Fresh OS installation to my Laptop

My Laptop (HP Spectre X360 - 13-Ae045tu) came up with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed. I want to do a fresh installation of Windows 10 pro. What are the ways to do it?

• If I download ISO of Win 10 from Microsoft site will it be registered/activate in my laptop?
• Is it mandatory to make bootable flash drive to install or fresh installation can be done by mounting ISO file as virtual DVD drive?
• Can I install OS by completely deleting partitions (currently there is System reserve partitions along with C: drive)? If yes, virtual DVD drive procedure will not work, right?

Should I convert the disk from MBR to GPT (as this is the newest partition style)? What is the recommendation?

While I am a huge fan of clean installs, be advised you can do a reset without having to download/reinstall anything:
Reset Windows 10

If you don't want to do the reset and want to continue with doing a clean install, then you will need to create a bootable USB flash drive. You can not do a clean install with just a mounted ISO file. My preferred method of creating the flash drive is using option 4 here:
Create Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows 10

When you do a clean install, you do want to delete every partition on the drive, even system and hidden partitions. The only partition you will want to leave is if you have a partition that was created specifically for keeping your data on and it sounds like you don't have that. You do not need to convert the drive to GPT. If you boot the computer from the flash drive in UEFI mode, Windows setup will set the drive up as GPT. If you boot the computer from the flash drive in Legacy BIOS (CSM) mode, Windows setup will set the drive up as MBR.

Since your computer has already had Windows 10 Pro activated on it, a clean install of Windows 10 Pro will automatically activate once the computer is connected to the internet.

Clean Install Windows 10

Before you begin the clean install, it is a very good idea to back up any non-Microsoft drivers. You can use your bootable USB flash drive to hold the drivers, so long as there is room enough left on it to hold them:

Backup and Restore Device Drivers in Windows 10

How I can take backup of the whole OS before clean installation? So that in case of any unforeseen issue I can easily restore from backup to back to good working condition.

If I convert MBR to GPT will there be any performance impact?

sam781 said:

If I convert MBR to GPT will there be any performance impact?

No.

sam781 said:

How I can take backup of the whole OS before clean installation? So that in case of any unforeseen issue I can easily restore from backup to back to good working condition.

Macrium Reflect Free.


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