How to reinstall windows 10 with full formatting. Reinstalling Windows without a disk or flash drive

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Windows 10 - best version Windows, but that doesn't mean it doesn't get slower over time. Any Windows, for that matter, starts to work not as we wanted, delays appear, universal applications may not work, all this happens for a number of reasons, one of them is time with last installation or system updates. The best way To solve this problem - reinstall the operating system.

Automatic activation of Windows 10 after reinstallation

Many users who upgraded Windows 7, 8.1 to Windows 10 using free update, people often ask whether activation will fail after reinstallation, how to reinstall Windows 10 without losing the activation license, or how to activate Windows 10 again after a new installation.

Reinstalling Windows 10 without losing your activation license

After the release of Windows 10, back in 2015, Microsoft assured that you can reinstall and activate Windows 10 after a fresh installation without any problems, as long as you install Windows 10 on the same computer without major changes hardware.

Link Windows 10 license to Microsoft account

If you sign into Windows 10 with a Microsoft account (version 1607 or later), Windows 10 automatically associates your Windows 10 license with your Microsoft account. Makes it easy to activate your copy of Windows 10 for a repeat or new installation.

In fact, there's even an activation troubleshooter you can use to Windows activation 10 if yours copy of Windows 10 does not automatically activate after making changes to your PC hardware.

Users using local account, can also reinstall Windows 10 without losing the license or activation. There are no funds for Reserve copy Windows licenses 10. You don't actually need to back up your license if you have an activated copy of Windows 10.

Activation after a new installation of Windows 10

You can reinstall the same version of Windows 10 on the same PC (where you have an activated copy of Windows 10) without requiring you to enter a product key. When reinstalling Windows 10, if you see a prompt to enter your product key, simply click the Skip button. Windows 10 automatically activates when you connect your computer to the network after installation is complete.

Before you start reinstalling Windows 10, we recommend that you go to Options → Update and Security → Activation, and check the activation status of Windows 10.

Here you will see a message "Windows activated with a digital license associated with your Microsoft account", if your copy of Windows 10 is activated and linked to your Microsoft account (automatically if you use an account Microsoft entry to sign in to Windows 10). If you are using a local account, you will see a message "Windows activated with digital license".

If you still have doubts, contact the service Microsoft support using the built-in support application. In short, you can easily reinstall Windows 10 without losing your activation license.

The complexity of installing an operating system is one of the biggest misconceptions associated with computers. To reinstall Windows 10, you don't need to be an expert in the field. information technologies. This is a fairly simple process, not much different from cooking according to recipes cookbook. Moreover, most of our readers cope with the latter. Let's consider several ways to solve this problem based on the current state of the OS.

Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 is the "final" operating system. The company has completely changed its previously used development strategy. Now, instead of new versions and service packages, a six-month component update cycle is applied. The latest build of the operating system can be obtained by visiting the Microsoft Software Download Center. At the time of writing this is version 1709 Fall Creators Update.

The update assistant is used in a running OS to switch to the latest build. When you do a clean reinstall of Windows 10, you will need installation media.

Media Creation Tool

To make it easier for users to migrate from older Microsoft versions created special utility. With its help, you can not only download, but also prepare the distribution for offline installation.

By selecting the item indicated in the screenshot, we will receive on the PC Windows ISO image 10.

So, to get the distribution for offline use, you only need internet and a flash drive.

Full system reset

Microsoft has introduced a tool into Windows 10 that was previously only present in mobile operating systems. The user can do full reset system, returning it to initial settings. The convenience of this method lies in the fact that Windows 10 is reinstalled without a disk or flash drive. It is enough for the computer to have version no lower than 1607 installed Anniversary Update. You can check this using command line. We launch it as a regular user and enter “winver”, as shown in the screenshot.

As a result, it will open information window, which provides the version number of the current OS.

Having made sure that the system configuration allows you to perform the intended actions, let's move on to Windows settings. Required section circled in the screenshot.

In the navigation area, go to the “Recovery” item. To activate the reset to the original state, click on the button indicated by the arrow.

If photos and documents are stored on your hard drive, select the item marked with a red frame. Fans cloud services can choose a white frame. In this case, everything will be removed from the drive except the OS.

The Reset Wizard will display a list of software to be removed from the computer.

At the last stage, a list of actions that will be performed when restoring the PC is displayed. The procedure is started using the “Factory” button.

The wizard performs the initial part of the work before the first reboot in a graphical environment.

The whole complex of operations takes about an hour. After the reset is complete, only user files. All OS settings are reset to a state similar to a clean installation.

