How To Clean Install Windows 10 Or Upgrade From A Previous Version

Finally biting the bullet and upgrading to Windows 10? Or want to give your Windows 10 system a refresh using a clean install? We demonstrate how.

For the 1st time in Windows’ history, Microsoft’s main system is available exclusively via online download, meaning there’s no CD or floppy disk. While this might seem somewhat daunting, Microsoft has actually made it easier to setup Windows 10. However, finding the right installation solution to your needs is usually not so obvious - where there are traps for your unwary, too shortcuts for people in the know.

Here we’ll explain the very best ways to setup Windows 10 to enable you to preserve the many computers’ files and settings with an easier transition, or execute a clean install to improve your system’s performance.

We’ll also provide you with how to perform clean install using the easy way (in the event you already have Windows 10 installed) and, in the event you don’t much like the new OS, uninstall Windows 10.

Back up!

But despite why or how you’re installing Windows 10, be sure you put aside lots of time and remember to copy your important files, using Windows’ backup, every other backup tool, a web-based syncing service like Dropbox, or some other methods that we’ve explained previously . Don’t forget to backup Outlook along with other files that could not be within the Documents (or My Documents) and other obvious folders.

In addition, maybe it's worth having a third-party tool for instance EaseUS Todo Backup Free to make a perception of your computer. Although Microsoft supplies a way to revert towards the previous version of Windows within the first 10 days after installing the newest OS, a backup image is additional protection, permitting you to roll back your PC to just the way that it was (including your entire files) prior to installed Windows 10.

Installing a new operating-system is a big change, with possibility of things to go badly wrong, so don’t try to skip the backup step.

Upgrading coming from a previous version

If have not yet updated your PC to Windows 10, you've sadly missed the time to take benefit from the free upgrade. You'll have to stump up $179 for any Windows 10 Home licence or $299 for Windows 10 Pro the Microsoft Store.

You can select to either download the update directly, or Microsoft can give back a Windows 10 USB which you can use to setup it, although during writing aforementioned option was “out of stock”. However, that’s not really a huge problem, since easily design your own Windows 10 installation USB key as we’ll see later.