Windows 10: clean install download question(s)...

so read the tutorials. I want to use the USB stick option. so I download the win 10 using media tool and save it to my computer then move it to the USB stick or can the download be directed to the USB stick? then I would run the install from the stick. over writing windows 7 here. I have put 10 on my mostly not used laptop and played with it a bit it doesnt seem that different from 7 except for having to turn off all the useless stuff MS puts on it (useless to me anyway)

thanks!

:)

 

Clean Installation Activation Question

Hi Jon,

If you want to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, you need to use the
Upgrade this PC now option. If you haven't upgraded to Windows 10 yet and perform a clean installation, you'll need to enter a product key or buy a license in order to activate Windows 10.

Refer to the link for more information:

Installing Windows 10 using the media creation tool

Windows 10 herunterladen

Hope it helps.

 

Clean Installation Activation Question

Does this statement (from MS Support)

"Clean install of Windows 10 will prompt you for product key of Windows 7 or 8.1, you have to enter the previous version windows (Windows 7/8.1) product key to activate Windows"

conflict with this statement (first bullet) (from MVP)

Things you should know:

• A Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 product keycannot activate Windows 10. Windows 10 uses its own unique product key.
  
  
• By default, Windows 10 builds are pre-keyed, meaning, you do not have to enter a product key and should not be prompted to enter one as long as you upgraded from anactivated Windows
  7 or Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 license or Windows 10 Preview build.

 

You can't just copy the ISO to the stick. You have to put the contents of the ISO on the stick.
The tutorial covers that using Rufus

Yep, then boot the stick - setup starts.

One fine point - you won't overwrite Win7, you remove all partitions and install on a clean drive.

 

would make the new drive, add 10, then delete the old C (with 7) and make the new drive C?

 

No. You would select the custom install option after booting from the Windows 10 USB flash drive created by extracting the contents of the Windows 10 ISO file to it, then delete every partition on the hard drive and install Windows 10 to the unallocated space.

Be advised, though, that after wiping the hard drive clean by deleting all the partitions on it, you need to have a means to activate Windows 10. I highly recommend using this method to do a clean install:
Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First - Windows 10 Forums

 

The Clean install will delete everything on the drive.

Have you backed up your data? That should be the first thing.

The install creates the partitions it needs using the unallocated space (see pic in my previous port or in the tutorial) and Windows is installed to C:\

Navy's thread on a clean install and the tutorial have all the answers you need. Still it's good to ask questions.

Let's say your current system is partitioned like this:
Partition 1 Partition 2 System
Reserve C:\
Windows 7
In the Custom Install phase of the tutorial, you will delete all partitions. That leaves the drive entirely unallacated.
There are no partitions The entire drive is unallocated space
When the install finishes your partitions will look something like this:
Partition 1 Partition 2 Partition 3 System
Reserve C:\
Windows 10 Recovery
The two key things to remember are
1) Your Win7 install will be deleted when you delete the partitions.
Make sure you have your important data backed up to an external drive

2) Windows configures the partitions it needs if there are no partitions on the drive.

 

gathering the tools for the job! right now on my computer I have:

disk 0 - ssd with win 7 - partitions are system reserved and C:

disk 1 - separate HDD with data files (I keep no data files on the windows drive 0)

 

Although it is not required to - it is highly suggested to remove the data and/or power connectors from your HDD (disk 1), before you boot the computer from the Windows 10 USB flash drive. That will ensure 100% that both the system reserved (boot files) and the OS partitions get created on the SSD and the computer is actually booting from the SSD.

If there happened to be a system reserved partition on the HDD (disk 1) from a previous installation of Windows on it, if you leave it connected it is possible for Windows setup to see that system reserved partition and actually put the boot files on there instead of the SSD. If you are absolutely certain that 100% of the HDD is the one single data partition, then you should be OK to leave it connected during the install if it is a major hassle to remove the data and/or power connector to it.

After Windows 10 is set up on the SSD, then shut down the computer by holding down the shift key when you click on Shutdown to ensure you get a complete shutdown (and not a "fast startup" shutdown), then reconnect the HDD.

 

I'd like to see your Disk Management

• Download this zip file (contains dmDskmgr-vd.mmc)
  
  dmDskmgr-vd.zip
  
• Double click dmDskmgr-vd.zip to open the compressed folder
  Double click dmDskmgr-vd.mmc to launch the custom Disk Management console
  
  
• Press Alt+PrtScn to grab a snapshot of just the Disk Management window
  Open Paint and Ctrl+V to paste it, then save the image
  
  
• Attach the image to a new post

Thanks