How to do a Clean Install of Windows 10 the Easy Way.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I see you never updated Windows 7 to Windows 10, you need to that first for key to get coverted to windows 10 before doing a clean install. Did you upgrade first before doing the clean install? Tried upgrading first but keeps reseting to a blank screen then it say restoring to previous version.

Regardless of your upgrade issues. The upgrade has to be performed first. Then if you want, you can do a clean install. You’ll have to try and work out the upgrade issues with MS. The Microsoft forums hopefully can have your answers. Daniel Rubino commented on a comment about 20 minutes ago and now, question like yours which does make sense seems like being ignored. Very disappointing. And I hope that when they do reply, they wouldn’t sound rude e.

Busy, check Windows 10 forum, etc. It’s not about being rude. Let me explain you, this person didn’t upgrade, this person just clean installed Windows 10 and thought by putting windows 7 key it would work.

Windows 10 will automatically activate you. Again, I am sure Daniel Rubino is a nice guy, but these kind of questions should be asked on a forum. AND if you are going to ask, you should just go back and read “what did I do wrong?? You first upgrade!

Why wouldn’t Daniel Rubino ignore this? I did try updating it. It was clearly the easiest path for me but unfortunately the upgrade kept restoring. Even when a fresh format for windows 7.

Im just asking what a resolution would be. For your info dude I have not installed win10 and am still running win7. It’s not really a rudeness or being busy thing. The writers don’t have all the answers, they are writers with technical knowledge, not necessarily technical experts. If you want to ensure that your question gets maximum exposure, it should be asked in the forums. Activate over the phone and then connect to the internet.

Then run the Windows 10 update tool. I had multiple OS multi-boot on my laptop. Different versions.. How do I get my OS upgraded to get the new Windows 10 key?? No difference. Very frustrating You can also just do a reset for those that don’t want create the media or deal with partitioning.

There is even the option to keep your personal files that get put into a folder called Windows. I’ve found it an easy and hassle free way to do it.

I’d recommend it to anyone who did several preview upgrades as it cleared out all my issues that were inherited from prior builds. It’s just like hard resetting the phone. This gave me a bluescreen on my Surface Pro 3.

You can upgrade your windows 8. This ended up causing a blue screen just a day after upgrading. Back on 8. Hi, quick question here, I’m still upgrading mine to Windows 10 using Download Tool, if sometimes in the future I want to do clean install, should I re-download the ISO file? Also, if I’m upgrading with this way, should I re-enter the product key? I haven’t been able to backup that yet.. Any response will be appreciated, thanks! Upgrading using download tool doesnt require a product key.

If you want to perform a clean installation in future, you would need to use download tool for creating bootable DVD or USB. You don’t need a product key to clean install. Your key is linked to your hardware. If you had an activated Windows 10, Windows will activate automatically after clean installing. What’s the difference between fresh install of windows 10 and resetting the already installed windows 10?

I would like to know this as well. After I upgraded to windows 10 I did a reset of the OS through settings. Reset might not work for some issues. I think reset and delete all files without wiping the disk is the best thing. I tried doing the “reset’ from within W10 twice.. Got a BSOD both times I used the dvd I made from the. I was prompted twice to enter a key, skipped both times.

Checked that W10 was activated when it was all done It was in fact. I upgraded from Windows 7 to 10 through Windows update. And this article mentions, the 7 product key will be changed to 10 product key. So can I still use that product key to activate 7 or will it only work with 10 now? Your key should work on 7 because it’s a win7 key.

But Windows 10 doesn’t need a key, your key is your hardware, that’s what Windows 10 searches, if it matches it will say “oh this hardware was activated before, so it will be activated” that’s why you can just put your windows 10 dvd and clean install without upgrading after you did a first upgrade of course so it would activate your hardware from 7 to If your W10 is running slow I suggest doing a clean W10 install.

Windows upgrades impact your system performance. Tried resetting my pc. While it is better now, still not upto 7’s smoothness. A full clean install is not viable as I have a lot of data to transfer that too without an external hard drive.

Well it seems it’s easier just to Reset and delete all files no? Exactly my thought. Just upgrade to win10 and do a reset without keeping files and settings. That’s no different than doing a clean install right? This technique doesn’t work. The main issue is that if you use your windows 8. If you skip the product key, you’ll have an un-activated version of windows installed. After talking to Microsoft support, they basically want you to buy windows 10 if you truly want to do a clean installl.

Otherwise it’s an upgrade every time. My suggestion is to do a “fresh” install don’t save any previous files and apps. This shoves your old drive into the windows. Then you can run disc cleanup and remove the windows. Then make an image of your drive for future recovery using your favorite imaging tool. I’ve not found any other way that works – and i’ve spent well over 3 days now testing different methods.

Also confirming what everyone else found – the 2 computers i have upgraded to 10 are showing the same generic key and that key will not work for install.

