Windows 10: So when does our next excuse for a clean install arrive ?

I only go the clean route when I have to. The main reasons are that I either bought a new computer or I screwed it up so bad that a clean install is the best way to fix it.

 

Contrary to the previous posts, I hate doing a clean install due to the significant time required to reinstall all programs, configure them and confirm they work. My desktop PC started life as Windows 8 and has been updated to Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and most recently the Anniversary Update. I've had a few issues which I fixed through help on this forum and I've never had to do a repair install. All programs work, sfc / scannow runs fine and I have no significant error in the error log.

 

You can reduce that time by going to a site like ninite.com which carries the latest versions of popular software.

 

Hi there

that's quite OK for a lot of people -- but what if you have a lot of older software to say nothing of legacy hardware.

You might prefer the older software versions because they work better than the newer versions (I often find products start out good but then have so much bloatware added that they are junk -- a good example was NERO) or the newer products have dropped good features because they've moved them to a "PRO" -- i.e PAY version - as happened with Free video editor - excellent for cutting bits of video - but they dropped the "save in original format" feature from the free version.

Windows is so much improved these days - that doing the Ms updates regularly and taking clean regular backups will work probably better than a fresh install - especially if you have some hardware with obscure drivers etc.

Even on a new Mobo I just use Macrium to restore a backup with the different hardware option - Windows will pick up new drivers when needed - and simply when requested enter your new key. You might also have to revalidate Office key as well - no probs there normally.

A real fresh install where you have a lot of legacy hardware and a whole slew of applications is a VERY time consuming exercise.

I agree for simple stuff a fresh install will be great - but for a lot of people this entails much more work than it looks on first sight.

Cheers
jimbo

 

I would have to look for an excuse to do clean install, 200+ programs and couple of dozen APPs is few days work and I do keep all installations and updates of programs. Some programs need a lot of settings to set and change. Payed programs, although I don't have many, have to be activated and/or registered again, Office (2013) can also be a pain to activate again. Thankfully, some settings in windows itself could be synced.
My first brand new clean install was with 15002 because it wouldn't update to it otherwise I would have stayed with my W7 > 8 > 8.1 > 10 setup. Only good thing was that I didn't reinstall some old programs I even forgot were there, my net gain on system disk is about 10GB because those programs are omitted.
I'm no stranger to clean installs, still doing 1 - 2 a week but for others, either new computers or ones I repair. All kinds of OSs on them. It's amazing how much can some people ruin their OS so clean install is best and even most of the time only option.
My OS (since W7) is kept so clean that it can survive many years running full tilt even with frequent HW changes. Full system offline backups are also a must and have to be kept up to date if somebody is to experiment or don't know what they are doing. Makes it easier to help if HW, notably HDD goes bad or bad malware gets in.

 

My setups are very simple compared to some of you. Windows, Office, a couple of programs/Apps and few games maybe. I'm retired and don't work from home etc. My down time would only be a couple of hours tops. I usually just install Windows and Office and start using my PC. Then install the other odds and ends as I need them. I can remember a time when it took days and I dreaded a clean install. My main desktop and my laptop only get a clean install when a new major build comes out. I do an upgrade first, just to see if there are any snags. And usually not to long after that a clean install. My spare desktop gets a lot more test installs etc. It also runs the Insider builds.

 

Good tip for ninite.com which I didn't know about. However, I can only tick about 6 of those boxes so a clean install and configuration is a real PITA which would take me quite a few hours to sort out.

 

Hi Steve. Thanks for the rep! You can tick as many as you need, its not limited. All the software on there is kept right up to date.
@jimbo45 There are certain well known and long established websites that carry older software that you can find with google. (Not sure on the legality of linking them here.)

 

I rarely have to reinstall these days. Windows does a good job of keeping itself working these days.

I do like Ninite.

I don't do anything special, I just wipe out partitions with the Windows installer and let it create a new one.

I don't use tons and tons of applications. I install a handful of things from Ninite, a couple of games, and Office 365.

 

Between installing, activating and customizing it takes me days to get my computer the way I want it. That's why I only do clean installs if absolutely necessary.

Edit: I almost forgot that some of my programs*were free but with a one time activation only.

 

The actual installation of Windows 10 on this computer, takes a mere 10 minutes but another several hours for drivers and software and to make windows just the way you want it.