Clean Win10 install using Media Creation Tool

EJett · 10 Dec 2020

I have a HP Slimline basic machine with I3, 2.9 gHz processor and one 4GB stick of RAM. It seems slow to start and shut down in Windows. Of course it has a bunch of HP junkware on it. Can I run a fresh install from Windows Creation Tool USB? Would this help? The machine is quite useable between startup and shutdown. But it is a slug on both ends of a session.

I'm not on the machine at the moment. Let me know what you'd like to see and I'll do my best to get it.

EJ

Windows 10 Home - 10.0.18363 Build 18363
Win 10 is installed and running on a mechanical drive...

Plankton · 10 Dec 2020

I would download the ISO to your PC then use Rufus to create the bootable USB drive. Next thing I would do is pull the mechanical drive and install a SSD. Then do a clean install. In the process skip the PK (product key) input. Just leave it blank. When it boots up it should be digital activated with your MS account.

Once that is done, let windows update and install your drivers. A reboot or 2 may be needed. Once that is done, you should be all set up and ready to use.

With the SSD you'll see a significant difference in the OS responsiveness....ie startup, SOP (standard operating procedures) and shut downs.

dalchina · 10 Dec 2020

Hi, seems about 5 years old, probably with a disk something like 1TB 5400 rpm SATA SSHD.

How long does it take when cold booting to get to the login screen?

Was it significantly faster at any stage?

You're currently using build 1909, which is 2 builds behind. Is there any reason for that? Is Windows Update working?
If you were to clean install and use MS's media creation tool to create a bootable disk, that would give you build 20H2.

If you wanted to clean install and stay on 1909, you'd need to download a 1909 iso file using e.g. Heidoc's iso downloader.

Other approaches you might consider:
a. Try a clean boot (Google or see tutorial if unsure) then see if there's any change.
b. Uninstall anything you don't need
c. Try disabling fast startup if enabled, then compare.
d. Reset your PC - and choose Keep my files
Reset Windows 10

zbook · 10 Dec 2020

What are the status of the important files?

Consider an in place upgrade repair or a reset save files:

Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade
Reset Windows 10

Megahertz · 10 Dec 2020

Buy a SSD and do a clean install on it.
The most significant hardware improvement in the last decade was the SSD. It has no moving parts and is 6 times faster than a HDD. It will boot in 20 sec and open programs at a blink of an eye.

You can buy a SSD the size of the current HDD or, if you have a optic disk drive, replace it with a HDD caddy and use a small SSD for windows and programs and use the HDD (on the caddy) for data only.

I have used many Crucial BX500 SSDs . So far so good

EJett · 10 Dec 2020

It was a "new old stock" item I bought 2 years ago. Windows always seemed very sluggish on startup and shutdown. Yes, I think the mechanical HDD and the overhead from the HP bloatware is the culprit.

I may try to get either an NVMe or a SATA SSD and do that upgrade. (BTW, the machine does have an NVMe M.2 drive that I am running Manjaro linux on. I don't use W10 much anymore. That may explain why my system is behind.

I don't need it to become a money pit though.

I got a great bargain ASUS Vivobook at Office Depot early this year and W10 flies on that machine relative to this one. I don't remember off the top of my head what type and brand the drive is but it is only 128GB. It has a Ryzen 3 processor and 8 gb RAM.

- - - Updated - - -

Edit:

The processor in the HP machine is is a Celereon, not an I3.
Sorry about that.

Megahertz · 11 Dec 2020

EBCVidOp said:

It was a "new old stock" item I bought 2 years ago. Windows always seemed very sluggish on startup and shutdown. Yes, I think the mechanical HDD and the overhead from the HP bloatware is the culprit.

I may try to get either an NVMe or a SATA SSD and do that upgrade. (BTW, the machine does have an NVMe M.2 drive that I am running Manjaro linux on. I don't use W10 much anymore. That may explain why my system is behind.

I don't need it to become a money pit though.

I got a great bargain ASUS Vivobook at Office Depot early this year and W10 flies on that machine relative to this one. I don't remember off the top of my head what type and brand the drive is but it is only 128GB. It has a Ryzen 3 processor and 8 gb RAM.

- - - Updated - - -

Edit:

The processor in the HP machine is is a Celereon, not an I3.
Sorry about that.

It doesn't make sense the laptop have a M.2 NVMe drive and windows being installed on a HDD.
Did it came with the M.2 NVMe drive or was you who installed it?

Open Disk Manager (C:\Windows\System32\diskmgmt.msc), expand the window and the columns and take a snapshot. Post it here as an attachment.
Disk Management - How to Post a Screenshot of

EJett · 12 May 2021

Megahertz, sorry to be so long in replying to your post, but I have moved that HP Slimline to Linux (Manjaro) since then running on the M.2 NVMe drive I installed in it. If I go back to W10 on it, I will put it on that drive and probably put a 2.5" SATA SSD in it for storage, or maybe a stray 2.5" drive.

The laptop has a M.2 drive in it as the only drive. It's only 128 gb though.

AddRAM · 14 May 2021

That`s more than enough for windows, add a SSD if you can for storage.

EJett · 23 May 2021

Just a little update on this "project".

I needed to get some files off a hard drive from a SSD out of my failed Toshiba. I installed it in a Sabrent USB caddy and Decided to see if it would boot. To my surprise, it booted right up! After my amazement subsided, I just installed it in the HP and sure enough, it booted right up giving me pretty much complete access to the drive. MS Office 2010 has a "license issue" though. But that's not something I can't overcome. Maybe.