Windows 10 Reset / Cloud download

Bengie · 04 Jun 2021

10 Pro 21H1
19043.1023

This is a general question that's puzzled this old pensioner, I have no problem with a reset.

When doing a Reset, I click on Recovery / Reset / Remove Everything / Cloud Download./ Wipe the Drive
There is also the option to reinstall Windows using Local Reinstall.

My understanding of how this is worded is that Local Reinstall uses Windows already on your machine and
Cloud Download downloads a new copy of Windows from MS and installs that.

I always use the Cloud Download but if it is a new download, how come my desktop picture and a couple of
other things are still there when the Recovery has finished.
If it was a download I would have expected just Windows ?

I hope that makes sense.

Samuria · 04 Jun 2021

If you login with a ms account any PC. In the world will have your desktop and other settings as its synced clever

Bengie · 04 Jun 2021

Taking the word 'synced' to be the same as 'saved', where is this info saved to?

I have an Asus Soundcard and the driver for that was reinstalled. It's not on my OneDrive as I've cleaned that
and deleted everything in there.

Sorry, you will need some patience with me, 80 years don't do the mind much good :)

Bengie · 06 Jun 2021

Well how disappointing, I came to Ten Forums thinking they will have the answer and all I get is one word
'synced', no explanation.

I guess I will have to visit another forum for the answer.

zbook · 06 Jun 2021

@Bengie ,

Did you want to perform a reset save file or reset remove files?

If yes then if they fail you can perform nearly equivalent steps.

Indicate clearly:
a) what are the problems
b) what you consider a fix

For the nearly equivalent steps files can be saved and a fresh copy of Windows is installed.
Drivers and applications need to be reinstalled.

Indicate whether these are issues:
Partition problems
MBR vs GPT
BIOS: Legacy vs UEFI

Try3 · 06 Jun 2021

If you log into Windows using an MSAccount-linked user account then you might have taken advantage of its facilities to sync your Windows settings between your computer and your MSAccount [i.e. back them up to your online MSAccount and then restore them to your computer].
- That would explain what you reported.
- See, in the first instance, Sync Settings - TenForumsTutorials

The act of reinstalling the OS includes checking all hardware and installing drivers for it [if MS has copies of the relevant drivers]. This process is entirely different to & separate from any notion of syncing anything.

Your timezone does not match Plymouth.

The reset procedure is given in
Reset Windows 10 - TenForumsTutorials
I have never done it. If I have serious problems I use the much less drastic Repair install procedure [this is also called the In-place upgrade procedure]
Repair Install - TenForumsTutorials
which cross-refers to Download Windows 10 ISO File - TenForumsTutorials
and, if this was not able to fix the problems, I would use
Clean Install - TenForumsTutorials

[or its cousin Custom Install - TenForumsTutorials - the difference is generally only appreciated when reading them both side-by-side]

using an InstallSB created using this rpocedure
Create Bootable Installation USB - TenForumsTutorials

Denis

zbook · 06 Jun 2021

Windows refresh seems to be what you want.

This is a tutorial:
Refresh Windows 10

A backup option is a custom install.

This is a tutorial:
Custom Install Windows 10
How to Restore Files from Windows.old Folder in Windows 10

Other options are reset and clean install.

These are tutorials:
Reset Windows 10
Clean Install Windows 10