It does work. You tried to use your 8. You shouldn’t enter any key at all at any point. If you upgraded to 10 from 7 or 8. During a clean install of Windows 10 later on the same machine, the request for Windows 10 product key must be skipped an option is available. Otherwise your machine can’t be activated. Note: you do NOT need your Windows 8. Click SKIP when it asks you for a key, and when you sign in on the PC with your Microsoft account same one you were already using , Windows 10 will activate automatically, no key required.

Exactly, 8. After a true upgrade, MS stores your licence on their server along with your hardware info. If you do a clean installation after the upgrade, the whole activation process is automatic. You just have to wait. No keys required. It seems that you don’t need to sign in with your MSA as you said, a local account should work too. As Zapella said, your hardware info is what matters. Well I didn’t perform a clean installation, I just used the media creation tool to upgrade to windows 10, and everything is working like a charm, expect for my display adapter driver, which gave me a low resolution, but I solved it after many trials and finally used windows update to download the latest driver, after I uninstalled the previous one, and I even got two additional updates for windows 10 pro.

You actually don’t need the product key. The clean install will activate it automatically, provided you don’t change the hardware. This makes sense Why would Microsoft expect users to extract their key with an archaic 3 rd party program, just to make use of their much advertised free upgrade for the entire populace?

Should be easy right? And it is. Handy article, however I would say it would’ve been best not to suggest to delete all the partitions off the hard drive lol Just the partition they wish to install on unless they want to clean the hdd “completely”. That’s the definition of a clean install: deleting absolutely everything, including partitions.

Went the manual route for my laptop running Windows 8. Downloaded the ISO – so I can back that up too for later use if needed – loaded onto a USB stick, and used that to do the in-place upgrade. By the time I made it into Windows 10 settings it was already activated. Then I turned around and did the the clean install – had already fully backed up and was ready, and I had been planning for a clean install anyway – which interestingly went much quicker than the upgrade.

Again, activation was already done by the time I checked on it. Pretty good so far, though the system seems a bit sluggish at times. Might just be initial shakedown happening, or maybe I need to verify the drivers are current.

The mfr has drivers for 7 and 8. ISO will work fine, just make sure you get your license upgraded to a Windows 10 license by first updating through Windows Update, as mentioned in the article. In my case, my desktop and laptop currently run W7 Pro 64 bit. Does the USB get tied to that specific machine which a clean install is performed on? Thanks J! In total my household has 5 pcs to upgrade, I’m glad I won’t have to buy 5 separate USB drive for each pc.

And they have to be the same language if I’m not mistaken. Did it thanks! If you do everything right, you’ll never need to use any key at all. You don’t need to know your windows 10 key. Might as well buy Windows 10 Home. Clean install; all the way. Once I get it clean install only thru gimagex wonder if the media creation tool is like w8’s where it’ll decrypt the install esd as folder windows payload as I hate being bored with the long drawn out process that the setup app uses.

Hi All, I did a clean install in the same way as its mentioned in the post except taking the key with Magical Jelly Bean, but after the clean install my Windows is not getting activated.

I contacted MS team and got the reply as its due to server slowness issue, but I’m not convinenced becuase its alredy two days my lap in this mode Anyone faced the same issue and got it resolved please post your comments below. As long as you upgraded to W10 first and it showed as activated.

If you tried straight clean install without first doing an upgrade, then the only way I’ve come across for it to work is to rebuild to a clean version of whatever the machine came with don’t waste time on the updates for it either, literally bang on the upgrade from a USB as soon as it’s activated , then upgrade, then clean install at which point it doesn’t need a key as the hwid is registered with MS.

I get the same error code after doing an upgrade of my Windows 10 Developer Preview last night. It was fully updated and activated before I did the upgrade. I upgraded to my own language and it kept only my personal files. The error code means that the key has been blocked. Same here. Did an upgrade from Win 8. This morning massage pops out that Windows is not activated. It’s must be noted that the requirement to get Windows 10 through Windows Update is only if you want to perform a clean install.

If you use the ISO tool to install it, you just skip the cd-key and upgrade the installed OS, then it activates itself from within Windows So it’s safe and fast to just update it with the ISO tool. Is there any way to recover the Insider activation or something? Exact same issue here. Same with DVDs, is it more than one disc? It does as it has the directories for both. Download it if you need both, and just check the size before dumping to a USB.

Upgrade to win 10 then do a reset Or, you can skip all this, go into the new recovery settings and do a full reset and reinstall Windows 10 automatically Does anyone know if I can upgrade to windows 10 from vista using a clean installation? You can, but your license won’t be upgraded. You will be running a non-Genuine copy of Windows unless you purchase a Windows 10 license key or sign up for the Windows Insider program.

