Windows 10 Fresh install of Win 10?

[floppybootstomp]

How do I do that then Ted?

I must confess I'm being lazy here, I haven't searched but I thought somebody might know or have had experience of doing a fresh install of Windows 10.

I ask as most of us would have installed from a download changing from Windows 7 or 8/8.1 and won't have a disk containing the OS.

It would also be nice to be prepared should I ever have Win 10 pulled out from under me due to it crashing or nobbled by a virus or hard disk failure.

Can I download a backup disk/ISO from Microsoft?

I want to do a fresh install as my Win 10 is riddled with problems, the most annoying of which is the OS's failure to recognise most USB connections, including memory cards.

So, any help/advice/experience much appreciated.

 

[V_R]

Either use the media creation tool to create a bootable USB and install that way or you can 'start over' or what ever they call in in settings.



https://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

 

[Ian]

Here's a link to the media creation tool that @V_R mentioned - it allows you to burn a DVD or USB stick with a bootable Windows installation:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks fellas. I did follow V_R's link and Windows informed me that before I done anything I should upgrade from version 14393 to 15063 so I did, even though that seems a bit pointless to me if I'm going to wipe the SSD and reinstall. And now it keeps telling me to use Edge instead of Explorer...

I thought the update may have cured my USB problem but it didn't.

Would be nice to be able to play Gears Of War 4 as well, as promised by the software giant.

Right then, lets burn a disk.

 

[V_R]

version 14393 to 15063

Sounds like the Creators update. Not a lot to get excited about tbh, game mode is probably the one stand out feature.

Sounds like a fresh install wouldn't be a bad idea, and tbh a fresh install of 10 is actually pretty harmless if you go with the Media Creation tool as it should give you an undated version meaning less updates to install and the activation should sort itself out without your intervention. I've done it and it was a pretty quick process.

 

[Abarbarian]

Here is a link for a Windows 10 .iso from the Microsoft site. This means you can use ordinary programs to burn to a cd or usb from a GNU/Linux or Mac pc.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/sof...76X817180X233eef88e33c492e7b16d57e3d1ea716)()

 

[V_R]

That's just a link to the Media Creation Tool Ab, the same as Ian posted and the same as the one in the link I posted!

 

[muckshifter]

you don't need to download and make anything, Windows 10 can do a 'fresh clean' instal from itself.

https://www.howtogeek.com/132428/ev...nd-resetting-your-windows-8-pc/]Reset this PC

"Windows 10 includes a “Reset your PC” option that quickly restores Windows to its factory default configuration. It’s faster and more convenient than reinstalling Windows from scratch or using your manufacturer’s recovery partition."

 

[V_R]

That links dead mucks.

But yes as I said in post two, you have 2 options, media creation tool or reset.

I personally would still format because I have OCD for this kind of thing and a fresh install of 10 to an SSD from a high speed USB 3.0 stick is actually really fast, probably just as fast as a reset by the time its finished buggering about!

 

[floppybootstomp]

Slight problem there for installing from a USB stick - my copy of Win 10 doesn't see USB sticks, that's the problem...

I've burnt my Win 10 Home Edition DVD now, just got to take the bull by the horns and wipe my hard disk.

I'm worried about two things:

1) Reactivation - will my original Win 7 code suffice?
2) Saved games that were saved to C drive - they'll be lost

 

[Abarbarian]

That's just a link to the Media Creation Tool Ab, the same as Ian posted and the same as the one in the link I posted!

Oh right I just saw this and thought it was for a different .iso. Reading through some of the info they seem to have made downloading and installing Windows 10 as complex as they can, it all looks very confusing to me.

 

[Abarbarian]

Slight problem there for installing from a USB stick - my copy of Win 10 doesn't see USB sticks, that's the problem...

I've burnt my Win 10 Home Edition DVD now, just got to take the bull by the horns and wipe my hard disk.

