In this video I show you how to reinstall Windows 10 to a clean state.You can find the Product Key script and links here: https://richardtech.net/2018/03/how. The Windows 10 S clean installation comes with a catch. Let’s tell you about it. You can simply install Windows 10 in virtual machine and use the above-mentioned Windows 10 S installer tool. To get rid of the bloatware for a clean, fresh-from-Microsoft Windows 10 system, you previously had to download Windows 10 installation media, create a USB drive or DVD, and then reinstall Windows 10 yourself. Windows’ new “Fresh Start” feature makes this process much simpler, allowing normal PC users to completely reinstall Windows in a.
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If you missed the Windows 10 free upgrade period that ended July 29, don’t worry. You can still get Windows 10 on your PC. In fact, Microsoft even allows you to do a clean install without requiring to enter a product key. There are certain steps to be followed before you do this, however.
Step 1: Backing Up your Data
First of all, you will need to back up everything on your system because a clean install will wipe everything out. This is possibly the biggest single task in this process. You can either backup your data to an external drive or use a cloud service, depending on how much data you actually have stored on your system.
Most cloud services are free only up to a limit, so most people prefer moving the data to an external hard drive.
Step 2: Preparing for the Download
You will also need a flash drive with about 4GB of space, depending on whether or not you want to create media for installation on other machines.
Microsoft recommends a blank flash drive or a blank DVD for this because any data you have on them will be deleted during the download process.
One more very important thing, though. You’ll need the product key for the Office suite that you currently use. You won’t need one for Windows 10, and I’ve explained that below, but you definitely need to be able to reinstall Office on your system.
Step 3: Downloading and Installing Windows 10 Free
Once you’ve got everything ready, go to…
Microsoft’s Software Downloads Page
…and download the appropriate version of the ISO file (disc image) based on whether you already have Windows Home or Pro. You also need to select the same language option as your current Windows version.
Once you download the file onto your system, external drive or USB, click on the file to run it. You may need to right-click and run it as “Administrator” depending on how your account was set up on the machine. Don’t worry, if you do it wrong the system will tell you to run it as Admin.
During the installation process, you’ll be asked to enter a product key to activate Windows 10. If you don’t have one, you can select the option ‘I don’t have a product key” and it’ll just continue to install, albeit with a few cosmetic restrictions.
What are these restrictions, and will you be able to use Windows 10 normally?
Yes, you can use a clean install of Windows 10 the way you’d use a licensed version, but the system will keep showing you notifications to activate the product. No annoying pop-ups or anything, but the settings and other system windows will have a reminder.
Once you have selected the “I don’t have a product key” option, just allow the installation to finish and you’re all done. The system should restart on its own, and you are now officially on Windows 10. Simple!
P.S. If you want to take the easy route and upgrade to Windows 10 free without the hassle of doing a clean install, please read this article linked below:
Free Windows 10 Upgrade Still Open for Some – Find Out How to Get It
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Updated, July 31 @ 15:55 BST (10:55 EDT): This story has been updated with a few more details, and some other (quicker) ways of achieving an almost-clean installation of Windows 10.
Original story
Windows 10 is an unusual release for Microsoft: if you have a licensed version of Windows 7 or 8/8.1, it will very easily upgrade to Windows 10—you don't even need to enter a licence key. Clean installations, however, are a bit trickier: you do need to enter a licence key, and your Windows 7/8 key probably won't work.
Fortunately, if you're running Windows 7 or 8, and you really want to use your free Windows 10 licence key to perform a clean installation rather than upgrade, there is a solution. It's pretty convoluted, but it works.
First, you need to do an in-place upgrade to Windows 10. You can do this via Windows Update, or if Windows Update isn't playing ball you can use the direct download tool: English/American/German/French/Italian/Dutch. If you use the download tool, make sure you select 'Upgrade this PC now.' It goes without saying that, before you install any new operating system, you should back up any important data beforehand.
Once the upgrade has completed, make sure you've been activated by Microsoft. Open up the new Settings app, then head to Update & Security, Activation. It will say on the right whether you're activated or not (see image). Also note down what version of Windows 10 you have (Home, Pro).
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If you haven't yet been activated, you can try forcing it via command prompt: run
cmd.exe
as an administrator, then type slmgr.vbs /ato
. You may need to try a few times, as the activation servers were being hit quite hard.This first step will convert your current Windows 7/8 key into a Windows 10 key.
Now you need to install Windows 10 again! Grab the Windows 10 download tool and run it. This time, select 'Create installation media for another PC.' Select the appropriate version (Home, Pro) and the tool will generate an ISO for you. Let the tool help you burn the ISO to a DVD or USB memory stick.
Now, proceed with a clean installation of Windows 10 (select 'Custom: Install Windows only' when prompted.) When it asks you for a product key, click Skip. If it asks you multiple times, just keep hitting Skip.
Once you've installed Windows 10, it should activate normally. Again, you might need to manually slam the servers using
slmgr.vbs /ato
. Voilà: a clean installation of Windows 10.In theory, you should be able to reinstall Windows 10 again in the future on the same PC, but if you make significant hardware changes you might need to use the manual telephone activation process. Currently, it isn't clear if you can take your freebie Windows 10 licence key and use it to install Windows 10 on another machine. Some users are reporting that ProduKey, Magic Jelly Bean, and other key-viewing tools have enabled them to get a new Windows 10 licence key that can be used on another machine, but some users are just getting a generic licence key that isn't transferable. Your mileage may vary.
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Obviously, it's crazy that you have to go through a full OS installation just to upgrade a licence key. It would be a lot easier and faster if Microsoft provided some kind of tool that converted Windows 7/8 keys to Windows 10.
Windows 10 Free Clean Install
If you bought a retail copy of Windows 10, this guide doesn't apply to you at all: you'll have a Windows 10 licence key that can be used directly during the installation process.
Another option, rather than installing Windows 10 twice, is to click the small 'change what to keep' button during installation, and then select 'nothing' from the following screen. This will delete all of your files, apps, and settings. This will be functionally the same as performing a clean installation, but there may be small underlying differences.
Another method is to upgrade to Windows 10, head into the new Settings app, and go to 'Update and recovery.' From there, you can click 'Reset this PC,' which gives you the option of reinstalling Windows 10 and either a) keeping your apps and files, or b) wiping everything clean. Again, this isn't quite the same as a clean installation, but it's very similar.
If you do opt for the upgrade-then-install method, one slightly faster route is to download and burn an ISO the first time you run the tool, and then upgrade from that ISO. You can then use the same installation media to do a clean installation, rather than downloading Windows 10 again using the tool.
If you get the following error when trying to activate Windows 10, don't panic: 'Error code: 0xC004C003. Activation server determined that the key has been blocked.' Some users are reporting that they are seeing that error, even with a legitimate key, perhaps due to the activation servers being overloaded. Of course, if you're not actually using a legitimate licence key, then.. well.. do panic.