Clean install of Win10 misbehaving

MisterEd said:

Some computers have a recovery partition that is used to reinstall Windows to the way it was when the computer was new. If that is not a option then the only choice is to start wipe everything and and do a clean install of Windows. There is nothing illicit about doing that since Windows on the computer is already activated online. If you do a clean install it will be automatically activated again.

BTW, if your computer's boot drive failed and you had to replace it with a new one you would be in the same position. You would start with an empty drive on which to install Windows. Like in the previous case Windows would automatically activate.

If you decide to do a clean install of Windows and you are unsure how to do that then just ask. Someone will point you in the right direction on how to do that.

Thank you MisterEd. I managed to make a little more progress which I will outline in a more general reply.

- - - Updated - - -

I want to say a real big thanks to everybody for your guidance, I've learned a lot. I managed to do a genuine "clean install" (if I understand this correctly now) by additionally deleting all partitions leaving just one large partition during the install process. And I've managed to identify the exact point where the problem is introduced. I'll go through the details below for anyone that's still following.

The install comes up really nicely, and goes through the first tranche of updates (to 22H2) without a hitch. I restart the laptop, then check for updates again and there's a second tranche that begins. It works its way down to three more left to go:

HP Development Company L.P. system 7.0.22.44692 Pending restart
AMD display 27.20.1034.6 Installing
Synaptics mouse 19.3.11.45 Pending restart

So at this point I'm just waiting for the AMD display driver update to finish before I restart again, but then the screen brightness drops (as expected) and the fault rears its ugly head.

I looked to see if I could uninstall this update but it doesn't appear in the list of updates available for uninstall.

Not fixed but maybe closer.

- - - Updated - - -

It turns out that there is only one display driver that works with this laptop, and it isn't the one that Windows Update supplies. So I've had to install it and ask Windows Update not to update it. Just one of those things I guess.

There is nothing like a clean install to fix things and to speed the computer.