I prefer using a USB flash drive (thumb drive) since it works with all computers, including those without an optical drive. Instead make yourself a Windows 10 installation disc. If your computer still runs Windows 7 or 8, you want to avoid upgrading using Windows Update. Note that resetting your machine in this way means you'll lose the option to roll back to the previous Windows. The computer will restart and after somewhere between 10 minutes to half an hour, or maybe longer depending on the speed of the machine, you will have yourself a computer with Windows 10 freshly installed. If you intend to give it away or sell it after the reset, choose the second option, which will take much longer to complete.Īfter choosing an option, click on the Reset button and that's it. Basically, if you intend to keep the computer for yourself, pick the first option. Step 5: You will be presented with the option to Just remove my files or to Remove files and clean the drive. You’ll have a lot to see in Windows 10 – from configuring general settings to checking out the new and exciting features.Only choose to clean the drive if you intend to give away or sell the computer after the reset. …and will boot straight to the Desktop afterward. Congrats! Windows will now go through the final steps of setting up… Once you reach this screen, fill in your new account details and press Next. Note: Frequent reboots at this stage are normal, simply leave the computer be until you reach the “Create an account” screen. I’d advise you to leave the size as-is and press “Apply.” Select it and click the “New” button to create a new partition.īy default, Windows inputs the maximum available space for the partition. To ensure a 100% clean install, it’s better to fully delete these instead of just formatting them.Īfter deleting both partitions, you should be left with some unallocated space. You’ll need to delete the primary partition and the system partition. This next part may be a bit tricky if you have multiple hard drives or partitions. As the installer says - you should have a backup of your files and programs to copy them to the new installation after it’s complete.

To perform a clean install, you’ll need to select the “Custom: Install Windows only” option. Read it (…or not) and tick the checkbox before pressing “Next.” You’ll need to agree to the Microsoft EULA before you can continue. On the next screen, press the “Install now” button. From here, select your desired language, time and currency format, and keyboard input. Installing Windows 10Īfter rebooting, you should see the Language select screen. Note: - if greeted by a “Press any key to boot from…” do press that key! You won’t get to the installer otherwise.

Clean install windows 10 from usb