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Wiping your hard drive prior to reinstalling Windows 7 is the preferred installation method, and ensures optimal performance. You may perform a clean installation even if you’re reinstalling an upgrade edition of Windows, but in that case you must wipe the drive during the installation process and not before. A clean installation destroys the old copy of Windows and any data on the drive, so be sure to back up anything you may need before you do it.
1.
Insert your Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive, and then reboot the computer.
2.
Launch your computer’s boot device menu. The key combination varies among different computer manufacturers, but it displays briefly on the screen, so watch carefully for it. F12 is a common one.
3.
Select your DVD or USB flash drive from the boot list, as appropriate.
5.
Press any key when prompted.
6.
Select your language and preferences on the “Install Windows” page, and click “Next.”
8.
Choose the “Custom” installation type when prompted.
10.
Delete all partitions on Disk 0. When complete, you should see one entry for Disk 0, which is labeled “Unallocated Space.”
11.
Click on Disk 0, and click “Next.” Windows repartitions the drive, formats it, and installs a fresh copy of Windows. The process could take up to an hour to complete, after which the system automatically reboots.
12.
Select an account user name and computer name. The computer name, or host name, provides a means by which the system is identified on a network.
14.
Choose a password and password hint for your account.
16.
Enter your Windows 7 product key. You can find the key on an orange sticker in your Windows 7 DVD package if you purchased it at a store, or on an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) sticker on your computer case. If you bought Windows 7 online, the key was emailed to you.
17.
Check the “Automatically activate Windows when I’m online” check box, and then click “Next.”
18.
Choose your Windows Update settings. If you choose “Ask me later,” automatic updating is not enabled at this time. Dangdut koplo mp3.
19.
Choose your time zone from the drop-down menu, and adjust the date and time if necessary.
21.
Select the appropriate network type. In most cases, you’ll want “Home network,” even if your network is at a workplace. However, if the computer is a laptop and you use other networks aside from your business's service, choose “Public network.” If you use an air card to connect to a mobile broadband carrier such as Verizon or Sprint, choose “Public network.”
22.
If prompted, indicate whether or not you want to set up a homegroup with other Windows 7 machines on your network. This feature allows you to share files and printers with other machines in your business, and is optional. After this, Windows will finish configuring itself and present you with your new desktop.
Things Needed
- Windows 7 Installation Media
- Windows 7 Product Key
Tip
- Many computers ship with recovery partitions, so that you don't need to use separate Windows 7 media. When you completely wipe a hard drive clean, this recovery partition is also removed.
References (1)
About the Author
A writer and proofreader since 2006, B. Steele also works as an IT Help Desk analyst, specializing in consumer and business user tech support. She earned a B.A. in English and journalism from Roger Williams University. Steele also holds certifications as a Microsoft-certified desktop support technician, Microsoft-certified IT professional, Windows 7 enterprise support technician and CompTIA A+ IT technician.
Photo Credits
- Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
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A clean install of Windows 10 usually can help you mainly in three scenarios: when your PC begins to degrade performance, when it gets infected with a very tough virus impossible to remove, and when you need to start fresh by removing all the apps you installed or came pre-installed on your PC.
Starting with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft introduces a new “Refresh Windows” tool that let you very quickly do a clean install of Windows 10 to start with a fresh copy of the operating system with the latest update available at that time.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to reinstall Windows 10 with the latest update using the “Refresh Windows” tool.
About ‘Refresh Windows’
Although the “Refresh Windows” is a great tool to easily reinstall Windows 10 without bloatware and to fix any software problem your PC may have, it’s important to review what will happen during a clean reinstallation process.
Using the refresh tool will remove all the apps that don’t come standard with the operating system. This means that apps included by your manufacturer, such as drivers, support apps, and other apps will be removed too.
It’s also possible that you may lose some digital licenses, digital downloaded content, and various other digital entitlement for certain applications.
Before proceeding make sure to make a full backup of your computer, and make sure to consult your software manufacturer support website on how to reinstall an application and how to restore your digital content after a clean install.
If you’re using a program like Office, make sure to find the product key to reinstall the suite of apps afterwards.
It’s important to note that you’ll need an internet connection, and around 12GB of free storage space to download and install the operating system.
How to use ‘Refresh Windows’ to reinstall Windows 10
Once you know how the tool works and you have a backup of your machine and personal files, follow these steps to reinstall Windows 10:
Open Settings.
Click on Update & security.
Click on Recovery.
Under “More recovery options”, click the link to download the tool.
On the “Start fresh with a clean installation of Windows 10”, scroll down and click the Download tool now button. (Click here to download the tool directly.)
Double-click the RefreshWindowsTool.exe file to launch the tool.
Click Accept to agree to the licensing.
Raja hindustani song mp3. Choose to Keep personal files only or Nothing. Itransfer software. If you can’t decide, you can check my previous guide on which path you should take reinstalling Windows 10.
Click Start to begin reinstalling Windows 10.
How To Reinstall Windows 10 Clean Install
The tool now will proceed downloading the over 3GB of data containing all the necessary files to reinstall Windows 10 with the latest update.
After a few reboots, you’ll be presented with the out-of-box experience (OOBE), so you can finish configuring your new installation.
Once the installation completes remember to go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update to finish installing any new update and download any required device driver. However, you may need check your PC manufacturer’s support website to download any additional driver that isn’t available through Windows Update.
What’s different between ‘Refresh Windows’ and ‘Reset this PC’
You probably noticed that under the recovery options there is also the “Reset your PC” option. This tool is virtually the same as the new “Refresh Windows” tool with some key differences.
When you use the “Reset your PC” option, your computer will use the Windows 10 installations files that are already stored on your computer. If your PC is a OEM device, during the reset process all the settings and apps that came originally with your device will reinstall again.
Also, there could be the case that installation files on your computer may get corrupted, which will prevent you from completing the reset.
On the other hand, the refresh tool will download the files on demand with the latest updates from the Microsoft servers to do a clean install of the operating system, which it’s less likely to have issues.
When you should use the ‘Refresh Windows’ tool
Microsoft support many ways to do a clean install of Windows 10. In this case, you should use the Refresh Windows when you can still access your desktop and get to the recovery settings.
This is a perfect tool for scenarios, such as when your device is enrolled in the Windows Insider Program, and you want to unenroll your device and go back to an stable version.
It’s also a perfect solution, when it’s been sometime and you start noticing slow performance, errors, or other issues.
Perhaps the best use of the refresh tool is when you get a new computer and you want to start fresh with an installation of Windows 10 that removes all the bloatware, trialware, and other software that came preinstalled on your device.
Wrapping things up
The refresh tool to do a clean install of Windows 10 is very easy to use, and one of the best features is that you don’t need to create a bootable media. This means no messing around with the BIOS or UEFI BIOS to install Windows 10.
Keep in mind that you can use this tool as long as you have access to your computer. If you’re having other issues that prevents you from starting your system, you should alternatively download the ISO file of Windows 10 to create a bootable media and do a traditional clean installation.
The “Refresh Windows” tool only works for Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Home. This tool isn’t meant to upgrade Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. If you’re running Enterprise or Education edition of Windows 10, the tool won’t work.
What do you think about the Refresh Windows tool to reinstall Windows 10? Let us know in the comments below.