Should I Reload OS on Used Laptop?

are you referring to the embedded MS tool, "create a system restore point" ?

I use System Restore points successfully and find them very handy on the odd occasion
A huge difference between creating a disk image (with a 3rd party program, as MS recommends) and a restore point is that using a restore point has no effect on your personal data.

Restoring a disk image means restoring 1 or more partitions to the state they were in when you created the image. That's everything on that partition.

I use both- periodic disk imaging as a fundamental means of recovery from bad situations to a failed disk- potentially even a stolen PC.

To me, restore points complement routine disk imaging nicely - I have one created daily on schedule (tutorial available).

Supplement that with more frequent backup of fast changing key data, so that you have a recent and additional copy, and you should be reasonably safe. Excepting asteroids, floods and ELE's, of course.

AOMEI Backupper Edition Comparison

I thought AOMEI was freeware.

As you can see here there's a free version, and under Tools, you can see you should be able to create a bootable disk.

(Tools, Create bootable media).

They have a forum, and their tech support used to answer questions years ago whan I had a free version.

Hasleo Backupper is completely free I believe.

Perhaps the Backupper user guide will help resolve the boot disk problem?

Ghot posted a guide at
Macrium Reflect and Aomei Backupper - Guides - ElevenForum
so perhaps @Ghot can help with the boot disk problem?

@SIW2 - You're familiar with Aomei backupper aswell, I think. Can you help?


Denis

@mridzon


From what I can see you should be able to create the bootable media, in the free version...








Instructions...

System Restore with AOMEI Backupper



Everything you need should be posted here... (scroll down to the AOMEI section)...

Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper and Hasleo Backup Suite - GUIDES | Windows 11 Forum





And here's a link to AOMEI's forum...

AOMEI Forum

That message is quite normal for older machines, I've gotten it. There are hardware limitations in place for running Win11, the model of the CPU plus a TPM 2 [Trusted Platform Module] have to in use. It's possible for a computer to run the unsupported version of Win11 using one of the 'tweaks' posted on various forums so maybe that's what the seller did. I've 'tweaked' 2 Notebooks that are over 10 years old and they work but don't know how long before Microsoft does something else to Windows to prevent that as we only buy/get a license to use it.

mridzon said:

Now I have set up the Media Creation Tool on a USB and booted from it.

Just to avoid misunderstandings in future threads, the MCT is a tool that you can use to make that Windows installation USB.
That Windows installation USB is called a Windows installation USB not an MCT.

mridzon said:

This makes no sense because the machine has Win11 Pro on it already. So I'm not sure how to get around this.

There are workarounds to get Windows 11 on computers that do not meet all the Windows 11 requirements.
Bypass Windows 11 System Requirements - ElevenForumTutorials
Clean Install Windows 11 - ElevenForumTutorials
The current workaround is also described in
How to upgrade from Win11 21h2 to Win 11 22h2 - A guide - Luiz - ElevenForum
which explains that you should create a blank appraiserres.dll file [instead of deleting it as we did for v21H2].
@Megahertz


And do make a note of the workaround that Bree recommends for v24H2 as well - see

and looks like MS have blocked the known workarounds for the 24H2 install media.
So the easiest workaround I've found so far is to make a hybrid usb, part 23H2, part 24H2, then the known workarounds still work

and
Bree post #1,914 about PopCnt - ElevenForum
@Bree



If it is activated 'with a digital licence' in either Windows 10 or Windows 11 then it will get re-activated automatically after a clean install whether you are clean installing Windows 10 or Windows 11 - it is the same licence for both.
In Windows 11, you check the activation status in
Settings, System, Activation
rather than in Windows 10's equivalent
Settings, Updates, Activation.


All the best,
Denis

mridzon said:

Note that the used laptop I bought came with Win11 Pro, not Win10 as I mentioned in the beginning of the thread. That said, early in the process to reinstall, I received an error...



This makes no sense because the machine has Win11 Pro on it already. So I'm not sure how to get around this.

Please edit your profile with ALL your hardware specs. It will help us to help you
System Specs - Fill in at Ten Forums

There are some hardware requirements to install Win 11. Your computed doesn't have some of them. That explain the message.
There are some workaround to install Win 11 on it and it has been used to install Win 11 Pro on it.

Workaround
Make sure you boot the win 11 USB installation drive as UEFI, not Legacy
On a clean install you must load a register file during installation.
Bypass Windows 11 System Requirements Tutorial | Windows 11 Forum
If you want to use a local account What is "oobe\bypassnro" | Windows 11 Forum

On a Win 10 upgrade you do a In place upgrade with tweaked Win 11 installation files.
How to upgrade from Win10 or Win 11 to Win 11 23h2 - A guide | Windows 11 Forum