Clean Install Windows 10  

Brink said:

It looks like you need to start over again.

Ok, I was hoping for a miracle.

Thx

That reminds me of the repair install I had to see done during the first week when the initial upgrade was pooched! I could only see pc games and not the antivirus or other softwares even start installing before crash time1 I did the upgrade to repair type I mentioned back then to get 10 running but for that one time could only use any type of rearm code just to run the second upgrade over the first.

The clean install afterwards was found activated immediately as well as when going to upgrade the second build and a 3rd laptop from 7 to 10! I had put a clean install of 10 in a dual boot when splitting up the 7 Pro drive on the second build that activated only after upgrading the original 7 install there and a subsequent clean activated immediately as well.

Something at your end gzt7d8 likely something left over on the drive is hampering the activation process where you have to wipe the drive clean first when going to try a second clean install since the server should have recorded the first activation. Upon a hardware change on the second system here deactivating 10 briefly I should add saw the Activate now button appear until a full system restart followed afterwards where it was again found activated. On the 7 install restored from image to a second drive added in after the upgrade took place there and seeing the drive back to a single primary I had to enter the 7 key to get that activated again in order to remove the watermark. I would say nuke the drive and see if another 10 install is seen to just in case you have a bug since 10 activations since that first week have been going well.

Night Hawk said:

I would say nuke the drive and see if another 10 install is seen to just in case you have a bug since 10 activations since that first week have been going well.

When I did the clean install, I deleted all the partitions and all that was left was one unallocated space. I then clicked New to create the partitions and continue to install Win 10 on the primary partition.

Isn't deleting partitions like nuking the drive? or is there a step I missed?

Hey Greg,

Deleting all partitions on the drive by itself doesn't nuke it since the partitions can still be recovered. The format part during setup is what makes it unrecoverable afterwards though.

If you like, you don't have to click on "New". You could just select the "Unallocated" drive to install Windows to. Windows Setup will automatically format and create the partitions for you. :)

Brink said:

Hey Greg,

Deleting all partitions on the drive by itself doesn't nuke it since the partitions can still be recovered. The format part during setup is what makes it unrecoverable afterwards though.

If you like, you don't have to click on "New". You could just select the "Unallocated" drive to install Windows to. Windows Setup will automatically format and create the partitions for you. :)

I thought that was the case. Regardless, I went back and reinstalled Win 8.1, took no updates and made sure it was activated, then I upgraded to Win 10. I suppose that will be as close to a clean install that I can get for now. Win 10 already activated.

System Images are complete, now to reinstall my programs.

I hope it goes smoothly. :)

That reminds me in years past when going to clean a drive you had to find and download a zero fill utility that took all day to write binary zeros to then the large drive of 128gb or 250gb! Since then we all know better ways! :)

On the second system here I had put on a temp clean install of 10 to a new second partition after shrinking the existing 7 primary down to an even split of the drive. Then I ended with a drive made available from the main and upgraded the 7 install restoring the original image made to the previously used 1tb storage drive that was split in two for a backup partition with 10 being the second clean install's host/boot drive's OS seeing a system image stashed there! So far nothing shaky being seen on either of the two desktops or the laptop upgraded that saw the 32bit 7 transform into the 64bit 10!

GregH said:

I notice with my system, when I click on the unallocated space on the SSD and click New and Apply as per the instructions, my system only creates 2 partitions, not 4 as per the example? I have the System reserved partition and the main partition for Windows to be installed on. Is this OK? This is onto a brand new SSD straight out the box, not previously formatted.

Hello Greg, :)

It's best to select the unallocated space, and click on Next to continue Windows Setup instead.

However, it sounds like you installed with legacy BIOS instead of UEFI. You can use the tutorial below to check and confirm.

BIOS Mode - See if Windows Boot in UEFI or Legacy Mode

When the System Reserved was first seen people were anguishing on how to avoid seeing that even created where you would then simply not allow the Windows installer itself to perform the partitioning op but first see a new single stand alone primary created. Even with 10 I couldn't be sure since neither of the two small parts are since 10 as well as 7 goes onto a single primary per drive.



The unallocated space on the 7 drive will no longer be seen soon once a clean install of the older version is tended to. Needs a fast clean install after 2yrs. of steady use! :) I would expect mine would be Legacy since the 7 installer will toss only the single System Reserved partition if allowed to partition things automatically once the drive is wiped clean.