Windows 10: Is it safe to d-load Windows setup to an infected PC via Microsoft SDM

Hi there

I think using an infected PC for anything is just PLAIN bonkers unless you get rid of the malware first.

Would you deliberately go into a defective plane where the Pilot says - this plane has a serious problem but we'll take off and I'll try and repair it while I'm in the air.

My advice on this one is if you can't find another PC to download from then do the following.

1) Download ANY Linux Live distro. Something like Linux Mint is reasonably "Windows like"
2) boot it up - usually from a USB.
3) Format the HDD's on the infected PC. Linux should clear the Windows malware with reformat.
4) download the Windows ISO -- Chrome or Firefox are the standard browsers on Linux - easy enough to use as they work just as they do in Windows.
5) Now install Windows on a nice clean machine.

I know a whole slew of so called "security" Gurus will advise you to mess around with all sorts of AV cleansing stuff -- but IMO by the time all this stuff takes you could have re-installed Windows 20 times over and probably still have enough time to fly to Mars and Back !!.

Once you've got a clean running Windows download FREE MACRIUM and TAKE A BACKUP -- on an SSD a typical Windows backup won't take more than around 10 - 15 mins --same for a restore.

I just don't trust any malware cleansing stuff if running on an infected computer --there's no way of proving it's 100% effective. The only solution is to have a CLEAN Windows system and stop it getting infected in the first place. Restoring from regular clean backups IMO is far better and quicker than running AFTER THE FACT Virus removal programs and if that gets me into troiuble with so called "Security experts" so be it -- I've had clean computers always over the years and I've used some quite dubious sites in my time too.

Cheers
jimbo