Hey.I have decided to reinstall windows with a clean install.Should i delete or format?I don't need to back up anything.I dont have two drives but i have created a partition which has some games that i can reinstall easily.
First check your drive (why not?) - download and install Hard Disk Sentinel (trial) and make sure it's ok.
No need to specifically format your drive- you can keep H if it's useful.
But as H contains installed programs, those will become invalid when you reinstall.
Clean Install Windows 10 Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials
Are you currently using the Creator's build (15063) or the Anniversary build (14393)?
Note: you can check your Windows build.
Windows key + R, winver.
If you clean install with a current iso you will install the Creator's build.
My hard disk is alright and i am running creators update.Did you see the thumbnail?I would like to know if i can safely delete all the partitions.recovery,system reserved etc.without being afraid of anything.i dont care about losing programs.I would also like to know if i might face any problems like errors etc and if i can avoid them somehow.
Yes, you can delete all the partitions without any problems. Select the custom install option, delete every partition on the next screen after that, click on the unallocated space to highlight it, click next to let Windows 10 set it up.
To avoid problems errors:
1. Have nothing connected to the computer that is not necessary for the install.
2. Do not connect to the internet during install. Do not have a wired Ethernet cable plugged in, do not connect to WiFi.
3. Set up a local account first. Skip every account creation screen until you can't skip any more, and create a local account.
4. Only after you are logged in with the local account and things have calmed down - then connect to the internet and do updates and convert the local account to a Microsoft Account login if you want.
If you want a data partition, you can shrink the OS partition to make room for it. If disk management won't let you shrink the OS partition as much as you want, MiniTool Partition Wizard will.
- how do you know? Just because Windows is running does not tell you that.My hard disk is alright
My comments on your disk indicate I looked at your Disk Management screenshot.
If you're planning a clean install, you will have to delete the Window partitions e.g. from the tutorial:
As to the other Reserved partitions, which would appear to be Windows related, I have already said the simplest expedient is to disconnect the other disks when clean installing. You can then delete them.If you have more than one partition for a Drive # (hard drive) listed and want to get rid of all of them to make that disk # one single partition drive again, then select a partition with that disk # and click on the Delete option for each partition with the same Drive # until there is only one "unallocated space" with that Drive # left as in the screenshot below.
sorry but i would ignore this part
"2. Do not connect to the internet during install. Do not have a wired Ethernet cable plugged in, do not connect to WiFi."
best to be connected that way windows can grab any updates that are out there including drivers.
as for doing a disk check, waste of time. i never run one and have never had problems wiping a hd/ssd and reinstalling windows.
I've worked with a number of users whose problem turned out to be a failing disk.as for doing a disk check, waste of time. i never run one and have never had problems wiping a hd/ssd and reinstalling windows.
For the sake of a few minutes, it's worth checking- and indeed checking the state of your HDD periodically. Ever heard of SMART parameters? HDD's can fail progressively.
I don't know why the OP wants to clean install - it's just a worthwhile check. Think about it.
I agree with @NavyLCDR"2. Do not connect to the internet during install. Do not have a wired Ethernet cable plugged in, do not connect to WiFi."
The question was about how to avoid problems. The answer is to make it as simple as possible. That's my choice too.
An exception would be if there was known hardware incompatibility with the base build fixed in a later update.
Years of experience and hundreds of installs of Windows has shown that often times the check for updates not only delays the finish of the Windows install but many times will completely halt the install requiring a start over from the beginning. There is no harm in waiting until after the install is finished to connect to the internet and pull the updates, but letting it do it during the install has historically shown to be a potential source of problems.
There's a lot of activity going on during the setup, establishing all the hardware drivers and settings and establishing the first user account. Let all that activity settle down before throwing in checking for and installing updates.
i apologize but you're delusional. i have been building my own and others systems since 1995 and the only time i've seen a halt in the install process was either out of the blue the install media fails, power outage. currently from beginning install to having my system back to where i am now is a matter of less than 5 hours. that's not a lot of time to give up to do a fresh install.
There's no need to apologize. When people come to this forum and say they can't get Windows to install, and they follow the advice that both myself and @dalchina give them and they thank us for it we know that our advice is valid. Not everyone has to agree with it, though.
I've been working with computers since the late 70's, maybe early 80's starting with a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I. I've been working with Microsoft OS's all the way from DOS 5 days including the so-wonderful-to-setup Windows NT 4. Before the Navy had real ITs, I was the network administrator for my submarine back in the days when we were doing upgrades from 386 to 486 processors. I've beta tested Windows since Windows 95. I didn't get the reputations to the left by being delusional. I got them from people appreciating our advice here that has worked for them.
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