Installation in Windows environment

If the system boots, but for some reason you decide to reinstall Windows 10, you can do this directly in graphical interface. In this case, you can also do without a distribution disk. All you need to do is download the ISO image and place it, for example, on your desktop. Calling context menu, select the marked item.

The system will create a virtual DVD drive by mounting the specified image into it. Open it to launch the application indicated by the arrow in the screenshot.

The OS installer is activated. At the initial stage, you don’t have to change anything. Let the system download the latest updates.

We agree that the reinstallation will take place while maintaining the license.

By default, the operation is performed without data loss. Will stay even earlier installed applications. IN additional menu you can choose to save only personal data or complete removal With hard drive all information.

After you click the “Install” button, all actions will be performed automatically.

The procedure may take several hours, most of which will be spent working on updates. As a result, we get an operating system with saved custom settings, design and software.

Clean installation

The method allows you to completely reinstall Windows 10. You can use it even if the old OS is unable to boot for some reason. In the BIOS/UEFI settings, we set it to boot from a flash drive or DVD. As a result, instead of the operating system, when the computer starts, the installation wizard starts.

To reinstall Windows 10 without losing your license, select the marked item in the activation window. Entering the key is only required once, and we have already done it.

The OS version must match the existing one digital license.

To perform a clean installation, which involves hard formatting disk, switch to the marked item.

Select a disk to host the system. We format it, agreeing to data loss. We activate the installation by clicking “Next”.

The choice of account type will determine how the license is verified. Standalone is tied to the hardware configuration. Replacement individual components The computer is not prohibited, but sometimes you have to confirm your account with Microsoft technical support.

Further steps involve setting language and time zone settings. This procedure is familiar to anyone who uses a smartphone.

Conclusions and Conclusions

All described options are Windows installations 10 ensure the preservation of the digital license. An important condition for this is the use of the same OS edition. Cannot be replaced Home version to Professional and vice versa. In this case, you will need to go through the activation procedure again.
The option of installing a new system on top of an existing one will not solve hardware configuration problems. If you regularly encounter BSOD, there is a high probability that the error will return. In this case, only a revision of the components followed by clean install.
Not all software will “gratefully” accept such a procedure. Programs that store part of the configuration files hidden system folders, may work slower than usual.
The use of "tweakers" and "cleaners" manual removal Windows.old folders to clean free space on the disk may prevent you from using the factory reset feature.

Installing a system “on top” should be considered only as a temporary solution. For systems operating without hardware errors, you can apply a rollback to factory settings. If you have the time and opportunity, a clean install would be the preferred option.

In this article, you will learn how to quickly reinstall Windows 10 on a laptop.

Windows 10's Reset Your PC feature restores your PC to its factory default settings... including any bloatware your PC manufacturer included with your system. But the new "Fresh Start" feature in the Windows 10 Creators Update makes it much easier to get a clean Windows system.

How it works

Reinstalling Windows 10 is very easy. Especially if you've already done it. Now we will talk about the main system tools for reinstallation.

The Reset This PC feature resets your PC to its factory default settings. If you installed Windows yourself, this means you will have clean system Windows. But you probably didn't install Windows yourself. Like most people, you probably purchased a computer that came with Windows plus some additional bloatware.

In this case, resetting your PC resets it to the way you received it from the factory, which includes all the software that the manufacturer installed on your computer. From annoying viruses to useful ones software drivers everything will come back. You will either have to live with this junk or spend time removing it.

To get rid of viruses for a clean, new Microsoft systems Windows 10, you previously had to download Windows 10 installation media, create a USB drive or DVD, and reinstall Windows 10 yourself. New feature Windows "Fresh Start" makes this process much easier by allowing ordinary users PC completely reinstall Windows in a few clicks.

Even for Windows Geeks who often reinstall Windows on every new computer, they can save some time by using the "Fresh Start" feature. Just follow the instructions to quickly and easily reinstall Windows 10 on your new PC.

What's the catch?

The downside is that you will lose all the manufacturer-installed software on your PC. Of course, most of it is junk, but some of the important stuff like drivers and software can probably be downloaded from your computer manufacturer's website. If you want to use the utility later, you can download this particular tool.

But if you have something that you can't go online with, or if there is a useful deal in this virus, you should make sure that you get the necessary keys or registration keys before you do this. For example, many new Dells come with 20GB of free Dropbox storage, which is quite a lot.

