Sufficient available data storage on the computer you are clean installing. When the Settings utility is shown, click on that to start it. Windows will automatically activate once it’s installed. There are plenty of good reasons to do a clean install of Windows 10 May 2020 Update, also known as version 2004. Step 1: Debloat Windows 10. Regardless of your selection at this step, this tool will perform a clean installation of Windows. Right click on the file, and select "Burn Disc Image" option. What you do here depends on your situation: The second situation works because of how Windows 10 activates PCs. Youâll have the option to keep your personal files. Join 350,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. If you’ve ever installed and activated Windows 10 on this computer before, click “I don’t have a product key”. Is there anyway to do a clean install of Windows 10 Pro? The upgrade process in Windows 10 takes old files, settings, and programs from a previous system to a new one. Step 3: If you need to install Windows 10 directly from the ISO file without a USB drive or DVD, mount the ISO file. Here are two ways for you to clean reinstall Windows 10 when you still could access to Windows 10. If it’s not activated, you may see information here that can help you activate. But often, the phone activation process will let you do it anyway, so it’s worth a shot. Next, you’ll see the activation screen. Select USB Storage Device to install Windows 10 from USB and set it to be the first device for preference. if you see an error message, try rebooting and running it again, wait and run it again, or just wait and let Windows activate automatically. An internet connection to download the tool and the Windows 10 image. If have finished the preparation work and going to clean install Windows 10 in the SSD drive, follow the steps below. Microsoft’s free upgrade offer depends on your PC’s hardware so it may not activate properly if you’ve swapped out hardware inside your PC. Technically, the free Windows 10 upgrade (as well as OEM copies of Windows and pre-installed copies of Windows 10) aren’t supposed to be transferred to a separate PC. Chris Hoffman is Editor in Chief of How-To Geek. Please see the Volume Licensing Service Centre for more information. If you have many partitions, you could delete them all and tell Windows 10 to install itself in the unallocated space. RELATED: Windows 10 is Out Today: Should You Upgrade? If you want to remove everything, choose the Nothing option. Here are the steps to burn the ISO file to a DVD. Learn how, Signing in with a Microsoft Account? It’s simple, doesn’t require a DVD or USB drive, and doesn’t even require you to enter your Windows license key. It also requires more than average technical skills and, usually, some post-installation futzing to get all hardware working properly and to ensure that the right features are available. However, there is a difference: Fresh start can keep personal files, settings, and some apps, but clean install means everything will be deleted and it’s really a full clean install. You just need your Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 license and a USB flash drive or writable DVD. I performed a clean install of Windows 10, without first upgrading from my previous version of Windows 8.1. Clean install Windows 10 will erase all your data on the computer. It then begins the installation process, giving you a fresh Windows 10 system—no manufacturer bloatware included. Step 1: Shut down system and disconnect computer from the power cable. To ensure it activated correctly, open the Start menu and click on Settings. Besides, it is time-consuming and troublesome. Looking to reset your PC to your factory image instead? How to Directly Clean Install Windows 10 without having to Upgrade First By default to get the free Windows 10 offer, you would normally need to upgrade to Windows 10 on your activated Window 7 or Windows 8.1 PC to register the activation of Windows 10 for your PC on Microsoft's activation servers. Microsoft’s servers may be overloaded at the moment you’re trying to activate. Be sure to select the correct type of installation media for the copy of Windows 10 that’s licensed for your PC — Windows 10 Home or Professional. Most people will want the 64-bit version, but you can create installation media that includes both, and the installer will automatically select the most appropriate one when you use it to install Windows on a computer. (There’s a way around this, but we’ve yet to test it ourselves.). If you purchased a computer that came with Windows 10, for example, this will likely bring back the bloatware that came with your Windows 10 PC. Enter the product key for your Office 2007 program. This is particularly useful if you’ve purchased a new Windows 10 PC and it includes manufacturer-installed bloatware you don’t want. If you would like to reset your computer to a clean Windows 10 version and remove all your files, follow these steps: This is not a Dell factory image reset, this process reinstalls Windows 10 operating system, removes all your personal files, removes apps and drivers you installed, removes any changes that are made to settings, and removes any apps that Dell installed. This should be your first option when trying to completely wipe your computer and re-install Windows 10. Clean Install Windows 10 Using Fresh Start. This is the safest way to ensure Windows 10 recognizes your product key and upgrades you correctly. (If “Windows 10” is the only option, you can safely use that and it will detect what version you want.) This will include debloat, startup maintenance, system tweaks, and privacy settings. A clean install is the ultimate troubleshooting technique and … How to do a Clean Install of Windows 10 the Easy Way, use one of the more fully featured Windows Media Center alternatives, activate Windows 10 with a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 key, Download the Windows 10 media creation tool from Microsoft, use the “Use a device” option in the advanced startup options, How to Turn Your TV Into a Virtual Fireplace, How to See an Alphabetical List of All Your iPhone Apps, How to Wirelessly Sync Photos Between Windows 10 and Android, 10 Hidden Gestures for Google Chrome on iPhone, © 2020 LifeSavvy Media. In some cases, you may want to revert back to a fresh install by reinstalling the operating system from scratch. It is generally used when Windows 10 system issues cannot be repaired. To mount the ISO file: Find the ISO file and right-click it, select Properties. This also performs an upgrade of your current OS to Windows 10. Enter your Windows 10 key here. Luckily, doing a clean installation of Windows 10 is pretty simple. Donât use this tool on any PC that has apps you want to keep. Microsoft allows you to get an entirely fresh system by performing a clean install. To install Windows 10 64-bit, purchase Windows 10 64-bit from Microsoft and perform a clean install of Windows 10 64-bit from the Microsoft download site. A couple of next steps will decide the Windows 10 clean install so pay attention. Apps that come standard with Windows 10 (Mail and Edge for example) will be preserved. How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. In Windows 10, the Reset This PC process is an easier-to-do, and equally effective, way to clean reinstall Windows. Once you have the install media ready: Insert/ connect the DVD/ USB to your computer, and press the power button to power on. Step 2: Remove the old HDD from computer and connect the SSD to computer only. After that, you shouldn’t have to enter that key again on the same PC–Microsoft will recognize your hardware the next time you install Windows 10 on that machine, confirm it’s registered, and automatically activate itself. This may require you change a setting in the BIOS, access a boot menu, or use the “Use a device” option in the advanced startup options on a modern Windows 8 or 10 device that includes UEFI firmware instead of the traditional BIOS. Second, the Windows 10 upgrade doesn’t provide a product key, so there’s no way to activate it after a clean install. Click the Install … You'll need to upgrade to Windows 10 first before a clean install. 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