Windows 10: Endless Problems for Months - Time for Fresh Reinstall - Need Advice

Hello,

My computer is running Windows 10 Pro Education Insider Preview Build 17046.rs_prerelease.171118-1403 (whatever that means, lol).

Things have been worse ever since I had the bright idea to switch over to the Insider Preview channel, but overall I've had problems with Windows 10 on this machine from day one. Windows came factory installed by Dell on my system, which is a Latitude 5175 tablet computer (Intel Core m5-6Y57 CPU @1.10 GHz 1.51 GHz, 4 GB RAM).

I have chronic problems with the start menu and have read every Microsoft support forum entry under the sun and have tried all sorts of remedies for my chronic problems, with some successes here and there but at the end of the day still so many problems. I'd really like to use Cortana but through research it seems my current installation isn't quite right/is missing components. I've tried reinstalling with PowerShell and many other things but I think a fresh installation is my best option. My start menu won't open half the time. And I have all sorts of Windows processes that fail at startup.

My question(s): Is it a better idea to use the Windows "Fresh Start" reinstallation/recovery tool, or is it better to use the Dell recovery/reinstallation tool?

I imagine the benefit of using the Dell tool is that it should have a better chance of installing the proper drivers that are necessary and which are specific to this system and its hardware? However. I also imagine the Dell recovery system will come with more Dell bloatware than would come directly from the Microsoft Windows 10 recovery tool, is this true?

Also, are there any free applications that can capture and backup all installed softwares on my machine and then reinstall them in one pass once my fresh installation of Windows 10 is ready? Surely there must be some program that can make this happen.

Thank you very much for any guidance!

Richard

:)

 

HD Partitions visible but no file table?

I've lost my data, my secondary HD, partitions are visible in Explorer but can't access the files. Have tried many file/partition recovery software but not any luck.

HD's do fail after time but really want my files because of 2 months work I want to remake.

I have a fresh reinstall of win10.

Any good advice?

May try install of a Linux in case of virus on the HD but will try quicker advice?

 

Need Advice for a Friend !

do as cpitchford said and there should be an update at about 20mb then check again and there should be a 2nd one at about 90mb,

i've had mine for 2 months and thats what i had to do

 

Just put it back to the way it came from the factory and just remove the programs you don't want.

Surely it didn't have problems when you bought it or you would have returned it.

It's a tablet, just fix it and use it as such.

 

Hi AddRAM, thanks for your advice. The machine has always had issues, with Windows 10 and the way it was configured originally. It seemed like the Windows installation that came with the machine from Dell was not a complete fresh factory image but maybe had been a demo or had been setup for a specific client/education purpose. None of the programs I have installed on my own cause me any problems - they operate just fine. It's Windows 10 itself that has always had problems, at least with the way it is currently existing on this machine. I'm missing certain system/start menu (and other) files that should be there and thus have challenges just navigating through Windows.

Yes, it's a tablet, but I have it parked in a docking station and use it essentially as a desktop machine. I'd like to reinstall Windows, I just don't know if I should go down the Dell recovery path or the Microsoft/Windows 10 recovery path. And I don't want to reinstall and reconfigure all applications I've installed over the past eight months - there must be backup software that can capture installed applications and re-image them as they were on a fresh install. I'll keep searching through old posts on here as well to see what I uncover.

 

Until recently, I would have said that PCMover (although not Free) would do just what you want -- but I bought a copy, used it myself, and found it to be, basically, a waste of money. While it worked great previously on Win7 systems, it does not work well on Win10 systems.

Like you, I wanted to do a Clean-Install and avoid the hassle of having to reinstall, reactivate, and reupgrade bunches of apps -- and I thought PCMover would do just that.

Also thought I could use it and reuse it on the same PC more than once -- trying different scenarios to see just which one worked the best. But, I discovered that after one use, it locks itself out! I did email LapLink and they did extend my license so I could try one more time, but then, it still did not work well.

There is also EaseUS ToDo PCTransfer -- which is supposed to also migrate apps, but it also is NOT free.

Sorry, but I am not aware of any free apps that do this (or, claim to do this).

 

Hi mate I would have thought that Re-imaging would just mean you would just have the same problems with Windows 10. If I was you Id go down the clean install route. Use Microsofts own Media Creation Tool to download the ISO and do a clean installation. That will get rid of all your bloatware too

 

I'm not to sure whether your system is for a private individual or linked to a collage but any way I think you will just have to bite the bullet and do a complete reinstall of windows10 from Microsoft download, as I have had to do twice on two different laptops its the only way to be sure that the installation is clear, as for the other programs as long as you get the keys and the download instructions it will be a good time to install one program a time to see if any of them have a detrimental effect on the system, it may take a few days to get it back but at least it should have cured all your problem with the system, never really go for these programs that promise to do it all for you in this circumstance it might be better to get a shop to look at it for you if you cant spare the time.

 

There is re imaging software, it's called Macrium Reflect and it works great, but you have to make an image when windows is perfect, so you don`t have to deal with issues like you`re having.

Take the thing to a professional tech and be done with it.

 

Yes, it's the reconfiguring that's a hassle. Some 'applications' play nice and place their config files in the username folder for easy access and backup. A look at AppData\Local and Roaming will reveal a few. Others will place their config files in the installation folder, as requested by the user, for easy access and backup.

As for factory install or clean install, that's a tough call. We don't know if the tablet is eligible for the latest and greatest OS ever. A factory install is guaranteed.

Bloatware is used too often and may be misapplied. The raging desire to rid the system of such can lead to problems. The similar desire to deal with privacy concerns can do the same.

The primary objective is to get the tablet working as intended by the manufacturer and its partner, the OS supplier. The secondary objective is to then tame that working beast for one's own purpose.

 

From post #3

I don't care where you park your tablet it still a tablet and will never be a desktop.

I would suggest putting things back the way it came. Their really isn't much you can do with a tablet except use it as it was designed.

If I put one of my desktop computer on the refrigerator it's still a desktop. It's location means nothing.
It's the capabilities is what makes it a desktop.

Jack

 

Advice request:

Just for conversation - you should probably get used to doing a Microsoft RESET
... and get over the complaints of reinstalling programs.
Get used to doing reinstallations.

Do you have a Dell SERVICE TAG?
My Alienware is a DELL. Going to Dell Support, you can get device drivers for your device,
or if your service tag is valid, you can download a recovery image.

The concept of running an Operating System for months or years without doing any cleaning,
is risky and almost always causes problems over time.

Suggest getting used to doing a Microsoft RESET.
Doing a RESET on my Alienware has never failed.
It always returns a clean device manager list.

Agree - a tablet can be used as a desktop.
I also have a Surface that runs in a dock. Agree that running a tablet on a dock with a mouse and keyboard
or however you input, a computer is a computer.

A tablet is not a phone. (although a phone is a computer)
Obviously, one is not typically going to change a GPU or CPU in a tablet.
A desktop does not have to be a gaming device.

The difference between a laptop and a tablet is mostly preference - weight - design - mobility - performance.
My Atom powered Surface is rather weak running only a few watts.
It can still be used as a desktop when docked hooked up to broadband.

Agree that Windows 10 is a problem.
I do not care to use 10 for many reasons.
When an OS can be used to monitor what a user is doing, this is intrusive.
When the start menu fails - that is a systemic failure

I don't really get what Microsoft is up to.
They are releasing flawed systems with known and unknown issues.
Who does that?

Unfortunately, for most laptops and tablets, you are probably forced to use Windows 10,
because the manufacturer vendors are not developing drivers for other systems.

 

Thank you very much everyone for your input here - very helpful/educational/informative. I learned some new things!

I seemed to have solved my problem for the time being (corrupt account/profile + missing or damaged Windows system components + regular lagging/crashing), though the solution I've found is probably not one that would be recommended. However, it's working well for now and if things take a turn for the worse I'll just go ahead and bite the bullet and reinstall the whole beast from scratch.

My multi-faceted solution, just as documentation in case someone else has similar issues and might find this helpful:

• Main fix for corrupt system components/malfunctioning Start Menu: login to the master/system-generated "Administrator" account and adjust any privacy settings/permission problems/run Windows Update/and go ahead and throw in an admin-elevated Command Prompt "sfc /scannow" from that master Administrator profile. It seems the resolutions/repairs trickled down to the other accounts. For now though, I'm just going to use the Administrator account as my primary account - it's working light-years better than my original account (I know, I know, it's not advisable to leave the Admin account vulnerable like this/touch it but I don't really care at this point - it's working smoothly and if something terrible happens I'll just go with a clean install.
  
  
• Disable "explorer.exe" UI/window management animations for better performance - this seemed to also help/keeps my overly-sensitive and wimpy "Intel HD Graphics 515" integrated graphics chip from freaking out because, god forbid I try to alt-tab from one window to another or want to move a window a couple of inches every now and then... (To accomplish this: Press and release Windows key --> type "System" --> press Enter --> "Advanced System Settings" --> "Settings..." under "Performance" --> disable whatever [super basic] graphic enhancement seems to be making your overly sensitive graphics card flip out.

After making these changes, my machine seems to function as I'd initially expected it should have from day one, when I ever-so-graciously gave the pathetic thing a forever home / adopted it from the Dell Orphanage. I'm never purchasing any "Windows 10" machine again that doesn't have 6 GB of RAM minimum as well as a stand-alone/decently powered graphics card. None of this integrated Intel nonsense.

 

Thank you very much for this response! I agree with your sentiments completely, and it was therapeutic to know someone else feels the same pains . I agree, I don't think it's too much to ask that a product that is released into the market actually functions as it's supposed to even if just at the bare minimum level of functioning.

 

Thanks for this info! I've solved my problem for now and may not need to reinstall the whole OS for now but I'm going to do more research and see if I can find a program. I'll let you know if I do find a tool that handles this - there's got to be one out there.