Clean Install of Windows 10

Modified on Mon, 24 Oct, 2022 at 1:35 PM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Important Notes
Stage 1: Create Windows 10 installation media
Stage 2: Installing Windows
Step 3: Configure Windows

Important Notes

You'll need, 1 x USB at least 8GB in size (data will be wiped)

Backup of your personal files

All of your software and data will be removed in this process

Stage 1: Create Windows 10 installation media

Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool from this page:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10 [Click "Download tool now"]

Insert the USB into the PC and then cnce the Media Creation Tool is downloaded, run the file and follow the steps to "Create an Installation USB for another PC".

When the Media Creation Tool finishes you should have a USB ready to use for the following steps.

For further instructions on this process, please follow the instructions on the Microsoft website on how to use the tool under the section titled:

"Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC"

Stage 2: Installing Windows

Depending on the type of system you are repairing, note one of the following F keys for the next process:

F8 = Asus Desktop Motherboard

F11 = MSi Desktop Motherboard

F12 = Gigabyte Desktop Motherboard

F7 or F11 = Laptops*

* on laptops you often cannot get this menu from a 'shutdown' so instead do a 'restart' from within Windows and tap the key during that restart process

Please make sure the USB is in the system and turn on or restart the PC - to bring up the Boot Menu start to rapidly hit the appropriate F key 2 or 3 times a second. Keep going until you see the Boot Menu on screen.

Once the menu pops up, please select the USB device from the list. If you have two entries, one with UEFI and one without, please choose the 'UEFI: USB drive' option.

The setup starts by asking what language, time, currency and keyboard input settings you want to use. Make the selections you prefer i.e. English (United Kingdom) and click Next.

Click or tap Install now to start the installation.

Setup takes a couple of seconds to start and then, you are asked to enter the product key for Windows 10. If the PC has already been activated this step is not necessary, so choose "I don't have a key". If this is the first time you've ever installed Windows 10 then insert the key.

If prompted, choose the correct version of Windows to install (for most people this will be Home):

Read and Accept the license terms to proceed.

You are asked for the installation type. As you are installing Windows 10 from scratch, click or tap "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)".

Now you are asked to select where you want to install Windows so we need to identify your main Windows drive. This is by far the most complex part of the process so I'll try to cover this in as much detail as possible, whilst keeping things simple. Try to find the Scenario that suits your situation.

* WARNING * THIS NEXT STEP WILL DELETE DATA. THIS DATA CANNOT BE RECOVERED ONCE THIS HAS BEEN DONE! PLEASE SELECT CAREFULLY!

First Scenario:

You have a brand new, unused, SSD or HDD that you're trying to install Windows too.

In this scenario the drive will already show as "Unallocated Space" so look for the only drive that shows as totally unallocated space and the Total size should be roughly the size of the drive you added. Ignore any other drives as partitioning for them should be sorted out later. E.G.

Click Next on this Drive to install Windows.

Second Scenario:

You have a corrupt Windows currently installed and we're trying to remove it and start again.

At this stage we need to identify the current Windows drive from the list. The easiest way to do this is to look for the "System" partition under the "Type" heading. E.G.

Once you have located the System partition note the "Drive #" value (#1 in the example above). Now remove all partitions that match this Drive #. In the example above you would remove all Drive 1 partitions until it looks like this:

You will get warnings about removing the partitions. You are removing access to the data at this stage.

Once you're done, click Next with "Drive 1 Unallocated Space" highlighted to start the Clean Install process.

* WARNING OVER * If you're stuck/unclear at this stage please give us a call to discuss.

Now the installation will start. The setup takes a few minutes to copy all the required files and install the Windows 10 operating system.

Step 3: Configure Windows

Once the installation is done, the setup program will automatically reboot your computer or device at least two times, to run the first-time configuration scripts. You just need to wait patiently for the process to finish.

After the reboots are finished, you are greeted with a first-time setup message, where you can select settings specific to your experience.

Follow the instructions to set up an account etc and eventually you start seeing these screens:

You're almost done. Windows 10 takes a while to prepare your computer and your user account and your apps and all the settings. The process may also involve a restart.

When it's done, you are logged into Windows 10 and you can view the Desktop.

At this stage the final thing to do is to run Windows Updates to get the latest security fixes and drivers for your hardware. Launch the Start Menu -> Settings -> Update & Security - > and click Check for Updates.

Restart the PC once this process is complete and check again until you get the message that no more updates are available and that your system is up to date. Now you should be able to continue using the PC like normal. If there are any errors or if any functionality isn't working just let us know.