Windows 10: Clean Install

Discus and support Clean Install in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade to solve the problem; Hello I am going to do a clean install of windows 10 but I have a few questions. Im still busy making space on the computer's hard disk and also on... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade' started by Nickynoo, Mar 29, 2016.

  1. Nickynoo Win User

    Clean Install


    Hello

    I am going to do a clean install of windows 10 but I have a few questions. Im still busy making space on the computer's hard disk and also on an external drive (for backup purposes)

    Since I belong to the insider program the latest build that I currently have is build 10586, this computer had windows 7 on (ultimate I think) Anyway I joined the insider program and upgraded windows 7 to 10 pro and my activated status says "windows is activated on this device with a digital entitlement" . I have no idea what this digital entitlement means but I assume everything is well and good. Now for my questions.
    #I assume I install build 10586 - is this correct?
    #Since I have read that somehow windows 10 is linked to a computer hardware configuration, I assume if I clean install then the new clean install will be activated?
    #Before clean installing I intend to make an image backup - I dont want to restore the entire image - I want to restore certain parts into the new install, is this possible or will and easier option be to copy my user files to an eternal drive and then back to the hard disk (in the computer) when the install is done - also installing the programs that I use.?
    #The reason I want to do a clean install is to sort out some these settings are managed by your organization messages that are appearing and I expect that if I restore the entire image backup it will restore those problems into my clean install. I have also read of putting the OS on a separate partition to the data and other files - what are the benefits of this - I will be installing on a normal hard disk not a SSD. Also what size must I make the OS partition and also how do I partition the disk?

    Nick

    :)
     
    Nickynoo, Mar 29, 2016
    #1
  2. d0gknees Win User

    To Clean Install...Or Not To Clean Install

    A "clean install" by definition deletes all content of your drive, that's what the "clean" means. If you want to keep things it can't be a clean install, you have to upgrade.

    Personally, I recommend you first update and get all the correct drivers for your devices and chase down the media to re-install your applications. Then save them on an external drive and do a clean install. You will have to re-install all software and re-configure,
    but you end up with a lot less problems going forward.

    The cost is greater but so is the reward.

    A large proportion of the issues people report here seem to be due to not doing clean installs. My own experience is that a clean install with the new drivers works well. My PC respondes better than it did on Windows 7. Although it has a normal hard drive,
    it boots as fast as my Notebook which has an SSD and is still on Windows 7.

    Good Luck
     
    d0gknees, Mar 29, 2016
    #2
  3. To Clean Install...Or Not To Clean Install

    Hi Michael,

    Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.

    I understand that you wish to do a clean install but I would suggest you not to do so until you have upgraded to Windows 10 and it has been activated.

    Therefore, make sure you first upgrade to Windows 10 using the Get Windows 10 App or the .ISO image. Make sure the Windows 10 is Activated.

    Please do not attempt a clean install if you haven't activated Windows 10 on your system.

    Once you have successfully activated Windows 10 you can perform a clean install.

    Hope this helps. Please respond if you have further related queries.

    Regards,
     
    Jesinta Rozario, Mar 29, 2016
    #3
  4. NavyLCDR New Member

    Clean Install

    That's interesting since build 10586 is the last build that was released to the public. Insider builds are on 14XXX or something like that now.

    Yes.

    Yes. It should retrieve the digital entitlement stored on Microsoft activation servers and activate.

    It is possible if you use Macrium Reflect Free to make your image backup. I believe it might be possible if you use Windows built-in imaging backup if you mount the .vhdx file created by the backup, but not sure. I am sure about Macrium Reflect Free, though. Macrium has been proven, historically, to be more reliable and versatile than Windows built-in imaging.

    You don't need to, and shouldn't partition the disk. What you should do is boot from the Windows 10 installation media, select "I don't have a product key" if you are asked for a product key, select the same Windows 10 version you had before, then the custom install option. You will be presented with a list of partitions on the hard drive. Delete each partition. Then pick the resulting, big unallocated space to install Windows 10 to and click next. Let Windows 10 make the partitions it wants.'

    After Windows 10 is installed, then you can shrink the C: drive Operating System partition to make room for a new data partition. I recommend using MiniTool Partition Wizard Free for that.
     
