Reinstalling windows and revalidation

You might get a driver missing error or something to that effect. If you do, restart setup, but this time, when you arrive at the following screen, disconnect your thumb drive then go through Custom options. When setup is ready copy files, it will prompt you to reconnect the installation source your USB. Select the drive then click New NOTE: If you have multiple partitions listed, select each one starting at the bottom , then click delete until there is only a single one unallocated drive displayed in the window.

Select the unallocated drive listed, click New, click Apply then OK This will split the drive into multiple partitions, select the Primary partition then click Next.

NOTE: The System Reserved partition is where recovery files are kept for diagnostics and repairing damaged Windows 10 files; or even reinstall Windows Wait while Windows installs When this phase of setup is complete, Windows will automatically restart then reboot into setup again. Windows is detecting and installing your hardware.

After this is complete, Windows will restart one last time. Out of Box Experience The Out of Box Experience page is where you get to configure detailed settings in Windows, which includes creating a user account, configure privacy, sync PC settings and install modern applications. Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information.

Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP Potentially Unwanted Products. Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it. DaveM Independent Advisor. Hi Gregory, you can reinstall Windows 10 at any time and it will not cost you anything! Since you previously had Windows 10 installed and activated on that PC during the installation process skip the steps which ask for a product key and select the option 'I am Reinstalling Windows 10 on this PC', and activation will not be an issue, your PC will have a digital entitlement stored on the Microsoft Activation Servers Make sure you install the same Edition of Windows 10 Home, Pro.

Disable Secure Boot 2. Enable Legacy Boot 3. If Available enable CSM 4. This removes everything and reinstalls Windows. Warning: All of your personal files will be deleted and your settings will be reset. All apps that you installed will be removed.

Only apps that came with your PC will be reinstalled. Under Remove everything and reinstall Windows , tap or click Get started. Note: You'll be asked to choose whether you want to erase data quickly or thoroughly. If you choose to erase data quickly, some data might be recoverable using special software. If you choose to erase data thoroughly, this will take longer but it makes recovering data less likely.

If you think an app or driver that you recently installed caused problems with your PC, you can restore Windows back to an earlier point in time, called a restore point. Windows automatically creates a restore point when you install desktop apps and new Windows updates, if the last restore point is older than 7 days.

You can also create a restore point manually at any time. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.

If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.

Enter Control Panel in the search box, and tap or click Control Panel. When completed, you'll load back into the same Windows environment where you originally started the "upgrade," except with newly installed operating system files which should be bug-free.

As mentioned before, although this reinstallation retains your software and settings, the process creates a Windows. Disk Cleanup can delete the Windows. When we scanned after the in-place upgrade, Disk Cleanup found 3. If you're really low on storage space, we've found that third-party software such as Wise Disk Cleaner will remove more data than Disk Cleanup, and that particular tool even removed more than CCleaner. Other than deleting excess Windows data, you'll probably have to relog into your Wi-Fi network and you may have to install some Windows updates if you didn't use the most recent Windows ISO.

ISO " After launching setup. After completing the in-place upgrade As mentioned before, although this reinstallation retains your software and settings, the process creates a Windows. User Comments: We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Related Articles. Article Summary.

Method 1. Click Recovery. A pop-up will appear. Go to source. Choose what to do with your files. Click Keep my files to avoid losing personal data. Click Remove everything to erase all data on the computer, including your personal files, before reinstalling Windows.

Follow the on-screen instructions and click Reset when prompted. Once you click Reset , the PC will reboot and begin to reinstall Windows. Method 2. If you created a recovery drive when the PC was working properly , you can use it to reinstall Windows. Use this method if you were unable to reinstall Windows 10 from the desktop or if your computer will not boot into Windows. Turn on the computer. If the computer was already on, reboot it now that the USB drive is attached.

Click Troubleshoot. A list of options will appear. Click Recover from a drive. This will wipe all data off the PC and install a fresh version of Windows