How do you usually reinstall Windows?

[IAmAndre]

Hi

 

I created a topic a few weeks ago about my issue : I've been using Windows 8 Pro for a few years now since my school was providing activation keys to students, but now I received a Windows 10 Home activation key, and I can't use it to upgrade my PC since the Pro and the Home versions are not compatible. Now I have to make a clean install and I'd like to know if you have any tips to share so I can avoid reinstalling all my programs one by one, or make the process less tedious. Do you know any tools that can make me save time?

 

Thanks

[techguru]

Hi

 

I created a topic a few weeks ago about my issue : I've been using Windows 8 Pro for a few years now since my school was providing activation keys to students, but now I received a Windows 10 Home activation key, and I can't use it to upgrade my PC since the Pro and the Home versions are not compatible. Now I have to make a clean install and I'd like to know if you have any tips to share so I can avoid reinstalling all my programs one by one, or make the process less tedious. Do you know any tools that can make me save time?

 

Thanks

you will wanna do a clean install of win 10 for fewer problems

 

as for your programs...if you know how..backup the config files for them..makes settings up LARGE programs faster

 

but you will still need to reinstall the actual programs

[Enderman]

How I do clean installs of windows:

 

1) buy a new SSD

2) install windows to the new SSD (all other drives unplugged)

3) plug in other drives and move data to new SSD

4) fully format all other drives, so 100% clean, then move some of the data back to them

 

probably the most expensive way to reinstall windows though

[typographie]

Do you know any tools that can make me save time?

 

Personally I find a brand new, clean install of Windows with no programs installed for me to customize and organize all over again to be one of the finer joys in life.

 

However, a tip you might find useful: for Steam games, go to the 'Steam' menu, and Backup And Restore Games.. Select the games you want to backup; select the disk you want to back them up to; and set file size to Custom and type in something like 99999 MB (so it doesn't split up the files to DVD size or something). Once you've reformatted and reinstalled Windows and Steam, go back to Backup And Restore Games, select your archive, and reinstall them.

 

Obviously you're still having to reinstall them, but that takes seconds or a few minutes for many games. Depending on your connection speed this can potentially save you many hours of downloading.

[boarder2k7]

Why can't you upgrade your 8 Pro to 10 Pro, get the hardware registered then clean reinstall?

[techguru]

Why can't you upgrade your 8 Pro to 10 Pro, get the hardware registered then clean reinstall?

kinda what I was wondering

he should just upgrade

[Guest]

use ninite that will save you some time. 

[Guest]

Oh and yes, do a fresh install as you may get problems. 

[demonix00]

Why can't you upgrade your 8 Pro to 10 Pro, get the hardware registered then clean reinstall?

Because only 7 and 8.1 are supported for upgrade to windows 10, so the OP will have to upgrade to 8.1 through the windows app store and then upgrade to 10 after downloading a metric crap-ton of updates.

[boarder2k7]

Fair, but possibly worth it for 10 Pro over 10. I like the defer auto updates option.

[SuicideAnomaly]

How I do clean installs of windows:

 

1) buy a new SSD

2) install windows to the new SSD (all other drives unplugged)

3) plug in other drives and move data to new SSD

4) fully format all other drives, so 100% clean, then move some of the data back to them

 

probably the most expensive way to reinstall windows though

I thought I was the only one that followed such a practice. LOL

[Enderman]

I thought I was the only one that followed such a practice. LOL

i really like being able to just manage my data from within the OS, such as copy pasting from one drive to another so that if for some reason the copy fails, I still have the data on the original OS drive to try copy again

[SuicideAnomaly]

i really like being able to just manage my data from within the OS, such as copy pasting from one drive to another so that if for some reason the copy fails, I still have the data on the original OS drive to try copy again

I'm absolutely with you on this one. Although, it's gotten to the point that I have a small stack of SSDs.

[IAmAndre]

Personally I find a brand new, clean install of Windows with no programs installed for me to customize and organize all over again to be one of the finer joys in life.

 

However, a tip you might find useful: for Steam games, go to the 'Steam' menu, and Backup And Restore Games.. Select the games you want to backup; select the disk you want to back them up to; and set file size to Custom and type in something like 99999 MB (so it doesn't split up the files to DVD size or something). Once you've reformatted and reinstalled Windows and Steam, go back to Backup And Restore Games, select your archive, and reinstall them.

 

Obviously you're still having to reinstall them, but that takes seconds or a few minutes for many games. Depending on your connection speed this can potentially save you many hours of downloading.

 

Actually my Steam are on my hard drive, while the OS is on the SSD. So think I won't even need to do any backup, instead I should just reinstall Steam and let it know where the Steam folder is. By the way, I'm fine with Windows 8 (I actually a Linux guy and I hate Windows, but I use it just in the weekend for gaming), and the only reason why I want to upgrade is an issue with my SSD. It's Samsung EVO 840 and it sometimes crashes with an error number that I don't remember, and I've seen on the internet that it was a known issue with this SSD and Win 8.

Why can't you upgrade your 8 Pro to 10 Pro, get the hardware registered then clean reinstall?

 

 

kinda what I was wondering

he should just upgrade

I received a Windows 10 Home activation key, and I can't use it to upgrade from Windows 8 Pro to Windows 10 Home. I could only upgrade to Win 10 Pro but my activation key wouldn't allow me to do that.

[techguru]

Actually my Steam are on my hard drive, while the OS is on the SSD. So think I won't even need to do any backup, instead I should just reinstall Steam and let it know where the Steam folder is. By the way, I'm fine with Windows 8 (I actually a Linux guy and I hate Windows, but I use it just in the weekend for gaming), and the only reason why I want to upgrade is an issue with my SSD. It's Samsung EVO 840 and it sometimes crashes with an error number that I don't remember, and I've seen on the internet that it was a known issue with this SSD and Win 8.

 

 

I received a Windows 10 Home activation key, and I can't use it to upgrade from Windows 8 Pro to Windows 10 Home. I could only upgrade to Win 10 Pro but my activation key wouldn't allow me to do that.

you can upgrade for free

[SubTract]

If windows 8 is up to date you go to the windows store, Then click the upgrade to 8.1 tile.
That will then take a few hours to download and install windows 8.1 pro. When that's done you can update windows 8.1, when that's done you will get the prompt to upgrade to windows 10 pro.

[IAmAndre]

If windows 8 is up to date you go to the windows store, Then click the upgrade to 8.1 tile.

That will then take a few hours to download and install windows 8.1 pro. When that's done you can update windows 8.1, when that's done you will get the prompt to upgrade to windows 10 pro.

I don't have this tile. I'm logged into my account but the tile doesn't show up. I also checked the updates manually in the store, but there are no upgrade to 8.1 or 10 available.

[Sithhy]

How I reinstall Windows?

1. Put a CD with Linux into my PC

2. Boot it up

3. Run GParted

4. Format my C drive

5. Put Windows on my USB stick

6. Install it

7. Done