The licence wouldn’t matter in this case anyway – it’s Vista so doesn’t get a free upgrade. So purchase a new licence key or have MSDN or go the insider path, and do a clean install from there. Doesn’t Windows, since Windows 8, have built in Refresh and Restore options, the latter of which basically formats the hard drive and reinstall Windows automatically?

Correct me if I’m wrong. Definitely a fresh install for me. New components may be on the cards too. While this is closer to a clean install I don’t consider it completely clean.

I don’t lik my OS drives to be quick formatted. I have not seen that anybody mentioned it, but for all students that have access to free Microsoft software via Dreamspark, you can download Win10 iso, put it on the USB or DVD and install clean copy on your system, like usually You will get a new serial key, independent of your previous downloads Win 7 or 8.

During clean install, we would definitely format the previous partition then why we need to first upgrade previous version to Windows 10?

It means during clean install you don’t need to give installation key and windows will be activated by itself. First sorry for my english-I’m from Poland. I done clean installation exactly like you, but I don’t downloaded Windows 10 twice, I only downloaded once and check prepare pendrive.

Why did Edge disappear? Taskbar was unresponsive and I fixed that, but Edge disappeared? It looks like it just uninstalled. I can find the shortcut but it doesn’t open anything. Please help! So what if I have windows XP.

Can’t I install windows 10 by just purchasing windows 10 and installing it after a format of the hard drive. Does an upgrade write this over? Doesn’t matter in my case, yet wondering. The product key is tied to the motherboard bios right? So if I clean install Windows 10 on a new hard drive will it find the product key? How to download “get windows 10 app”. I upgraded to Windows 10 via Windows update but I performed the reinstallation of windows 10 from the settings app and selecting the restore option, choosing to delete everything.

Is this thing giving the same result of the formatting option said in the article? Or maybe there is still some windows 8. Once i upgraded my network connection didn’t work perfectly I try to install the new versions of the drivers for my mother board but it didn’t work Officially I don have internet connection on Windows That’s easy enough BUT what are you all doing about booting off of a thumb drive on a surface pro?

Mine isn’t doing it. For devices with UEFI security you have to set up your usb stick in a different way. Have a look on Google. Even specific ones for the SP3. Sent from mobile. Im interested to know how to clean install win 10 on surface 3 and pro 3.

I called ms and they didnt really provide a solution. I’d like to of course have everything intact so when I do a reset it still works perfectly. Can I use my windows 7 product key, after upgrading and then doing a clean install for win 10? As mentioned by several users above, you don’t need to enter the product key during the clean install after you have performed the upgrade first.

Microsoft may have associated you’re hardware information as licensed. My test procedure: 1. Clean install a Windows 7 with OEM product key on my machine label 2. Upgrade activated Win7 to Win10 using the Windows update method 3. Format already installed Win10 4. Perform a clean install of Windows 10 with USB 5.

Do not enter skip any product key during the installation process 6. After the installation is completed, Windows 10 is already activated. I already did an upgrade of my Windows 8. So if I do a fresh install of Windows 10 in this machine, I need to use my key for Windows 8. Can I also use this new cd key to make a fresh installation of Windows 10? You do not use your key from 8. After the upgrade, make sure that the upgraded W10 is activated. Once activated, you can then do a clean install of W10, and when asked for a key simply skip entering it.

Once the clean install is completed, it should already be activated. Because the activation server will recognize your hardware and activate it. Changed your hardware? I just did a factory reset and windows 10 upgrade was automatic. Works perfectly I dnt get update but tray r showing. My windows 10 desktop update is stuck on “preparing for installation..

It has been stuck there for over half an hour. Can anyone help me? What could be the issue? I think during installation you can choose to download updates for the installer or not. Try ‘don’ t download updates’? What helped me was disabling the network adapter or turning off and on your wireless connection it should resolve the issue. This article is hugely confusing. So, you have to upgrade to windows 10 first via windows update, then download the ISO and select ‘ upgrade this pc’.

That’s not what the article says. Step 1: you need a win8 or win7 installation with a valid key Step2: you update through windows update to win Step 3: win 10 will then activate and your win10 activation will be linked to your hardware you can forget about your win7 or win8 key Step 4 optional : if you want to do a clean installation, you have to create a bootable usb stick or dvd so that you can start the installation during boot-time.

There you choose the ‘Custom’ installation, not the upgrade. Step 5: during installation, you will be asked for an activation key. You skip this. Step 6: after the installation, win10 will automatically activate because it knows you have a valid activation key for this hardware setup it got that from your upgrade before.

So if you never did an upgrade, you don’t have a win10 activation and you can only do a clean install of win10 if you’d buy a win10 activation key. Now, how do you fix that? If you’re unable to complete this step, look at “edit 5” down below 2. Now, run the command prompt as an administrator. Type in “wuauclt. EDIT: For those who still have issues, several users reported that setting their time forward to the First of August for example and then doing the above steps again helped them resolve the issue.

