Windows 10: Coming Soon: A Tool to Start Fresh

Don't we already have this, called Windows Reset?

 

This feature will let you do a total clean instillation of the OS.

 

If this tool is intended to use for the "free Upgrades", then the only added value I could see in a special tool would be to automatically retrieve the existing product key before doing the actual installation. Today, you have to use the "genuineticket" method to do a clean-install (on a PC not previously Upgraded) and still reuse the existing product key. IF this automated that function, that would be worth having for folks not willing or able to use this other approach.

 

I would trust a clean install from iso long before anything MS comes up with. Who knows what it will carry forward from old OS. Clean install probably quicker as well.

 

It's likely going to be the same process as the one that we're used to. Just more automated I guess.

 

This is the tool I use for a clean install....

 

Would this help?
Download a recovery image for Microsoft Surface

 

Good idea that.... but I can't believe MS does not include native drivers for their own hardware in the standard installation media though.

 

Thank you for the link.
I did find this particular link after I had returned the SP Pro 4 to be serviced though I doubt whether it would work in my case.
Superfly in his post, following yours hit the nail on the head.....No Native Drivers.....without which impossible to install.

 

Drivers and Firmware have been a problem with the SP Pro 4....many updates already trying to sort out the various bugs.
M$ do in fact do a Surface Firmware and Driver Pack, though how to install it when I cannot get past the EUFI page.
I believe M$ in order to boost the security of this product have made it almost impossible to rectify without specialist equipment or knowledge.

 

Ya never know until you know *Wink

Using a Microsoft Surface USB recovery drive

Not sure if this helps you get past the UEFI page or not
Use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) on Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book | UEFI settings
- you could of course chat with a live agent - sometimes it's useless, other times, not so much

Surface Firmware and Driver Pack: Download Surface Pro 4 Drivers and Firmware from Official Microsoft Download Center
Select SurfacePro4_Win10_160701_1.msi

and since it's UEFI - the USB must be formatted FAT32 (although I've read that might no longer be true ... but just in case)

My real response is: Why would MS offer a Recovery image specific to Surface and specific to each model? There must be something unique in the package or else I think the support page would just point you to the Media Creation Tool

but then I know nothing about these things *Smile
No really, I know nothing about the Surface products.

 

Not a lot of info to go on? Stand alone? Built into Windows? What is his definition of a "clean installation"? Enquiring minds want to know?

 

I do a clean install of Windows, then back it up using something like Aomei, Acronis, or Macrium. They will create a 35-30 GB compressed boot drive image on my storage drive. If something goes wrong, boot from a DVD and Windows is totally restored in 15 minutes.

I keep a totally clean version, and a current version with all programs installed. I don't get how anything could be better.

Now, that's me. When friends and relatives call me to rescue them, my method is useless. The new Windows solution could help a lot in that case. I'm all for it.

 

Likewise, but, the initial install contains things I would never want, so....
after tweaking and tuning Windows to my liking, only THEN, do I make that initial backup of my C: drive, to an external HD.
If I ever need to Restore that initial backup, I've saved myself all the time it takes to do all the tweaking and tuning.

Remember: "The only bad backup is the one you decided NOT to make".

*Cool

 

Download: Refresh Windows Tool





Download:
download.microsoft.com/download/8/7/5/8754417B-C1A4-4D6C-8424-E1CD99F51B28/RefreshWindowsTool.exe

See also: Coming Soon: A Tool to Start Fresh
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/i...=1463023852150

Note:
What’s very important to note, however, is that this program only works with Redstone builds, so if you want to use it on a computer running the stable version of Windows 10, it won’t launch.