I'm worried about two things:

1) Reactivation - will my original Win 7 code suffice?
2) Saved games that were saved to C drive - they'll be lost

You could save the folders with saved games or in fact any folder by using a Live CD version of some GNU/Linux.
You could hook in a blank hdd/ssd and run the live distro cd, Then transfer any folders you want to the blank hdd/ssd.

 

[V_R]

Ah yeah sorry, force of habit to say USB but obviously you can burn to DVD too.

1) Reactivation - will my original Win 7 code suffice?
2) Saved games that were saved to C drive - they'll be lost

Activation will take care of itself. you shouldn't have to do anything.

Next, you’ll see the activation screen. What you do here depends on your situation:

• If you’ve never installed and activated Windows 10 on this computer before, you’ll see the activation screen. Enter your Windows 10 key here. If you don’t have one, but you have a valid 7, 8, or 8.1 key, enter it here instead.
• If you’ve ever installed and activated Windows 10 on this computer before, click “I don’t have a product key”. Windows will automatically activate once it’s installed.

The second situation works because of how Windows 10 activates PCs. When you install and activate Windows 10 on a system for the first time, the installer confirms that you have a “genuine Windows” system installed and registers your hardware with Microsoft’s servers. After that, you shouldn’t have to enter that key again on the same PC–Microsoft will recognize your hardware the next time you install Windows 10 on that machine, confirm it’s registered, and automatically activate itself

That link I posted above should explain it all.

As for your saves, can you not copy them onto another drive? Or save them to GDrive/Dropbox/OneDrive etc?

 

[floppybootstomp]

I had a thought after I posted - silly me. A USB stick would boot from the BIOS for a fresh install wouldn't it, not Win 10 so I probably could use a memory stick. Still, I've got the DVD now, may as well use it.

Activation will take care of itself? I'll believe that when I see it, lol, this is Microsoft

As for the games, I suppose I'll have to seek them out now but yes, I suppose they could be saved.

Just have to take a deep breath now.

I actually have my SSD with Win 10 in a caddy so I can swap other OS's in and out and currently have Linux Mint on another SSD so I could just wipe Mint for now and put Win 10 on that just to see if all goes well.

Sounds like a plan

 

[V_R]

Wiping Mint to install Win 10!!??

AB and Bootneck will never speak to you again.

 

[Abarbarian]

Wiping Mint to install Win 10!!??

AB and Bootneck will never speak to you again.

seriously though it would be more like

 

[Abarbarian]

I actually have my SSD with Win 10 in a caddy so I can swap other OS's in and out and currently have Linux Mint on another SSD so I could just wipe Mint for now and put Win 10 on that just to see if all goes well.

Sounds like a plan

Great plan mate. When you have W10 up and running again and you wipe the old W10 you might as well try out a decent distro and give Mint the heave ho.

https://mxlinux.org/download-links

 

[floppybootstomp]

Actually, I rarely used the Mint install on my main computer, it's used more on my secondary machine, in the bedroom, which is a separate install on another hard disk. So that's why I don't mind wiping that particular install

I'm wondering why I should try another install when I like Mint. I think I'll decline the suggestion for two reasons:

1) I've tried at least half a dozen other distros and every one of them has had issues, especially Suse. Mint, however, is stress free

2) I'm a bit odd in that I don't like people telling me what to do So MX can go take a hike (probably the reason I don't use Chrome or Firefox browsers - cos everybody else does and everybody else keeps telling me to use them - pah. I'm a strange soul - I like Explorer for Windows and Opera for Linux.

Let's go look for those savegames then.

 

[Abarbarian]

2) I'm a bit odd in that I don't like people telling me what to do

A man after me own heart. Though to be honest I do wish I had done what some wise folks told me to do in the past.

 

[bootneck02]

Yep never speaking to you again Mr Flops, But I am like you I never use Chrome or Firefox, I use Start Page. But as you are a gamer Windows 10 is the only way to go.But I do not like MS for the simple reason of dater mining as I consider MY pc the one I built to be mine and NOT Microsofts property. I am lucky the wifes PC (also home built by me) is Windows 10, so should I need to I can use it but so far haven't needed to.