How to Clean Install Windows 10

Posted by Aguilar Dyer on February 26th, 2021

How To Clean Install Windows 10

The Windows 10 upgrade process drags old documents, settings, and programs from the past Windows system to your new one. Microsoft allows you to get a totally fresh system by doing a fresh install, but the activation process can be somewhat confusing.

This is also helpful if you've obtained a new Windows 10 PC also it includes manufacturer-installed bloatware you do not want. Or, you might have to perform a clean install on a computer without an existing Windows system after installing a brand new hard disk.

Be aware that you will not qualify for the complimentary"Windows DVD Player" program offered to users of Windows Media Center if you perform a fresh install. However, you always have the option to set up VLC to get DVD playback or utilize one of the more fully featured Windows Media Center alternatives.

There's an alternative to clean-installing. You may use the Reset feature to reset your Windows 10 system back to its new state.

If you installed Windows 10 yourself, then this will give you a fresh Windows system. If you bought a computer that came with Windows 10, this will probably bring back the bloatware that came with your Windows 10 PC. (There should be a way to stop Windows 10's Reset work from reinstalling the bloatware, but we'll need to get our hands on a PC which comes with Windows 10 before we can learn how.)

Note that this might not be the perfect solution -- although it ought to provide you a perfectly like-new Windows system, a few individuals have reported that it won't fix some system corruption difficulties, in which case you'd want to carry out a real clean install.

To reset your Windows 10 PC, open the Settings program, select Update & safety, select Recovery, and click on the"Get started" button below Reset this PC. Select "Remove everything." This will wipe all of your files, so make sure that you have copies.

For Your Free Upgrade: Have You Upgraded and Activated Your Windows 10 System?

If you want to execute a clean install of Windows 10 and haven't updated to Windows 10 yet in your Windows 7 or 8.1 PC, you have some extra work to perform. You'll need to make the most of Microsoft's update offer before performing a fresh install. (Obviously, in case you have a PC that came with Windows 10 or you have purchased your own Windows 10 license, this is not necessary.)

When you update a Windows 7 or 8.1 program to Windows 10, the installer verifies that you have a"genuine Windows" system installed and activates your computer to be used with Windows 10. Be aware that you don't actually get a Windows 10 product key -- rather, your computer's hardware is registered with Microsoft's servers. When you install Windows 10 on this PC again in the future, it is going to check in with Microsoft's servers, affirm it is installed on a documented PC, and automatically activate itself.

If you do not make the most of the upgrade procedure first, this enrollment won't ever happen. There is no way to input a Windows 7 or 8.1 key into the Windows 10 installer, nor is there any sort of web form that will give you a Windows 10 key should you provide your Windows 7 or 8.1 key. Sorry -- you are going to have to update to Windows 10 before it's possible to perform a fresh install.

If you need to upgrade, you are able to download Microsoft's Windows 10 media development tool and let it"Upgrade this PC now." It will automatically upgrade you to Windows 10 if your PC is operating a genuine version of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

As soon as you're done, affirm that Windows 10 is activated before doing a clean install. You may check it by launching Settings, choosing Update & Security, and selecting Activation.

Confirm that you see"Windows is triggered" here. Additionally, note the edition of Windows 10 you have installed either Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro. The majority of people are going to receive the Home version as part of the free update, but you are going to receive Windows 10 Pro if you had a Professional edition of Windows 7 or 8.1 installed.

If Windows 10 is not activated, don't attempt to carry out a clean install till it's.

Download Windows 10 and Produce Setup Media

Even if your Windows system has already been upgraded with the"Get Windows 10" reservation procedure, you'll want to download Windows installation media to install Windows 10 out of scratch.

Download the Windows 10 media production tool from Microsoft. This tool will download the right Windows 10 setup files for your system, and in addition it has built-in capabilities to create USB installation media or burn an installer DVD. Select the"Create installation media for one more PC" option to create installation media.

Make sure you select the right type of installation media for the backup of Windows 10 that's licensed to your PC -- Windows 10 Home or Professional. You should also pick your language and choose whether you would like the 32-bit or even 64-bit version of Windows here most folks will want the 64-bit edition. However, it is possible to make installation media that includes the 32-bit and 64-bit edition, and the installer will automatically select the most suitable one when you use it in order to install Windows onto a computer.

Install Windows 10 in the installation media just like you would any other operating system. Restart your computer with the USB drive or DVD added and boot from that device. This will require you change a setting in the BIOS, get into a boot , or utilize the"Use a device" option in the advanced startup options on a modern Windows 8 or 10 device that includes UEFI firmware rather than the traditional BIOS.

Select"Install Now" once the Windows installer begins. When you get to a screen requesting your Windows 10 item key, click on the Skip button. You won't actually have a Windows 10 product key if you use the free upgrade deal.

If you do have a Windows 10 product key, enter it here.

Proceed through the installation process normally before you see the"Which type of installation do you need?" screen. Select the"Custom" option to ensure you're performing a clean install rather than an upgrade install.

Partition your system drive however you like. If you merely have one Windows partition, you can tell the installer to overwrite it. In case you have you're going to be asked for the product key after the process is completed. Click here"Do this after" to skip this part and continue the installation process.

Once you log into your brand new, clean-installed Windows 10 program, it must automatically activate itself once you connect to the Internet. If you use this free upgrade deal, it does this by checking your pc hardware and then checking in using Microsoft, verifying your hardware setup is authorized to use Windows 10.

After we reinstalled Windows 10 Guru on our computer, it activated immediately. However , if Microsoft's activation servers are overloaded, so it could take a while before your system triggers. You can open the Preferences program, pick Update & security, and choose Activation to check your activation status. If it is not activated, you might find information here that can help you activate.

Many people report needing to reboot many times, but others have just waited. The following command may force an activation to happen if it is not happening automatically following through the steps above. First, open an Administrator Command Prompt by right-clicking that the Start button or pressing Windows Key + X and picking Command Prompt (Admin). Type the following command and press Enter: "slmgr.vbs /ato"

Many men and women report having to run this command several times. If you see an error message, try rebooting and running it again, wait and run it , or just wait and let Windows activate automatically. Microsoft's servers may be overloaded at the moment that you're attempting to activate.

Microsoft's free upgrade offer depends on your PC's hardware so it may not activate properly in the event that you've swapped out hardware within your PC. You might need to phone Microsoft and complete the telephone activation procedure, describing what happened, in case you altered the PC's hardware after taking advantage of this deal. The phone support line can provide you an activation code that will allow you to trigger Windows 10, even though it will not activate automatically. But, you might need to provide extra information.

Note that the free Windows 10 update (as well as OEM copies of Windows and pre-installed copies of Windows 10) can't really be transferred to a separate PC. They are tied to one PC's hardware.