Forum Discussion
install win 11 pro on a new machine that came with win 11 Home
Primarily designed to download the latest Windows 11 ISO and create a bootable USB or DVD. It doesn't support using a custom ISO directly, nor does it allow for installing a specific edition like Pro without downloading or burning the image itself.
Thanks for the response. That's what I thought, but I figured I should be sure before spending the time to use Rufus. It's a shame that I can't turn the new machine on, which will start configuring Windows 11 Home, and enter my Win 11 Pro product key to update the machine to Pro immediately, and have the machine configure itself as a Pro machine.
If memory serves, the last time I bought a new machine that came will Win 11 Home, I turned the machine on and went through the Home configuration. Once that was done, I upgraded to Win 11 Pro by just changing the product key to Win 11 Pro. That is, there was very little actual "upgrading" (installing software), which leads me to believe that Windows 11 Home installation and a Pro are really the same - it's just that the Pro key enables the additional Pro features and behaviors. I could be wrong about that, but that what it looked like.
The reason I want to avoid going through the Home configuration is that I want to set the machine up with a local account, not a Microsoft account. I'm running a domain, so I have never logged into Windows with a Microsoft account.
Thanks again!