Likewise, you'll want to obtain any other product keys for existing software that you want to keep. If you use iTunes, you must first disable iTunes on your computer. You will then need to reinstall iTunes and authorize it once this process is complete. If you have a product key for Microsoft Office, you'll need to make sure you have this product key to reinstall Office later. If you're using Office 365, you can download and install Office again after this. The same goes for any other application that requires a key or authorization.

How to Get Fresh Start in the Creators Update

The "Fresh Start" function is part of the interface Windows Defender. Open the Start menu and launch Windows Defender.

If you don't see this app, you haven't updated to the Creator Update yet. You can use another method described below for this in anniversary update.

In the sidebar, select the "Device Performance and Health" option, and then click the " Additional Information" in the "Getting Started" section.

You can also go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and click the "Learn how to start fresh with a clean install of Windows" link to open this screen.

This window explains exactly what will happen. Windows 10 will be reinstalled and updated to latest version. You will keep your personal files and some Windows settings, but all your desktop applications, including the applications that came with your computer and the applications you installed, will be removed. Even though Windows promises to keep your personal files, it is still recommended to create backups files.

When you're ready to get started, click the Get Started button. To continue, you will have to agree to the User Account Control prompt.

Windows warns you that the process may take 20 minutes or more, depending on the speed of your PC. Click Next to get started.

The tool provides you with a list of all applications for desktop computers which it will delete. It also saves this list in text file on your PC's desktop, making it easy to see which apps you've already installed.

When you're ready, click Start to begin the process. It's not that you won't be able to use your PC while Windows is reinstalling itself, so make sure you're prepared.

Once the process is complete you will have new installation Windows 10: Launch Center Windows updates" - in any case, it should start automatically, and your computer should load everything reliably necessary drivers equipment. If not, visit the driver download page for your computer on the manufacturer's website and download any drivers and other software you need.

How to reinstall Windows 10 on a laptop

More early version This feature is also available in the Anniversary Update. You can still reinstall Windows and get rid of viruses even if you haven't updated to the Creators Update yet. However, Microsoft recommends using the " New launch" in the "Author Update".

To get started, open the Settings app from the Start menu. Go to Update & Security > Recovery. Scroll down and click or tap the "Learn how to start fresh with a clean Windows installation" link in the " Extra options recovery."

Click the "Download Tool Now" button at the bottom of the page to download the Windows Update tool.

Run the downloaded RefreshWindowsTool.exe file and agree to license agreement Microsoft. After that, you will see the “Give your computer a fresh start” window.

Select "Keep personal files only" and Windows will keep your personal files, or select "Nothing" and Windows will delete everything. Anyway everything installed programs will be deleted and settings will be reset.

Click "Start" and the tool will automatically download the installation Windows files 10 is about 3 GB in size. It then begins the installation process, providing you with a fresh Windows system 10—manufacturer's software is not included in the package.

If you still have any questions on the topic “How to quickly reinstall Windows 10,” you can write them in the comment form on our website.

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Few people know, but also with using hard The disk allows you to install a new OS on your PC. The HDD is responsible for storing all system files, the command line is also subject to it.

The process of “updating” the OS itself takes place using command line directly at the stage of turning on the PC. This method allows you to clear all partitions and create new ones. To begin the first stages of system installation, you need download disk image the version of the operating system you need. You can find this very image on the Microsoft website or through some torrent client. Be careful when downloading files via third party resources. The image will be installed on the computer as an archive, which must be unpacked to drive C. Now the user is required to follow the instructions below:

As you might have noticed, this method OS installation is practically no different from methods involving a disk or flash drive.

It should be mentioned that you need to pay attention to the bitness of the downloaded system. In other words, if you had a 32-bit system, then you should install a 32-bit one.

Installation image and virtual drive

Most simple method Windows installation is a download disk image from the network and launch via virtual drive . The entire process of downloading the archive is absolutely no different from what we discussed just above, but you do not need to unpack this archive. The image format itself makes it possible to install any application, etc., without using disk drive, but by using virtual.

All users of the XP/7 operating systems should definitely download additional software that provides the ability to work with disk images. Starting from the eighth version, this is not required, since the software is already installed on the system.

Now I should give you some useful recommendations, which should be followed when installing a new OS.

Not worth it download files from “suspicious” resources
be careful with downloading the OS with built-in modifications. As a rule, all modifications contain viruses and spyware, the purpose of which is to steal your personal data, passwords and credit card numbers.
Download images only from trusted resources, for example, from the official Microsoft website. You can also consider the option with specialized utilities for installing a new OS. In the selected utility that can work with disk images, and organize virtual disk with a new operating system. To create new disk, you should select the desired iso image in the utility. Immediately after this, the program itself will provide necessary instructions. The entire creation process lasts no more than one minute. Then double-click on the disk that appears, after which the OS installation process begins.

