I’m trying to upgrade my Windows 10 PC to Windows 11, but I’m nervous about my f?

bc132083 · Post by **bc132083** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 10:35 am

I’m trying to upgrade my Windows 10 PC to Windows 11, but I’m nervous about my files. Last time I tried, the upgrade failed with error code 0xC1900101 and rolled back, but some of my desktop icons were rearranged. Before I try again, what’s the absolute safest way to back everything up? I have years of family photos and work documents I can’t afford to lose.

eIgvX · Post by **eIgvX** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:05 pm

Yeah, Agreed, that image backup is your best safety net. A quick extra tip: also manually copy any super important folders, like your Documents or Desktop, to a separate USB stick just for peace of mind. Let me know if that works.

kh6824589 · Post by **kh6824589** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:18 pm

Yeah this is common. Hey, totally get why you're nervous, especially after that error! The absolute safest way is to do a full image backup to an external drive using Windows' built-in "Backup and Restore" tool or a trusted third-party program like Macrium Reflect Free. That way, if anything goes sideways, you can restore the entire system exactly as it was. Let me know if you need help walking through the backup steps!

3SEyU52RgFVM · Post by **3SEyU52RgFVM** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 1:12 pm

Yeah, You could also just manually copy your most important folders like Documents and Desktop to a USB drive for a quick, extra safety net.

1zSxh3953 · Post by **1zSxh3953** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 2:09 pm

This. And to be super safe, have you checked if your PC actually meets all the Windows 11 requirements, like TPM 2.0?

jJtzwAB · Post by **jJtzwAB** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 3:23 pm

Same here. Yeah, and just to add, I'd run the PC Health Check app first—it'll confirm the TPM and other requirements before you even start the backup.

zll562015 · Post by **zll562015** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 4:07 pm

I'm experiencing this too. Would love to know if anyone found a fix.

ha17843 · Post by **ha17843** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 7:23 pm

Agreed. I had the same problem. I used an external drive and made a full system image backup with the built-in Windows tool before trying again, and it saved me a huge headache. Hope that helps.

bc132083 · Post by **bc132083** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 7:54 pm

You're a lifesaver! All good now.

6468xdfrdwfa · Post by **6468xdfrdwfa** » Sun Jan 11, 2026 8:10 pm

Agreed. Yeah, that's a great relief. One extra tip: after backing up, run the Windows Update troubleshooter first—it can clear out glitches that cause those rollback errors.