Windows 10: Reinstalling Win 10

Hi All

Well am getting to that point where I might have to do a system restore (Full)

Question I had was this. I bought the system awhile back and it had a prior version of Windows on the system (either 7 or 8 forget which) and then when Win 10 came out I upgraded it for free when doing so.

If I do a restore I assume it will restore Win 10 and NOT the prior Win version?

Also will Win10 then allow me to find all the drivers I need for the various parts of my computer once I am back up and running?

And last question which might avert the above restore need.

I am having some minor issues which are over lookable but a major one I seem to be having is the WINDOWS UPDATER

Like for instance I can't install any of the language packs which I need access to. I tried the UPDATER TROUBLE SHOOTER and that did no good it says there is an issue but after completing the process of fixing it it does not seem to help at all. I have also tried to manually install the language packs and always fails just as if I tried to add them in the CP.

Is there anything in Windows that will let me repair the Updater so that way I can hopefully avoid having to do a full restore? *Sad

Thanks
Dave

:)

 

Settings Icon Appeared Then Disappeared on Desktop By Itself

Totally irrelevant! Do you even read the context of the post???

 

Settings Icon Appeared Then Disappeared on Desktop By Itself

Windows 10 Pro / A settings icon appeared on my desktop all by itself last night. When I clicked on it, it was a list like in previous versions of Windows. It even let me choose sized in upper right corner. This morning 8-16-2015 the settings icon on desktop
is gone all by itself.

 

Hi, you can
- run Windows update troubleshooter (search in Settings)
(And make sure you haven't disabled Windows update yourself by any means e.g. by using metered connection or other means)
Note that quite often people may try to repair windows update, fail, and have to do an in-place upgrade repair install (see below).

- run SFC /SCANNOW from an admin command prompt
- run a DISM command (this doesn't currently work in the usual way if you have the new Creator's Upgrade build
(more technical, and many have some problem with this)

- do an in-place upgrade repair install (keeps almost everything)) = run setup.exe from a Windows mounted iso or boot DVD e.g. when booted in normal mode
- a refresh
- a reset

Tutorials for these are available in the Tutorial section.

However before doing any or those do two things to check your disk.
1. Download and run Hard Disk Sentinel (trial) and make sure it tells you your disk is fine.
2. If ok, then check your file system:
From an admin command prompt
[Windows key + X, click command prompt (admin)]
chkdsk C: /F
Your PC will need to restart.
Post back the result, which you can get after a restart as follows:
How do I see the results of a CHKDSK that ran on boot? - Ask Leo!
Make sure the result is clear or fixed- else do not proceed.

1. You can clean install Win 10 on your PC.
There's a tutorial in the Tutorial section.

2. No problem with a license code- none needed as your activation is recorded on MS's servers.
Best to use your MS live id.

3. Drivers are maintained by Windows/MS.

 

Issue resolved. That seemed like to much work and might not resolve the issue so I just backed everything up and restored my system and everything's back including my missing language keyboards and such!

Thanks

 

Good.. sometimes you can try fixing things and waste a great deal of time.

If you have a lot of things installed and a clean install and reconfiguration takes days (it would for me) then two things help:

1. Use disk imaging routinely. This backup procedure can save so much time and frustration.
Probably everyone who contributes here uses this.

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


2. Doing an in-place upgrade repair install (having checked your disk is ok) - this keeps all your programs, data, most settings, and gives you a fresh copy of Windows. But it won't solve user account corruption.