Windows - Maintenance Tasks - Windows 10 to Windows 11 Upgrade via ISO

What the Windows 11 ISO upgrade Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ performs an unattended, in-place upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 using an ISO file stored on your network share. The Worklet eliminates the need for local installation media by copying the ISO to each endpoint, mounting it, and running the Windows Setup utility with predefined upgrade arguments.

The Worklet validates that each endpoint meets Microsoft's Windows 11 hardware requirements before initiating the upgrade. This includes checking for Trusted Platform Module 2.0 or later, at least 64GB of disk space, and a minimum of 4GB of RAM. After the upgrade completes, the endpoint automatically reboots and presents the Windows 11 out-of-box experience on next login.

Risks from delaying Windows 11 migration

Windows 10 reaches end of support on October 14, 2025. After this date, endpoints running Windows 10 stop receiving security updates, leaving known vulnerabilities unpatched and creating compliance failures for regulated industries. Manual upgrades require IT staff visits or USB drive shipments to each endpoint, consuming weeks of labor across large deployments.

Hardware compatibility issues block Windows 11 upgrades on incompatible endpoints. Without automated validation, you attempt upgrades on systems lacking TPM 2.0 or sufficient disk space, creating failed installations that require manual recovery and extended endpoint downtime.

How Windows 11 ISO upgrade works

1. Evaluation phase: Checks if the endpoint is already running Windows 11. If on Windows 10, the Worklet calls the Get-Win11Eligibility function to validate TPM 2.0 presence and enablement, disk capacity (minimum 64GB), and RAM capacity (minimum 4GB). The endpoint is flagged for remediation only if all checks pass.

2. Remediation phase: Confirms eligibility again, then copies the Windows 11 ISO from the network share to C:\WindowsSetup, mounts it to an available drive letter, extracts setup files, and executes setup.exe with the specified upgrade arguments (auto upgrade, EULA acceptance, quiet installation). The endpoint automatically reboots to finalize the upgrade, creating a cached upgrade package approximately 30GB in size during the process.

Windows 11 ISO upgrade requirements

• Windows 10 x64 (version 1909 or later)

• PowerShell 5.0 or later

• Trusted Platform Module 2.0 enabled and activated

• Minimum 64GB disk space on primary drive (additional 30GB for upgrade cache)

• Minimum 4GB RAM

• Network share with ISO file accessible to SYSTEM account with Read permissions

• Windows 11 ISO matching the endpoint's System Default UI Language (required for Windows 11 22H2 and later)

• Configure three parameters: isoPath (network path to ISO), argumentList (setup arguments), setupDir (local cache directory)

Outcomes after automated Windows 11 deployment

Your endpoints run Windows 11 with continued security update support beyond the October 2025 deadline. The migration completes without IT staff visits or manual USB installations, saving weeks of deployment labor. Endpoints maintain full Automox connectivity with normal console status after the automatic reboot completes.

Users complete the Windows 11 out-of-box experience on next login while their previous Windows 10 installation persists at C:\Windows.old for recovery. You coordinate user disruption through Automox Restart Notifications by adding /noreboot to argumentList, controlling when endpoints complete the final reboot. Your organization maintains compliance through supported operating system versions across the entire fleet.

How to validate windows 10 to windows 11 upgrade via iso changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot Windows endpoint and review evaluation output for windows 10 to windows 11 upgrade via iso.

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as Get-CimInstance, Write-Verbose, Get-Disk.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as Get-CimInstance, Write-Output, Get-Disk, then rerun evaluation for compliance.

Expected state after windows 10 to windows 11 upgrade via iso changes

After remediation, endpoints reflect the target windows 10 to windows 11 upgrade via iso configuration and report compliant status in Automox.

You can confirm results by correlating activity logs with evaluation checks (Get-CimInstance, Write-Verbose, Get-Disk) and remediation actions (Get-CimInstance, Write-Output, Get-Disk).