Just be cautious that you want to do an upgrade, not a clean install! If you do a clean install, Windows 10 will not activate. You would need a new product key for that. Once you’ve completed the upgrade and checked that Windows is activated, you can do a clean reinstall if necessary. Now, ain’t that an accomplishment? EDIT 5: If you’re unable to delete the contents of the folder due to them being in use, try the following: 1.

Run the command prompt as an administrator. Type in “net stop wuauserv”. You should see a message indicating that the Windows Update service has been stopped. Now, go back to the folder and now you should be able to delete all its contents. Go back to the command prompt and this time, type in “net start wuauserv”. This time, the message will tell you the Windows Update service has been started.

Go back to step 2 in the original post. So, I in order to upgrade I have to install Windows 7 I got with my notebook, then upgrade to Windows 10, and then do a clean Windows 10 install again? This is absurd. I know, right. I had to download Windows Just wow. That’s like all day work. I will probably wait until somebody figures this out. How To install it on a mac? I dont have a product key Help anybody????

I downloaded a build iso image about 3. I need to know if this upgrade method will yield a full version of windows Yes, you can use that for the upgrade. It will install sole updates after that but in the end you’ll have a fully up-to-date win10 setup.

A clean install would still be safer but one of my pc’s was set up like this and no issues with stability and performance so far. I have a Toshiba Encore 8 inch tablet that came with Microsoft Office. Can you let me know how i can get Office backed up so I can install that after the clean install? I don’t know if there are others in the same boat but it will be very helpful.

I wanted to do a clean install but once I upgraded, there was really no need for it. Works great. Though on a x resolution there are glitches with text and app sizes, but not terribly bad But which version should I choose if I have 32 bit os with x64 processor. A pc with x64 processor can run both x86 or x64 windows.

However best choice would be the x64 version. Always check if there are x64 drivers for your hardware printer, scanner, soundcard, graphics card How we get windows 10 key.

If you already have a win7 or win8 installation you don’t need a win10 key. If not, you can buy win10 and that will give you a win10 key. How do I get a windows 10 product key? Yes but I have windows But not activated How do I get a windows 10 product key??

Thanks for the reaction btw ;. Did a clean install. And for the first time EVER, I had a problem with bloody Windows not recognizing the property of the files in my external drives. Problem solved with a couple of lines on CommandPrompt and Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3 but still annoying. I have upgraded two machines PC and notebook for Windows 10 and both use the same product key. I’m in the same situation. The thing is that you don’t need your W10 key for you pc anymore. Once your machine is activated on windows 10, is in the mcrosfot database and your windows will be activated automatclly after installation.

Just click “skip” button next time when asks you for product key when installing OS. Thanks tomaszporys! I want to upgrade to windows 10 from vista and I will download windows 10 from Microsoft insider. I wonder if I still need a product key to activate windows 10 and how do I get a product key? You need to buy a product key since you want to perform a license upgrade.

Just check on their website and you should easily find the product page where you can purchase one. Ensure the USB device is detected, then select it as the main boot device. The subsequent reboot should detect the Windows 10 installation media. You’re now ready to install Windows 10, so commence the installation wizard.

Once you’ve worked through the wizard, Windows 10 will be installed. Note that some installation may continue after you log in, so be patient. This ensures you’re running the very latest version of Windows What if you’ve had enough of Windows 10? If you own a valid license for Windows 7, you can also install this from a bootable USB drive.

Windows 7 is a great option for newer PCs in terms of being comparatively lightweight. However, support for the operating system ends in January As such, you should ensure that you upgrade to a more secure operating system when the times comes. See our full guide to installing Windows 7 from a bootable USB drive for details. Once you’ve installed Windows 10 from the bootable USB drive, you might think you can just reuse the drive. While this is fine, it might be worth leaving it alone as a dedicated Windows 10 installation and repair drive.

The reason is simple. Not only can you install Windows 10 from the drive, you can also reinstall Windows 10 with a USB stick. So, if Windows 10 is not behaving in the expected manner, you can rely on the USB stick to reinstall it. While you should expect largely trouble-free computing from Windows 10, it’s a good idea to keep the USB boot drive safe.

After all, you never know when a hard disk drive can crash, or a partition table will corrupt. The Windows boot drive features various repair tools that can be used if Windows 10 will not boot. Store the boot drive in a memorable place where it can be easily retrieved for troubleshooting or reinstalling Windows later.

 
 

 

– Windows 10 home clean install from usb free

 
Click the Custom: Install Windows only (Advanced) option to continue with a clean installation. Click the Next button. To clean install or reinstall Windows 10, you don’t need to prepare a bootable USB of Windows All you need is Windows 10 ISO, which you can get from.