Windows 10: Clean installation

What's up guys?

I need to do a clean install of my laptop, but I wasn't to preserve its factory install key and registration. Hope do I go about doing this preferably on a USB flash drive? I need to preserve its key and activation for the clean install.

:)

 

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

 

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,

 

Run showkeyplus to get key.

To reinstall create a usb stck using windows 10 media creation tool.

Windows 10

 

When you run showkeyplus, if it shows a Windows 8/8.1/10 OEM product key in the bottom spot, that is stored in bios/UEFI and already preserved permanently on the computer. A clean install of Windows 10 will use that product to both install and activate itself and should not even ask you to enter a product key or which version (Home or Pro) you want.

Showkey - Windows 10 Forums

If it is a Windows 8/8.1 product key, Windows 10 will always convert it to the generic Windows 10 product key and activate with a digital entitlement/license.

 

ok, i found my serial using speccy, but idk if its enbedded in bios. i have a USB key made, but i did it from another PC entirely. should i remake another USB to install? or will it be ok for this PC as well?

 

Windows 10 installation USB flash drives are not computer specific and are good for any computer.