Installation of each new Windows release It is easier to perform than the previous one and requires less and less effort from the user. WITH Windows release 10 this task has become even simpler: now, to install an operating system on a computer, you don’t need any special knowledge or sophisticated applications. You don’t even need a Windows distribution kit - the installation program has “learned” to download it itself. She herself creates the installation media - a DVD or flash drive. The user can only respond to requests and follow instructions that are clear even to those who do it for the first time.

Today we will tell you how to clean install Windows 10 on any laptop and desktop PC. A clean installation means installing an OS on a medium that does not contain an operating system (for example, on new computer or formatted HDD). Or where it exists, but is subject to complete overwriting without saving installed software, accounts and settings. By the way, don’t worry about the license: if you install a system to replace a legally activated one, you can keep it. And we will not hide from you what needs to be done for this.

What you will need

Bootable recording media Windows distribution 10. It can be a USB flash drive with 3 GB or more, a DVD, portable or internal hard disk. Since the vast majority of users prefer to install Windows from a flash drive, we will consider this method as the main one.
or a set of files.
Transfer utility system files to the installation media. If you are going to install Windows 10 on a PC with UEFI (an improved “BIOS”), you can do without it - you just need to copy the distribution files and folders to a flash drive. By the way, in Windows 8 and 10 ISO image can be opened in explorer as regular folder, but more early systems for this you will need special application, for example, any archiver program.
The computer on which you will prepare the bootable USB flash drive.

Preparing a flash drive

If you do not have a pre-prepared Tens distribution kit, it is easier and more convenient to have the Microsoft Media Creation Tools utility download it and burn it to a flash drive or DVD using it.

The utility does not require installation on a PC; you just need to run it with administrator rights.

After launch Media Creation Tools:

In the “License Terms” window, click “Accept”.

To the question “What do you want to do?” We answer: “Create media for another computer.”

In the “Selecting parameters” section, we determine the system language, edition (“home for one PC” or “Windows 10”) and architecture (bit) - 64 or 32. If the selection options are inactive, the “Use recommended settings” checkbox should be unchecked.

Next, select the drive: USB - to create bootable flash drive, or ISO file - for uploading an image that you will later burn to DVD.

Having selected the USB device, click “Next” and wait 30-50 minutes while the program downloads the distribution and creates installation media. At this time, the computer is available for use.

A message will inform you that it is time to proceed with installation: “The USB flash memory device is ready.”

If you downloaded the distribution in advance or you do not have stable Internet access, use it to create an installation Windows media 10 other tools. For example:

Rufus. Works without installation. To write the operating system to a flash drive, you just need to indicate the location of the distribution kit, as well as determine the partition layout and type system interface: MBR for computers with BIOS (old), GPT for computers with UEFI (new, released after 2013), or MBR for computers with UEFI (if the UEFI PC has drives partitioned using the MBR standard).

. This utility is as simple as Rufus. In the "Add to" section USB disk“Just check the box “Windows Vista/7/8/10, etc.”, specify the path to the Windows 10 image and click the “Go” button.

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. This branded Microsoft utility capable of transferring everything to USB flash drives and DVDs Windows versions, starting with “seven”, in just 4 steps.

Besides these there are many others free utilities to create installation media. You can use any - the result will be the same.

Let's start the installation

Installation launch options

Launch Windows installations 10 is possible in two ways:

From under a running system. Can be used if you plan to reinstall it or install Ten from scratch on another disk partition.
When booting from installation media(via BIOS). Universal option, which is suitable for installing the system on a new computer and for reinstalling old copy Windows.

If you select the first option, open boot disk or flash drive in Explorer and run the Setup.exe file.

If you choose the second one, boot the computer from the installation media.

How to boot a PC or laptop from a flash drive

BIOS Setup utility on different computers has a different interface. To enter it, you must immediately press a certain key after turning on the machine and the manufacturer’s splash screen appears on the screen. Which one is usually indicated at the bottom of the splash screen. Most often these are Delete, F2 and Escape, sometimes F1, F3, F10, F12 or a combination of several keys.

After opening the utility, go to the “Boot” section. IN BIOS version Setup Utility, shown in the screenshot, is a separate tab in the top menu.

In other versions it is not present as such, but required settings collected in the “Advanced Bios Features” section. In order not to confuse anything at the most crucial moment, study the BIOS interface of your computer in advance and figure out what is where.

