220-1102 Question 34
Single answerUpgradeA small business is replacing several Windows 10 Pro PCs with new hardware that already meets Windows 11 requirements. One employee uses a line-of-business application that must remain installed and fully configured after the move, and the technician wants the least disruptive supported method to migrate the user to the new computer. Which of the following is the BEST upgrade approach?
- A
Perform an in-place upgrade from the old PC to Windows 11
- B
Use Windows Easy Transfer to move the application and settings to the new PC
- C
Perform a clean installation on the new PC, then reinstall applications and restore user data from backup or migration tools
- D
Clone the old PC's Windows 10 installation directly to the new hardware to preserve everything
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The key distinction is between an in-place upgrade and a migration to replacement hardware. An in-place upgrade keeps apps, files, and settings on the same device while changing the operating system version, such as Windows 10 to Windows 11 on supported hardware. When the company is moving a user to a new computer, the supported and practical method is to deploy the new system, reinstall or redeploy required applications, and migrate user data and settings. This aligns with Microsoft deployment best practices for Windows migrations and avoids issues common with cloning to dissimilar hardware, such as driver mismatches and activation problems. Windows Easy Transfer is obsolete and not a valid modern answer for Windows 10/11 environments.
- A. Incorrect.
Incorrect. An in-place upgrade is used on the same device to move from one supported OS version to another while keeping applications and settings. It is not the correct method for moving an existing installation to entirely different hardware. In this scenario, the organization is replacing the PCs, so the upgrade path involves deploying the new system and migrating data rather than upgrading the old device in place.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Windows Easy Transfer was used with older Windows versions and is not a current supported migration method for modern Windows 10/11 deployments. A candidate might choose this because it sounds like the right kind of tool for a user migration, but it is outdated and would not be the best supported approach here.
- C. Correct.
Correct. When moving to new hardware, the standard best practice is a clean installation or factory deployment on the new PC, followed by reinstalling needed applications and migrating user data and settings using backups, profile migration tools, OneDrive, or enterprise migration solutions. This is the most reliable and supported approach, especially when ensuring compatibility with Windows 11 and avoiding driver and activation problems tied to the old hardware.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disk cloning from one PC to dissimilar hardware can lead to boot failures, driver conflicts, licensing or activation issues, and unsupported configurations. Although cloning may appear to be the fastest way to preserve the exact environment, it is generally not the best practice for a hardware refresh in a business setting unless specialized deployment imaging processes are being used and validated.