Windows 11 Upgrade

Challenge

With a mixed fleet of devices ranging from 2019 to 2025, our organization needed a scalable and compliant strategy to upgrade all endpoints to Windows 11. Compatibility varied widely, and manual validation was not feasible across hundreds of machines.

Tools & Technologies

• PowerShell (Upgrade Readiness Script)
• System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)
• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)
• Windows 11 ISO & Task Sequences
• Deployment Workbench

Implementation

1. Developed a PowerShell script to assess upgrade readiness across all endpoints
2. Flagged incompatible devices based on TPM, CPU, Secure Boot, and RAM requirements
3. Assigned SCCM task sequence deployments to compatible devices for in-place upgrade
4. Created a Windows 11 image in MDT for new device provisioning
5. Integrated MDT with SCCM Deployment Workbench for seamless rollout
6. Validated post-upgrade compliance and performance benchmarks

Readiness Script

To automate upgrade eligibility checks, I developed a PowerShell script that evaluates TPM, Secure Boot, CPU architecture, RAM, disk space, and OS version. This sample script was used to flag incompatible devices and streamline SCCM targeting:

function Test-Windows11Readiness {
    Write-Host "Checking Windows 11 upgrade readiness..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

    $results = @{}

    $osVersion = (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).Version
    $results.OSVersion = $osVersion
    $results.OSCompatible = ($osVersion -ge "10.0.19041")

    $cpu = Get-CimInstance Win32_Processor
    $results.CPUArchitecture = $cpu.AddressWidth
    $results.CPUCompatible = ($cpu.AddressWidth -eq 64)

    $ramGB = [math]::Round((Get-CimInstance Win32_ComputerSystem).TotalPhysicalMemory / 1GB, 2)
    $results.RAM = "$ramGB GB"
    $results.RAMCompatible = ($ramGB -ge 4)

    try {
        $tpm = Get-WmiObject -Namespace "Root\CIMv2\Security\MicrosoftTpm" -Class Win32_Tpm
        $results.TPMPresent = $tpm.IsActivated_InitialValue
        $results.TPMCompatible = $tpm.SpecVersion -like "*2.0*"
    } catch {
        $results.TPMPresent = $false
        $results.TPMCompatible = $false
    }

    try {
        $secureBoot = Confirm-SecureBootUEFI
        $results.SecureBootEnabled = $secureBoot
    } catch {
        $results.SecureBootEnabled = $false
    }

    $disk = Get-CimInstance Win32_LogicalDisk -Filter "DeviceID='C:'"
    $freeSpaceGB = [math]::Round($disk.FreeSpace / 1GB, 2)
    $results.FreeSpace = "$freeSpaceGB GB"
    $results.DiskCompatible = ($freeSpaceGB -ge 64)

    $results.ReadyForUpgrade = ($results.OSCompatible -and $results.CPUCompatible -and $results.RAMCompatible -and $results.TPMCompatible -and $results.SecureBootEnabled -and $results.DiskCompatible)

    return $results
}

$readiness = Test-Windows11Readiness
$readiness | Format-List

  

Upgrade Flow Diagram

Impact