    NavyLCDR, Mar 29, 2016
    #4
  5. Nickynoo Win User
    Thank you Navy
    On that slider bar for fast ring/slow ring/release preview Im on release preview I always used to be on slow ring but when microsoft changed that slider bar I changed to release preview - in all the time since 10586 has been installed (as an upgrade) Ive been checking and it seems that new builds are only released to the fast ring. So does release preview actually drop you out of the insider program? In trying to get rid of the "some settings are managed by your organization" problem
    I pressed the button to leave the insider program went through all the steps and restarted, then I rejoined.
    Next question, In your opinion is it worth the effort of using macrium reflect seeing though it would probably be easier to just normal copy the files to and external drive.
    Next question, Do you think a clean install will wipe out the "some settings" problem, it suddenly popped up with me changing any setting or installing any programs - I have tried lots of suggestions but I cant get rid of it, its really getting me down now?
    Next question, do you advise shrinking the C drive as you mentioned in your post?
     
    Nickynoo, Mar 29, 2016
    #5
  6. NavyLCDR New Member
    Release preview does not drop you out of the insider program. You just wouldn't get an insider preview until just before it was scheduled to be released to the public.

    I would just make the image backup of the hard drive with Macrium Reflect Free if you have the space on the external hard drive. It's easy to explore the image later to retrieve what you want, and with the entire image saved there won't be anything that you might forget to back up. If you don't have the space, then just backup your data files.

    Yes, a clean install should fix the "some settings" problem. That is caused by settings being set in group policies. To change those settings that are giving those errors you will have to go into group policy and change the corresponding group policy. A clean install will have all those group policies set to default, which will allow a user logged in as administrator to change them using more normal methods then changing the group policy settings.

    I typically don't shrink my C: drive to make a data partition - but I have a networked attached disk drive that holds my photos and movies and music. If you had a data partition and if it was the last partition on the hard drive, to do a clean install you would delete all the partitions on the drive except for the data partition and then clean install to the unallocated space in front of the data partition. You would not have to backup anything stored on the data partition - just be very careful not to delete it!

    If the data partition was not at the end of the disk, then you would have to boot from something like Kyhi's recovery drive which contains a partition manager program like MiniTool Partition Wizard free. Delete all the partitions except for the data partition, move the data partition to the end of the disk, then do a clean install to the unallocated space in front of the data partition.
     
    NavyLCDR, Mar 29, 2016
    #6
  7. Nickynoo Win User
    Thankyou, Ill do a clean install hen I have the space for a full image backup with macrium, I will not bother with OS and DATA partitions, they only seem to complicate things.
    Thankyou again
     
    Nickynoo, Mar 29, 2016
    #7
  8. NavyLCDR New Member

    Clean Install

    It all depends on how much data you have. I would never keep my 2 TB+ of movies and thousands of photos on a C: drive partition. But my 10-20 miscellaneous documents....I don't create a separate partition for those.
     
    NavyLCDR, Mar 29, 2016
    #8
  9. Nickynoo Win User
    Perhaps you can help me with a problem that is getting the better of me, Ive just half solved it.
    I often read posts on this site from any forum about whatever problem and the solution(s), anyway tonight I was reading a posts about windows automatically installing device drivers and how you can turn it off, although that isnt my problem in the post BRINK was talking about seeing what group policies are enabled, so I thought let me check mine. On local computer policy/computer configuration/administrative templates/all settings (like in brinks post) were all set to not configured except from one, this one was call Start Layout and it was set to enabled. I opened it up and set it to not configured and restarted - walla I can now pin and unpin, etc. on my start menu. See my thread in customization called start menu tiles. So I checked the various settings in the windows settings looking for the "some settings" message that has been appearing all over the place. It only appears in privacy/feedback and diagnostics but it has always been there. I decided to look at my windows update/advanced - that sometimes used to get the some settings" message - it wasnt there so I as very happy - thinking that I as back to normal. In the past I have been changing a registry key called AllowTelemetry from 0 to 3 when this update/advanced problem cropped up, it always sorted out the problem. So now Im looking at the registry, at the AllowTelemetry key and its 0, thats seems strange so I go back to settings/update/advance and sure enough the some settings" message is there. I changed the key to 3 as in the past and my advanced update settings are accessible again. It seems like when I open the registry or open the registry to that key that it changes to 0 and affects my advanced/update settings. How do I stop it doing this? Also in the past sometimes the key will change hen I reboot.
     
    Nickynoo, Mar 29, 2016
    #9
  10. NavyLCDR New Member
    Sorry, but I have no clue about that.
     
    NavyLCDR, Mar 29, 2016
    #10
  11. Nickynoo Win User
    Thanks for your help anyway.
     
    Nickynoo, Apr 4, 2018
    #11
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Clean Install

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