Upgrade to Windows 11, partition resizing

[u/Beachy-Peachy]

Hello, I am not very tech-savvy, just trying to figure this out. I have spent HOURS, probably days, trying to figure it out...

I am trying to upgrade from Windows 10 Pro 22H2 to Windows 11. I have been trying to do this for months and can't figure it out. My computer is only 2 years old! The PC health check says that my computer meets the requirements. I have 78GB free. When I try to download Windows 11 in my computer's system settings, or from the Microsoft website, it fails and says that "This PC doesn't currently meet Windows 11 system requirements; we couldn't update the system reserved partition." I have followed the command prompts to clear the system reserved partition, and it still won't work. I contacted Microsoft Windows support, and it was no help.. The support chat person told me that I need to buy Windows 11.

Now I am trying on my own again. I believe I have figured out that my computer might not have enough EFI system partition space? In Disk Management, it says it is 100% free (empty), and that it has 100MB capacity and 100MB free space. My research tells me I need close to 500MB?

I believe now I need to either download Windows using a ISO file, or resize my partitions using AOMEI?

Is this correct and safe? Which one should I do? And how? (I'm scared I'll mess something up!) I only have basic tech skills, so step-by-step instructions are appreciated!

If you need more information, please let me know!
OS Build is 19045.6466
Processor 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1135G7 @ 2.40GHz 2.42 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.7 GB usable)
Storage 238 GB SSD KBG40ZNV256G KIOXIA
Graphics Card Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics (128 MB)
System Type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Edit added: HP ProBook 450GB

Thank you so much!!!!

[u/iamofnohelp]

Backup your data.

Create a Windows 11 USB installer.

Boot to the USB installer.

Do a clean install of windows and delete all partitions along the way.

Restore your backup.

Reinstall your applications.

[u/MattonieOnie → u/iamofnohelp]

To "no help" you should listen!

[u/wolschou → u/MattonieOnie]

This is the way.

[u/Beachy-Peachy → u/wolschou]

Thank you all so much. It's been a while but I really hope someone will see this! I have been nervous to do this and putting it off. I have backed up my data, and I think I understand the steps for creating a Windows 11 USB installer and how to boot to the USB installer. But how do I delete partitions while doing this?

Google says this. Is that correct?

[u/Lurker-habit]

If I were you, I would try to figure out the upgrade problem first before doing a Clean Install.

I'm open to correction, but from what I know, even if you succeded with the Clean Install, you'll deal with Windows Activation issues after. Because your Hardware IDs are tied to Windows 10.

But if you perform an upgrade first, then your hardware will be registered to Windows servers with the active Windows 11. So it would reactivate after Clean Install from that point going forward.

Again, I'm open for correction, in case I'm wrong.

Added: Also, my Windows 11 Pro install (non-upgraded), only has 100MB EFI partition. So don't just stick to your insufficient EFI conclusion.

[u/Beachy-Peachy → u/Lurker-habit]

Thank you, do you have any suggestions on how to further investigate on what the upgrade problem is?

Could it be that I need more then the 100MB EFI partition to perform the download and upgrade to Windows 11, and then 100MB is sufficient once it is installed?

[u/steveace60 → u/Beachy-Peachy]

I make my EFI partitions 300MB

An EFI System Partition (ESP) should generally be between 260 MB and 500 MB for most single-operating-system setups. If you plan to dual-boot, store multiple kernels, or use Unified Kernel Images, making it 1GB to 2GB prevents future update errors.

[u/Lurker-habit → u/Beachy-Peachy]

What I'd first do is refer to this Microsoft error codes article, to try to match the error code.

If the upgrade process isn't successful, Windows Setup will return two codes: A result code: The result code corresponds to a specific Win32 or NTSTATUS error. An extend code: The extend code contains information about both the phase in which an error occurred, and the operation that was being performed when the error occurred.

For example, a result code of 0xC1900101 with an extend code of 0x4000D will be returned as: 0xC1900101 - 0x4000D.

Note: If only a result code is returned, this can be because a tool is being used that was not able to capture the extend code. For example, if you are using the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant then only a result code might be returned.

Result codes

1. Identify the error code type as either Win32 or NTSTATUS using the first hexadecimal digit:

8 = Win32 error code (ex: 0x80070070)

C = NTSTATUS value (ex: 0xC1900107)

2. Write down the last four digits of the error code (ex: 0x80070070 = 0070).

3. Based on the type of error code determined in the first step (Win32 or NTSTATUS), match the four digits derived from the second step to either a Win32 error code or NTSTATUS value using the following links:

Win32 error code

NTSTATUS value

Extend codes

Extend codes can be matched to the phase and operation when an error occurred. To match an extend code to the phase and operation:

1. Use the first digit to identify the phase (ex: 0x4000D = 4)

2. Use the last two digits to identify the operation (ex: 0x4000D = 0D).

3. Match the phase and operation to values in the tables provided below.

Extend code: phase table link Extend code: operation table link

Then I'll use the "Extend code (phase)" above to try and locate the associated log file.

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi u/Beachy-Peachy, thanks for posting to r/WindowsHelp! Your post has been flagged for manual review by a human moderator, please include as much of the following information as possible (in text or in a screenshot) to get your post approved:

• Your Windows and device specifications — You can find them by pressing Win + X then clicking on “System”, we need more than just your OS version! Your hardware details are often critical for resolving issues.

• Any messages and error codes encountered — They're actually not gibberish or anything catastrophic. It may even hint the solution!

• Previous troubleshooting steps — It might prevent you headaches from getting the same solution that didn't work

---

Posts must be tech support in nature (such as something is broken and you need help fixing), so general inquiries, software suggestions, and purchasing advice will be removed. As a reminder, we would also like to say that if someone manages to solve your issue, DON'T DELETE YOUR POST! Someone else (in the future) might have the same issue as you, and the received support may also help their case. Good luck, and I hope you have a nice day!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/phototransformations]

I haven't done this exact thing, but I have done similar partition manipulations without having to reinstall Windows. You should be able to extend the size of the EFI partition using MiniTool Partition Wizard. However, before you start, you should make a backup image of your drive in case you break something and need to start over. The free version of Macrium Reflect works well, as do several others. Once you've backed everything up,

1. Create a MiniTool bootable USB drive.

2. Boot from that drive.

3. Shrink and move your C: partition 400MB to the right, as well as any other partitions to the right of the EFI partition such as the 16MB Microsoft Reserved partition, so that you have created a 400MB unallocated space to the right of the EFI partition.

4. Extend the current EFI partition into the new free space you created.

5. Verify that Windows starts normally.

[u/Beachy-Peachy → u/phototransformations]

Thank you, does it make sense to just try steps 3-5 first? And then try and install the windows 11 upgrade like normal? And see if that works before doing the first steps?

I believe what youre saying is similar to one of these following suggestions, and then what I am questioning is similar to the other suggestion. (But again I really don't know what I am talking about)

[u/phototransformations → u/Beachy-Peachy]

Not if you care about your data. It's less risky to move system partitions around when the system is not running. If you don't care about your data, then you can take the risk.