top of an old foundation. A fresh installation eliminates this historical baggage entirely. When we install Windows 11 on a new drive, we’re creating a clean, optimised system. There are no legacy conflicts, no inherited performance issues, and no mysterious problems that trace back to configurations from previous Windows versions.
For me, the long term reliability of your devices trumps the short term cost saving to be had by in place upgrades.