In the "Boot" section you will see a list of devices from which the machine can boot. The first place is usually the hard drive. You need to make sure that first of all the computer checks boot files not on it, but on a flash drive. To do this, using the arrow keys, as well as F5, F6, plus and minus (the hint is located in the right half of the BIOS window), move the USB device to the top of the list. To save the settings and exit the utility, press F10.

IN graphic versions There is no need to change the UEFI device order; just click on the USB device. After this, the PC will restart and begin booting from the selected media.

Main part of the installation

Most of the Windows 10 installation process takes place without active user interaction. You will only have to work at the beginning and a little at the end.

So, the first thing you have to do is select the operating system language, time formats, currency formats and the main keyboard layout. If you downloaded Russian version Windows, the default language here will be Russian.

After defining language settings Click the "Install" button.

Accept the license terms. To move on to the next task now and in the future, click the “Next” button.

Now you need to determine the installation type - as an update or “custom” (in previous versions it was called "clean"). We, accordingly, need the second type.

Let’s move on to choosing a place to “settle” new Windows. If your hard drive is not partitioned or you want to change their proportions, select desired area disk and click "Create".

In the "Size" field, indicate the number of megabytes that you will allocate for system partition. Windows 10 64-bit requires at least 32 GB. Click Apply. If necessary, create other partitions in the same way, and then format them.

Attention! If you want to install the system while maintaining the license, do not format the disk, but carry out the installation in the same partition where the previous activated copy of Windows is located. Second important factor saving activation - new system must be the same version as the old one. If you install Windows 10 Ultimate instead of Home, you will not be able to do without losing your license!

After finishing working with the disk, you can relax - for the next 40-60 minutes the process will proceed without your participation. If you want, just watch him.

Copying files will take approximately 1/4 of the time.

The computer will then reboot and continue the installation. Most of the time the Windows logo will hang on the screen and the “wheel” will rotate. You can see what stage the process is at by the messages at the bottom of the screen.

It's time to move on to action again, because the end of the installation is approaching. When you see a proposal to increase the speed, click the “Use” button standard parameters" You can change them later if you wish.

After the update, you will have to create your first user account. By default, it will be assigned administrative rights. Everything is simple here - enter your username and, if necessary, enter a password.

Finally, the long-awaited desktop. Everything is ready, the installation of Windows 10 is complete. We hope it didn’t bore you too much, because now you have to set up a network, design a desktop, install applications and other pleasant chores to “get used to” the new OS.

If during installation Windows did not require input license key, check if activation is in place. Open the context menu of the Start button and go to system settings.

Activation information is located at the bottom of the basic computer information window. In our example, it is not executed, since “ten” was set to virtual machine from complete scratch.

If you were able to reinstall while maintaining the license, you can delete the C:\Windows.old folder, which contains the files from the previous copy of the system. They are no longer needed - the activation information has been successfully transferred to the new one.

How to install a system from a hard drive

There are situations when neither flash drives nor DVDs are at hand. In short, nothing except the hard drive of the same computer on which you need to install Windows 10.

To install “ten” from a hard drive, you must meet 3 conditions:

Have a distribution. More convenient - in the form of a set of files and folders. If you only have an ISO image, you will have to unpack it, for example, using an archive application (WinRAR, 7-zip and similar) or Windows Explorer(only in the “eight” and “ten”).
Have an additional partition on your hard drive with a capacity of 3 GB or more. Preferably free.
The computer must boot from the same disk. If not, then you will need media with a Live CD/Live USB (portable operating system), like BartPE, Alkid Live CD, etc. You can easily find their images on the Internet.

Carrier installation files The hard drive, or more precisely, its additional partition, will serve. operating system you will need to copy the distribution and create its bootloader.

Installation procedure

Boot your computer from your hard drive or portable OS media.
Copy Windows 10 distribution files and folders to the root additional section(not the one in which the system will be installed).

Rename the boot file (bootmgr), for example, to "Win10". The length of his name should not exceed 5 characters.

Now you have to create a distribution boot loader using the BootICE utility. You can use other boot management tools instead, but we chose BootICE because we think it's the simplest and most convenient.

Run the utility (it does not require installation). In the “Physical disk” section, select the computer’s hard drive from the “Destination disc” list. Click the Process MBR button.

Check "Grub4DOS" and click "Install/Config".

In the “Rename GRLDR” section, enter a new file name Windows downloads 10 (as you remember, we called it “Win10”) and click “Save to disk”. Click OK on the message successful creation bootloader and close the utility.

All that remains is to restart the computer. The next time you start it, the Windows 10 installation program will take control, and then it will be the same as when installing the system from a flash drive.