Windows 10: install windows 10 to new HHD

I did have windows 7 on my laptop, then windows 10 have been installed for free from the internet, now my HHD have crashed, and I have a new HHD, how can get windows 10 (free) on it again without installing windows 7 first.

:)

 

Can I Change My Default Desktop Location??

I'm building a new computer that will have a few hard drives in it. I have a 2tb 5400rpm HHD but I don't want to install windows on such a slow harddrive. So I'll install windows on a SSD but I wan't to set my desktop's and possibly all of my library folder's
default locations to be on the 2tb HHD. I'll also install some of my applications onto the 2tb HHD also. How can I do this?

 

Cant ativate windows 10 after clean install

Hi i did update my win 7 to win 10 and got it activate.

i had to do a reinstall of win 10 from the iso on a new ssd. win 7 was on a old hhd allmost giving up.

After install it will not activate anymore, is the key locked to the hhd as well?

And what do i do now?

 

Hi, you look in the Tutorial index here, and find
Clean Install Windows 10 - Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials
Download Windows 10 ISO File - Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

Activation should be automatic.

And then, having lost your disk, please discover the value of using disk imaging, which we constantly recommend.

If you had been using that, you could have restored your PC with its new disk to its previous working state with all its installed programs relatively quickly.

Here's my write-up on the value of disk imaging.

Creating disk images lets you restore Windows and all your imaged disks and partitions to a previous working state from compressed copies you have created and kept updated on external storage media, quickly and probably without technical help.

You can recover from:
- a failed disk drive (restore to a new one)
- ransomware (which encrypts your disk)
- user error
- unrecoverable problems from failed updates to problem programs
- unbootable PC (hardware faults aside)

Images also act as a full backup- you can extract files too.

You can even use images to help you move more easily and quickly to a new PC.
Can be used with Laplink software to transfer your build automatically to another PC

Imaging can even help you sleep at night knowing you have a second chance.

Many here recommend Macrium Reflect (free) as a good robust solution and more reliable than some others. It’s
- more feature rich
- more flexible
- more reliable
than Windows Backup and Restore system images.

It's well supported with videos, help and a responsive forum.

There are other such programs, free/commercial, some with simpler interfaces, but Macrium R is one of the most robust and reliable.

How long does it take?
SSD+ USB3 - maybe 15 mins for the first system image, less thereafter
HDD + USB2 - maybe 40-50 mins
That’s with little personal data, few programs installed.
- of course, depends how much you have on C:
(You can and should image all your partitions and disks)

Once you've created your first image, keep it updated with e.g. differential imaging- which images just changes from the first image, more quickly, and creates a smaller image file.

You need a backup medium - say- twice as large as the total amount of data you are imaging to keep a reasonable number of differential images. This will vary dependent on the number of images you keep, so is only a rough practical guide.

Some comment that system restore isn't always reliable; if it works and solves the problem, great. But sometimes restores won't work or fail. And of course a restore point only covers a limited number of aspects of the system. That’s where disk imaging comes in.

(There's a tutorial on Macrium in the Tutorials section, and a couple of videos in the user videos section on this forum)
Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect - Windows 10 Backup Restore Tutorials
Windows 10 instructional videos by Ten Forums members

 

I am a bit confuse, when I read thru the links that you have giving me, it says I must have a serial number, i do not have one, windows 10 was installed for free with the internet

 

You just skip key entry as it is not needed for a reinstall.

 

Click where the arrow points:

 

Thank you for this info, helps alot.

When I have downloaded theMedia Creation Tool, and run it, it then ask to download file, but on my pc that I want to download it to c drive only have 5 gb available, but the D drive have 200Gb (it is a work pc), how can I get it to download to d drive

 

Hi, you follow the prompts.




5Gb on C: will be far too small for the upgrade. Consider that Windows.old will be created, equal to your existing Windows folder. Plus you need working space, and perhaps 500Mb unallocated space on your drive.

 

Just create a folder on the D partition, name it what you want.

Before you download the Iso it should ask you where you want to save it, just browse to that folder and save it there.

If it won`t let you then use this site to download an Iso file, it will definitely let you save it where you want.

Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool

 

It does not give me the option to choose where I want to put the iso file, this is for my laptop hdd that have crashed, did get a new one, so using this laptop just to download it for me.

 

Are you using the media creation tool? Did you choose ISO?





Please confirm you have C: and D: on the laptop you are using.

Else connect an external USB drive and save it to that.

 

Well then use the site I posted in reply #8

Want some free advice ?

Don`t download the Creators update, too many people are having issues with it.

Download the Anniversary update and choose to Defer feature updates after you have it installed.

Choose the edition right below Redstone 1 - July 2016

It says Windows 10 Home/Pro

It will most certainly ask you where to save it, I just downloaded it a few hours ago to install it on my new Samsung 960 Evo M.2 *Smile

 

I agree- staying with the anniversary edition (1607) is what I'm doing for a while. I have Win 10 Pro, and so can defer upgrades (not upgrade for some months). It's the more conservative option.

 

Ya the Creators Update stinks *Sick there is no need to install it now.

I wish we could permanently stay with the AU, but that`s not how MS is doing it *Sad