Windows 10: How do you reinstall Windows 10 and keep data, apps, and programs.

If the answer is posted somewhere please share the link that has worked.


I had to move my hard drive to a temporary computer and now it won't boot into Windows. This computer and hard drive worked just fine. Now the computer I moved it to keeps trying to do an automatic repair then it finally fails and gives me the option to shut down or choose advanced options. I figured if I moved it back it would work fine again, so I moved the hard drive back to the original PC but it still does the repair loop.



Safe mode does not work. It will eventually get back to the shut down/advanced options loop.



I can get in with the command prompt and run chkdsk /r. took about an hour but didn't find anything wrong.



Also found an article about using bootrec but it says it there are zero windows installations.



I can get to the C: drive and see all the files and they are accessible.



I tried booting from a newly created USB drive with the Windows 10 media creation tool. When I tried to do the upgrade for a repair I got this:



"The upgrade option isn't available if you start your computer using installation media."



I've successfully transferred many drives from one computer to another and Windows 10 has done a great job of redetecting and getting itself back up and running. Until now the worst thing that has ever happened was that I had to reactivate the Windows 10 license. that's not a big deal



I've seen a lot of post asking similar questions but haven't seen one answered satisfactorily. I have my files backed up so that's not an issue but I'd like a solution that doesn't require reinstalling all of my software. I keep an image backup of my drive but if it breaks what's the point of an image? So I figured I would see what I can do.



How do I reinstall Windows 10 and keep data, apps, and programs. I can't get into the desktop via normal mode or safe mode but I do have access to command prompt.



Help me great and powerful people of the mighty interwebs...show me what I need!



Thanks in advance for any advice.

DJ

:)

 

Most painless way to reinstall windows 10?

It depends on the junk accumulated honestly, but there are various methods. You can always remove programs, delete download folder, media locations, etc. As some have suggested, keeping some items on a separate internal storage drive is an option as well. Depends on what you have, what your budget is and how you want to handle your system and data.

The method @RejZoR suggests is sound and a method I've used dozens if not hundreds of time with great success in the field. In many cases though the goal is to keep user data intact, and to repair the OS. In place upgrade as it is called is also only doable in that method if you can boot to desktop, if you can't, it is time for some more advanced options or a format & reinstall.

With Windows 8 and 10 there are refresh and reset options that can be leveraged as well. Hold Shift and click Restart to reboot your system, this will get you into the advanced boot menu, which you'll need to choose advanced options (I forget ATM what it is called) and choose one of a couple items, refresh or reset.

Refresh is essentially In Place Upgrade but a little more aggressive as it wipes the Windows Apps and you may need to reinstall programs. Reset is like an OS reinstall, wipes user data, wipes profiles, registry, performs a install from the system image. Often times I'll do this and bypass using a USB key on a system. Though there are instances where these options will not work if a system has a level of corruption that has not been repaired/resolved. Check the OS Repair link in my sig for more info if ya need.

*Toast :toast:

 

Most painless way to reinstall windows 10?

Would be nice if this method was officially supported. Refresh Windows without losing any data or programs. I wouldn't mind if it would reset core Windows settings, services and stuff, for as long as it keeps 3rd party ones intact. Would still be faster to reinstall those 3 problematic apps than doing it for all of them.

 

Reinstalling Windows 10 to sell a PC - is the 'Remove everything' option enough?

Restore factory settings do list Removes your personal files, apps and settings, and reinstalls the version of Windows that came on this PC.

So if this isn't true well than just erase the drive and install a clean Windows 10 with all the drivers u need but why should it be true
@FordGT90Concept ? *Laugh :laugh: