I've heard that people do such things (using something called Rufus?), and I have an older machine -16 GB RAM, i7-6700 3060 Ti, ASUS Z170-A motherboard-- running Windows 10 Pro-- that I want to keep ...

This process is called a clean install, which is ironic as there's nothing particularly clean about it: Microsoft has enshittified Windows Setup.

Don't Throw Away Your Laptop: How to Install Windows 11 On Unsupported Hardware ...

So, what can you do if you want Windows 11 but keep hitting these roadblocks? The answer is Rufus. This free tool simplifies the process. With Rufus, you can bypass ...