Will Windows 8.1 PC Refresh delete programs?

[Aereldor]

Greetings.

 

I've been experiencing some problems with Windows 8.1 Updates (thread here), and thought to use the 'PC' option in the recovery tab of the PC settings menu to solve these problems. However, while it says my PC will be refreshed without affecting my files, it also says that 'Any apps I have downloaded from the internet or installed from CDs will be deleted', and a list of them will be on my desktop.

 

What I don't understand is what it's going to delete and what it's going to keep. Will all my documents and files be there, I'll have to reinstall literally every single program I have? Do programs installed to C/Program Files or C/Program Files x86 get deleted? Or is it referring to Windows 8.1 apps, and not programs? Among other things, I have Steam and a slew of games, Tracktion 4, Sony Movie Studio, and several other programs I absolutely cannot afford to lose.

 

I'm in dire need of assistance, and will be extremely grateful for any.

 

Regards,
Aereldor.

[iRileyx]

If it does the same as windows 10, I can tell you that the steam games will get deleted.
I did this when i was having issues and had to reinstall all my steam games again.  I cant remember exactly what was deleted but things like Chrome and HWMonitor i had to install again aswell.

[ARikozuM]

It assumes that one of the items last installed is the cause of the issue and will delete them so that you can find the possible culprit.

[Aereldor]

5 minutes ago, RKRiley said:

If it does the same as windows 10, I can tell you that the steam games will get deleted.
I did this when i was having issues and had to reinstall all my steam games again.  I cant remember exactly what was deleted but things like Chrome and HWMonitor i had to install again aswell.

 

2 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

It assumes that one of the items last installed is the cause of the issue and will delete them so that you can find the possible culprit.

Oh no. That is really bad. Will I have to re-enter all my settings for these apps as well? I have a bunch of colour profiles and audio presets that I don't want to lose, although I can note down values for them.

Also, would you mind having a look at the thread I linked? Maybe there's another way to solve my problem.

[ARikozuM]

2 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

 

Oh no. That is really bad. Will I have to re-enter all my settings for these apps as well? I have a bunch of colour profiles and audio presets that I don't want to lose, although I can note down values for them.

Also, would you mind having a look at the thread I linked? Maybe there's another way to solve my problem.

Do a clean install if you can. Save all your profiles and documents to a separate drive or USB.

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, ARikozuM said:

Do a clean install if you can. Save all your profiles and documents to a separate drive or USB.

I have a few questions about that-

• I used an OEM key, which you can only use once. Will I have to enter another key?
• Do I need to back up all my data and installers, and reset to factory settings? Will this help me avoid having to re-enter a key?
• Will I be able to download the latest version of Windows 8.1 to reinstall, just so I can avoid update problems like this?

[ARikozuM]

Just now, Aereldor said:

I have a few questions about that-

• I used an OEM key, which you can only use once. Will I have to enter another key?
• Do I need to back up all my data and installers, and reset to factory settings? Will this help me avoid having to re-enter a key?
• Will I be able to download the latest version of Windows 8.1 to reinstall, just so I can avoid update problems like this?

OEM keys are tied to the motherboard, you will be able to keep it since you're reinstalling and not changing the board.

Backing up your data is always important.

You can try to make an ISO that contains all the updates but that relies on you having the updates in place.

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, ARikozuM said:

OEM keys are tied to the motherboard, you will be able to keep it since you're reinstalling and not changing the board.

Backing up your data is always important.

You can try to make an ISO that contains all the updates but that relies on you having the updates in place.

I built this PC and then bought an OEM key, so I don't know whether it's tied to a\my motherboard as an OEM manufacturer key would be.

 

Linus demonstrates making a bootable Windows USB drive after downloading the Windows install data. Do you think the version of Windows 8.1 available for download is the latest available version?

[ARikozuM]

1 minute ago, Aereldor said:

I built this PC and then bought an OEM key, so I don't know whether it's tied to a\my motherboard as an OEM manufacturer key would be.

 

Linus demonstrates making a bootable Windows USB drive after downloading the Windows install data. Do you think the version of Windows 8.1 available for download is the latest available version?

No. It's the base version that every disc comes with.

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, ARikozuM said:

No. It's the base version that every disc comes with.

Is there another way to solve my problem besides reinstalling Windows? The details of the issue are on the thread I linked in the first post.