Has anyone here actually done a direct upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 11, and how smooth was it really?
Microsoft pushes Windows 11 as the future, but from what I can see, upgrading directly from 8.1 isn’t officially supported. Most advice I find says I have to do a clean install, which is annoying because I’ll lose programs and settings. Has anyone here found a reliable way to upgrade in place without wiping everything? Are these “bypass” tools or registry hacks trustworthy, or do they just cause headaches later?
Also, I’m skeptical about whether the jump from 8.1 to 11 is even worth it. Is the performance actually better, or are we just trading familiar annoyances for new ones? I’m on a reasonably modern machine (Core i5, 8GB RAM), but I’m not convinced Windows 11 will actually make my day-to-day better.
Would love to hear real experiences – especially anyone who’s tried skipping ahead without going through Windows 10 first. Am I missing the point by holding off, or is sticking with 8.1 still viable in 2024?
