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HP Recommended
HP EliteDesk 800 65W G3 Base Model Desktop Mini PC
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

Hi,

I just purchased an EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini (65W) with the core i5-7500.

The machine came with a fresh install of Windows 10 Pro, and everything works great.

 

Before I start really using the machine (for software development) I'm going to replace the SSD drive to a larger/better one.

 

Question 1:

As I understand it, the Windows 10 Pro key is in the BIOS, so I don't need to enter one correct?  Just replace the SSD with a new one, boot up, and the G3 will ask me to install Windows?

 

Question 2:

Actually, since I'm starting fresh, I really want to install Windows 11.  Is this possible?  Not an upgrade, but a fresh install of Windows 11 with my Windows 10 Pro key from the bios, perhaps from a Windows ISO.

 

Thanks for your help and any info!  The G3 is a great machine!

Burt

 

 

 

5 REPLIES 5
HP Recommended

Hi, Burt:

 

I also recently purchased an Elitedesk 800 G3 DM as well and it runs W11 Pro just fine.

 

However, you have to use a W11 hardware check bypass method to install W11 because the i5-7500 processor is not supported for W11.

 

What I suggest you do is this:

 

Upgrade your current installation to W11.

 

Use the steps in this discussion below:

 

You have to use the version of the Rufus utility that I zipped up and attached in the discussion (v3.18).

 

Re: Issues upgrading to windows 11 - HP Support Community - 8517912

 

If the in-place upgrade fails, you should be able to clean install W11 using the bootable W11 installation flash drive you made with Rufus.

 

That way Microsoft has a record of your PC having been upgraded to W11 and you can use the same USB flash drive to install W11 on the new SSD you get.

 

When you clean install W11, I can't remember if it asked for a product key, but here's what you can do if it does.

 

First you may be asked what version of W11 you want to install.  Select W11 Pro 64 bit.

 

Then you may be asked to enter a product key.  Select the 'I don't have a product key' option, and W11 will install and then activate after you are connected to the internet.

 

Then when W11 23H2 comes out on Oct 10th you can make a new USB installer with Rufus and the W11 23H2 ISO file and do an in-place upgrade from W11 22H2 to W11 23H2, as unsupported PC's will never be able to get the direct upgrade to the next build of W11 from Microsoft.

 

So, you will have to do this once a year after Microsoft releases the new build of W11.

HP Recommended

Hi Paul,

This is great info!  Very helpful!  It's great that you have the same machine I do!

 

Let me go thru your instructions again and make sure I understand them.

Amazon will deliver my new SSD tomorrow, so I'll start as soon as I get it.

 

Great news that my G3 will support W11 and get updates as well going forward!

 

Dumb question: What functionality does "Rufus" provide?

 

Many thanks for your excellent help.   Most appreciated.  I'm quite new to these "mini" pc's.

Burt

 

 

HP Recommended

You're very welcome, Burt.

 

Using that version of the Rufus utility will allow you to do in-place upgrades to W11 as I had described in that link I posted.

 

While you may not think that is important now since you want to clean install W11, you will find it of great value afterward because if you don't do it that way, you would have to back up your files and have all of your program installation files ready to reinstall each year, because if you use the regular method to create the W11 installation media, it will not allow you to do an in-place upgrade.

 

The Rufus utility will also allow you to clean install W11 without having to make any registry changes and whatnot to clean install W11.

 

This was my first DM PC too. 

 

The G2's and G3's are very reasonably priced since they cannot directly run W11, and folks don't want to deal with workarounds, even though the method I used is relative child's play.

 

The 800 G4 DM costs much more because it can run W11 without any workarounds, and I would have gotten one of those if it had cost the same or a little more than the $65 I paid on eBay for mine back in June.

 

Even the 35W model I got packs plenty of pep.  I was very impressed.

 

The only upgrade I did was to remove the 2.5" 256 GB SATA SSD it came with and installed a 1 TB Samsung 980 NVMe SSD.

 

It had already come with 2 x 8 GB of memory.

 

I had in-place upgraded the existing W10 Pro installation to W11 Pro with the Rufus- created USB flash drive on the SATA SSD, and then clean installed W11 on the Samsung drive using the Rufus flash drive I created.

 

So, I will have to make a new W11 installation flash drive with Rufus and the W11 23H2 ISO file next month, and hopefully all will go smoothly with an in-place upgrade.

 

Then I have about 8 other PC's I have to upgrade that way that are all unsupported and running on W11 22H2 Pro.

 

The upgrade process takes less than 30 minutes depending on the speed of the PC and how many files/programs are installed.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

HP Recommended

Hi again Paul,

I'm following your recommendation to make a "system image" of my current Win10 Pro installation before attempting to update to win11 pro, as well as a "bootable USB rescue drive" to access that system image.

I've downloaded the Macrium reflect Workstation software, and I need a bit of help:

 

In essence, which do I create first, the system image or the rescue disk and to where?

For the "Rescue" icon:

Do I create a "Windows Boot Menu" or an "ISO file"?

 

For the "Backup>Backup Windows..." (a system image?) do I backup to my existing SSD or to a USB?

 

As you know, I'm also trying to swap out that existing SSD with a new one, hopefully with updated system image with win11 pro in its place.

 

This is really a "Macrium" question, so thanks for any insight.

Burt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HP Recommended

Hi, Burt.

 

I have used Macrium reflect to make system images on all of my PC's.

 

You can do either first.

 

Since the 800 DM does not have a DVD drive, I suggest you get a 4 GB or so USB flash drive to create the bootable rescue media with.  You should have an option to do that.

 

Then you can save the system image on either a portable hard drive or a different USB flash drive.

 

My system images don't take up a lot of space--less than 2 GB or so.

 

I store mine on a 1 TB portable hard drive.

 

That is only going to be good to restore the W10 image on the existing drive.

 

But since you are going to clean install W11 on the new drive, it doesn't matter.

 

You can clone the W11 drive image to the new SSD, but you have to select the option to clone a smaller drive to a larger one and it is not an automatic process.  You have to set parameters.

 

Perhaps this Macrium forum post will be of help to you if you would rather do that vice a clean install.

 

cloning smaller drive to a larger drive (macrium.com)

 

I clean installed W11 on my Samsung 980 SSD using the bootable W11 Rufus installation flash drive as I had mentioned the other day.

 

Paul

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