Windows 10: Boot from flash drive wants to install. Clean install or upgrade?

My PC won't boot because it says it can't find the hard drive. I booted from a flash drive, but it wants to do an install. Is it going to wipe everything or just do an "upgrade"?

:)

 

Windows 10 clean reinstall

I did a clean install of Windows 10 from a USB flash drive. I want to do a new clean install from the flash drive.

1. Boot order is CD, USB, then hard drive.

2. USB inserted.

3. PC laptop is force closed

4. When powered on, Windows just boots normally.

If I use the Reset my PC function with the USB installed, will I get the clean install I'm looking for? I've tried a number of different approaches, and I'm not getting into the Windows setup/install mode.

Thanks!

 

Windows 10 couldn't be installed....

"You can't install Windows on a USB flash drive using setup."

It's a mystery to me-I do not have a flash drive installed.

Computer boots from my C Drive.

Upgrading from Win 8.1 Pro to Win 10 Pro.

Any way to work around this?

I do not want to do a clean install.

Thanks for any ideas.

 

Dont understand that what cant find the HD the bios or other if its trying to install its finding a drive I assume?

 

Apparently, yes, must be finding the HD. But which will it do - clean install or upgrade?

 

What was saying it couldnt see the drive what happens when you try a normal boot?

 

Like I said initially, with a normal boot it doesn't find the hard drive.

 

so to be clear the bios reports this its not windows starting if you go into the bios it doesnt show it there?

 

Booting from a Windows 10 USB flash drive will do a clean install and wipe everything in at lease the Windows OS partition.

 

That's the default option, and it will wipe the disk and do a clean install. But you can also boot from the install USB to get to the Advanced Startup options.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/...a.html#option5
You may also be able boot to the repair options without using the USB with Option Six from the above link.

Either way, one of the advanced startup options is Startup Repair. This may be able to fix your 'missing' hard drive problem and leave the original system intact.
Startup Repair - Run in Windows 10

 

It will not touch the data partition.

 

That`s exactly what Navy said, re read what he said.

He never said it would wipe a data partition.

 

The phrase 'at least' sounds to me as if it might affect other partitions.

 

It depends on what the user specifies. I can wipe the entire drive including data and recovery partitions during Windows setup, or can just point it to a single partition to wipe. That is why I stated "at least"