The Windows 10 Clean Install Thread

[Prathameshk]

I have no idea why that shouldn't work. I've done it a few times on my wife's HP Ultrabook which contains the OEM license key in its UEFI BIOS. Worked fine.

Thanx for your help my laptop w7 has activated now i'm installing drivers and then i'll update my windows and also i'll take precautions that i'll not do that mistake again
Thanks again!!!!

 

[JithinPrasad]

Atlast Succesfully updated to 10 after a number of try via WU

Now if i want to do a clean install can i use the "Install.esd" in Windows BT Folder to create a bootable media..

 

[rohitsingh]

Wow. So many people in panic!

I would strongly recommend, read this: https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/4940/windows-10-tip-successfully-clean-install-windows-10

And people who are complaining about a clean install versus upgrading by 'keep nothing' option, the old folder that gets created can be deleted as well. My understanding is that its also gets deleted automatically after a specific number of days.

I 'upgraded' the same way and had no issues at all. Windows is activated.

​Hope this helps.

 

[JITKR]

5+GB Ram in use. Nothing opened only some web pages.

I did clean install from Windows 10 Enterprise ISO [MSDN]. Anyone facing same issue ? Also restart not working.

 

[kenjancef]

I did a clean install on my SP3, but I upgraded to Windows 10 first. I then did the clean install from a USB key I created using the Microsoft tool. I did the option to "Keep Nothing", and it wiped out the system and installed a fresh Windows 10. Activation was successful as well.

My question is: I have 2 Windows 7 systems at home. I'd like to do the same to those, upgrade to Windows 10 then do the clean install... but if a serial number is attached to your Microsoft account, how does it handle more than one installation of Windows 10? Right now, it must see my SP3, but what if I do the same to one of my Windows 7 machines? Does it know to keep a separate key based on computer name? How does that work?

Inquiring minds wanna know...

 

[jdballard]

What about just doing reset and choosing to delete all files and install a fresh copy of Windows (which is pretty much the same as clean installing)...has anyone attempted this successfully?

I did exactly that. I received a new machine with Windows 8.1 on it at work the day 10240 released. I knew I couldn't clean install, so I used an old ISO of a previous build, upgraded 8.1 to whatever version of the Windows 10 preview ISO it was I had (don't remember the exact version but it was probably the last ISO before 10240) using the "keep nothing" option. I then updated to 10240, also using the "keep nothing" option. Been running that version ever since and it's running like a champ!

 

[a5cent]

^ It's explained in the FAQ.

The license key AND the identity of the hardware are both associated with your account.

Your account can have multiple hardware ID/key pairs associated with it.

 

[mjyumping]

Not sure if this has been shared here already.
This is a very helpful thread for those who want to understand how their system is activated and about clean installing.

LINK:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...pgrading/f59fb5bd-21a5-4010-8a39-7b975611b73b

 

[07outback]

I want to do a clean install, but I don't know which version to download o to a USB. I currently have the Pro version so do I download N or KN or what?

 

[mjyumping]

I want to do a clean install, but I don't know which version to download o to a USB. I currently have the Pro version so do I download N or KN or what?

I had 8.1 Pro, so I installed the Windows 10 Pro, and its sucesfully activate itself. Just make sure you upgrade first to 10 and wait to activate itself, before you clean install.

 

[07outback]

I had 8.1 Pro, so I installed the Windows 10 Pro, and its successfully activate itself. Just make sure you upgrade first to 10 and wait to activate itself, before you clean install.

No problem activating on the upgrade.

 

[anon(5383410)]

I already upgraded through Windows update not realizing my version of 8.1 was the Home edition. So when I upgraded through Windows update I got Windows 10 Home which I CAN'T use with my job's VPN because it doesn't have domain join services. Odd since that obviously wasn't the case in 8/8.1 since I'd been using it with my job's VPN since it was released.

Anyway, can I do a clean install with the Pro ISO over my current home version even though I already upgraded?

 

[Prathameshk]

I already upgraded through Windows update not realizing my version of 8.1 was the Home edition. So when I upgraded through Windows update I got Windows 10 Home which I CAN'T use with my job's VPN because it doesn't have domain join services. Odd since that obviously wasn't the case in 8/8.1 since I'd been using it with my job's VPN since it was released.

Anyway, can I do a clean install with the Pro ISO over my current home version even though I already upgraded?

Yes but u will need a product key to activate pro version...

 

[maktaba]

Okay so after I clean installed Windows 10 from ISO files, it could not get activated using Windows 8.1 key which I had got using Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder program. So I downloaded Windows 8.1 ISO files from Microsoft and installed it and the activation worked. I then downloaded Windows 10 ISO files again and installed it while in Windows 8.1 (no clean install this time), and once installed the KeyFinder program showed a different but working key this time, which I used to clean install Windows 10 and activate it finally.

 

[anon(5383410)]

Yes but u will need a product key to activate pro version...

Awesome. I have my product key.

EDIT: Oddly enough, the program I use to get my product key actually still lists my OS as Windows 8.1. :/ Then again I guess it isn't that odd since w10 didn't exist when they wrote it.

EDIT 2: This will not work. I get the message "this key doesn't work with this version of windows".

 

[a5cent]

Okay so after I clean installed Windows 10 from ISO files, it could not get activated using Windows 8.1 key which I had got using Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder program. So I downloaded Windows 8.1 ISO files from Microsoft and installed it and the activation worked. I then downloaded Windows 10 ISO files again and installed it while in Windows 8.1 (no clean install this time), and once installed the KeyFinder program showed a different but working key this time, which I used to clean install Windows 10 and activate it finally.

It was not your extracted key that activated your W10 installation, but the fact that you did an in-place upgrade. The time you spent extracting and looking for keys was a completely unnecessary waste of time.


The first post in this thread explains why:

http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...0015-windows-10-upgrade-installation-faq.html

 

[frag06]

Hello.

Does anyone know if Windows 10 still writes System Reserved Boot files to a secondary drive, should one be connected? I got bitten by this with Windows 8 when a drive died, and I'd like to avoid it if I decide to install W10.

If it does, I'll be sure to unplug my drives before installing.

Thanks.

 

[Nick Jenkins]

I did a clean install on my SP3, but I upgraded to Windows 10 first. I then did the clean install from a USB key I created using the Microsoft tool. I did the option to "Keep Nothing", and it wiped out the system and installed a fresh Windows 10. Activation was successful as well.

My question is: I have 2 Windows 7 systems at home. I'd like to do the same to those, upgrade to Windows 10 then do the clean install... but if a serial number is attached to your Microsoft account, how does it handle more than one installation of Windows 10? Right now, it must see my SP3, but what if I do the same to one of my Windows 7 machines? Does it know to keep a separate key based on computer name? How does that work?

Inquiring minds wanna know...

So you first did the upgrade to Windows 10, then you downloaded the ISO file Windows 10 and booted to it? Did you reformat the hard drive too?

 

[kenjancef]

So you first did the upgrade to Windows 10, then you downloaded the ISO file Windows 10 and booted to it? Did you reformat the hard drive too?

During the install it asks why you want to keep, and one choice is "Keep Nothing". That is the "clean install" choice, so I assume it formats the hard drive, but it does leave the Windows.old folder, just in case I guess. I did the Disk Cleanup after testing it out, and it got rid of that folder.

Still running great...

 

[Kieran Jeffery]

The best thing to do is upgrade through the GWX then use update and recovery to delete everything and reinstall windows. After upgrading I had a couple of issues and I wanted a clean install anyway and it worked fine for me.