Reinstalling Windows Questions

[Bazrat]

So I've bought a New CPU and MOBO and gonna put them in a new case and put my current SSD, HDD, RAM and Graphics Card into it. But I want to do a fresh re-install of windows and clean my main ssd drive, I know it's not necessary but it I've heard it's recommended. But I'm a little confused with some things and would like some clarifying. So my I have the newest version of Windows 10, I've got my product key, linked it to my Microsoft Account, but I just realised it's an OEM version. This windows license is from a previous HP laptop I had years ago, i just chucked the SSD into my new build and didn't have any problems with it, installed all the drivers and stuff, but I never reinstalled windows. So I'm wondering if reinstalling windows would require me to buy a new license? And also when reinstalling it, would it be better to just click the reset thingy in settings or do it via a spare USB I have? I might add more later, I wanted to ask something else but I forgot .

 

Thanks ahead of time

[homeap5]

1 hour ago, Bazrat said:

So I've bought a New CPU and MOBO and gonna put them in a new case and put my current SSD, HDD, RAM and Graphics Card into it. But I want to do a fresh re-install of windows and clean my main ssd drive, I know it's not necessary but it I've heard it's recommended.

 

You heard wrong. That "recommended" is a myth repeated again and again.

Similar (or even the same) question right below your post: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/963652-clean-install-w10/

 

[Bazrat]

12 minutes ago, homeap5 said:

You heard wrong. That "recommended" is a myth repeated again and again.

Similar (or even the same) question right below your post: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/963652-clean-install-w10/

It would also make it easier to just clean out everything. But I guess I could do it the long painful way haha. I just wanted to know if it's possible with this OEM license?

[PowerChaos]

Yes and no

If you got a recovery partition then you could use That 

if not then windows Will ASK for a license. 

On other side. Your windows is linked to your email. So I guess windows should reconise iT is a fresh install

 

Greets from PowerChaos 

[homeap5]

As I wrote - if you have microsoft account linked, you'll be fine.

And best method is to check first, then ask imo. It's only one boot on new machine.

 

And about "clean out everything" - do you expect that some trash will spill out of your drive if you do not clean it? It's hard drive, don't worry about cleaning out. Your computer will be the same "clean" no matter if you have 50 more programs that you don't use (maybe in the future you'll need them).

 

@PowerChaos: you don't really know what are you talking about, isn't? Because what you're answer has no sense at all. Recovery partition is not related to Windows licensing, Windows not recongize anything as "fresh install" (doesn't care in fact is it fresh or old install - Windows only know is your license valid or not).

[Bazrat]

1 minute ago, homeap5 said:

And about "clean out everything" - do you expect that some trash will spill out of your drive if you do not clean it? It's hard drive, don't worry about cleaning out. Your computer will be the same "clean" no matter if you have 50 more programs that you don't use (maybe in the future you'll need them).

nah just cleaning out the old drivers and installing new ones, bunch of programs and stuff like you said i dont want, and a problem where my computer keeps freezing at random occasions. So my plan was to just wipe my ssd with a fresh start, but after I removed MSI Afterburner the freezing has stopped, for now, so just doing it the longer way will still be fine.

Thanks for the help

[homeap5]

1 hour ago, Bazrat said:

nah just cleaning out the old drivers and installing new ones, bunch of programs and stuff like you said i dont want, and a problem where my computer keeps freezing at random occasions. So my plan was to just wipe my ssd with a fresh start, but after I removed MSI Afterburner the freezing has stopped, for now, so just doing it the longer way will still be fine.

Thanks for the help

 

Is always better to find where problem was instead of made workaround.

Try Ghostbuster tool - https://bitbucket.org/wvd-vegt/ghostbuster

if you want to clean old drivers.

[PowerChaos]

36 minutes ago, homeap5 said:

 

@PowerChaos: you don't really know what are you talking about, isn't? Because what you're answer has no sense at all. Recovery partition is not related to Windows licensing, Windows not recongize anything as "fresh install" (doesn't care in fact is it fresh or old install - Windows only know is your license valid or not).

I got a recovery partition On my hp pavilion 7

on boot I can open a recovery console from hp to do a clean install ( Inc bloatware and drivers )

 

in my second case I got a used nvme drive but never installed. So I do first startup and I messen up with a broken driver install ( other Story ). After a fresh install iT was still activate ( hardware id get used for validation )

that system is already used from xp  so why woulnd Windows 10 not use iT ?  Only things is That I can not confirm On what hardware iT checks

 

Eather way. If you do not care about anything On the disk a fresh install is faster then Turing to clean up ( got same problem with my 2 Tb Windows disk)

 

greets from PowerChaos

[homeap5]

@PowerChaos: I don't understand most of your post (my english is not so good as I want), but I disagree that learn how to clean up something or how to fixing bugs is worse than mindless installing Windows every time there is any problem. After few years I have much better experience and can resolve many problems in really short time. Meanwhile you'll be always wasting the same amount of time by installing "fresh" Windows. And you'll still be the same unexperienced as at the beginning. Sorry, I prefer learn something and I prefer knowledge over guessing and myths. "Clean install" is something I made last time in Windows98 era (except first install of major version of course).