Clean W10 install on an OEM W10 machine

My new Dell Inspiron laptop should arrive this coming Monday. I've been doing some research on doing a clean install. I read where MS won't activate a fresh install over an OEM key. So my Dell with OEM W10 will be activated as such and if I understand correctly if I download a W10 Home (that is what is on the new Dell) MS will refuse to activate the downloaded W10. Does anybody have any info to corroborate that theory?

Ztruker said:

Not true at all. I've done many clean installs over OEM Win 10 with no problem.
Download it from here: Download Windows 10
Directions here: Windows 10 - Clean Install

If I were you, I would do a full image backup of the laptop hard drive to an external hard drive before doing the clean install just in case something goes wrong.

Thanks for that. Yes I figured on putting Acronis to work.

Edit: Oh one more thing: Do I need the key from the OEM install or does MS recognize, I'll record it anyways, but just wondering.

Ztruker said:

When you get the system, boot it and make sure it gets activated. Make the image backup.

Once a system has been activated with Windows 10, it gets a digital registration which is stored on the Microsoft servers so no, you don't need a key. When you do the clean install click I don't have a key or Skip this step when asked for one. It will activate automatically one Win 10 install is done.

Personally I don't think it's necessary to do a clean install of a brand new laptop. Why not use it for awhile, maybe turn off some startup programs and services if you want but then see how it performs.

Yes I was aware of that, but I had read about some discrepancies with OEM's and fresh installs. Also yes I will use the new Dell as it comes if I can get rid of the all the bloat ware.
Thanks, Allan

You can try this:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...ws10startfresh

Then come back and let us know how well it works!

Makes me want to go an buy a branded pc/laptop just to try it :)

tonez said:

Makes me want to go an buy a branded pc/laptop just to try it :)

Yes nice to start off with a new machine. Actually Dell hasn't loaded too much, in fact only one foreign to Dell program. Mcaffe was the only program loaded and I gave it the boot. It has a bunch of dell stuff; that I will probably whittle down in time.