how to wipe a computer clean and start over windows 10

#How to wipe a computer clean and start over windows 10 how to#
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It may take several minutes to load all of the necessary files. Start the installation process. Press any key on your keyboard when prompted to load the Windows Setup program.The Boot section of this menu will allow you to change the boot order so that your computer boots from the USB or DVD drive. Hold down ⇧ Shift and click “Restart.” Select “Troubleshoot” from the menu that appears, and then “Advanced options.” Click the “UEFI Firmware Settings” button to open your UEFI menu. Windows 8 or later (UEFI) – Open the Start menu and right-click on the Power button.Open the BOOT menu and set your DVD or USB drive to be the primary boot device. Typical keys include F2, F10, F11, or Del.

This key will be displayed on the screen while your computer is booting before Windows loads.

Windows 7 or earlier (BIOS) – Reboot your computer and then press the BIOS, Setup, or Boot key.

The process is different depending on if your computer came installed with Windows 7 or earlier or with Windows 8 or later (BIOS vs. You’ll need to set your computer to boot from the installation disc or drive that you just created. You’ll be booting your computer from the installation disc or drive instead of your hard drive.

Boot from the installation disc or USB drive. After everything important has been backed up, you’re ready to start the wipe and reinstallation process.

See How to Back Up Data for instructions on backing up your important files.

Any programs that you have will need to be reinstalled after you’re finished. Make sure that you save any important files to another location, such as an external hard drive or a cloud storage service.

Back up any files that you want to save. When you wipe your computer and reinstall Windows, all of the files on the drive will be erased.

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Follow the prompts in the tool to download the Windows 10 files and create an installation DVD or USB drive.

Windows 10 – Visit the Windows 10 download page and click the “Download tool now” button.

Run the tool and follow the prompts to download and create an installation DVD or USB drive.

#How to wipe a computer clean and start over windows 10 windows 8.1#

Windows 8 – Visit the Microsoft Windows 8.1 download page and click the “Create media” button.

#How to wipe a computer clean and start over windows 10 iso#

Then download the Windows DVD/USB Download Tool to create an installation DVD or USB drive using the ISO file that you just downloaded.

Windows 7 – Use your product key to download the ISO file from Microsoft.

You’ll need a blank DVD or a USB drive with at least 4 GB of storage: You can either use the disc that came with your computer, or you can create one yourself. For example, if you use Windows 7 you’ll need a Windows 7 installation disc. This will need to be the same version of Windows that you currently have installed.

Obtain or create a Windows installation disc or USB drive. The easiest way to wipe your computer and start over is to use a Windows installation disc or USB drive.

Windows – Wipe Clean a Computer and Start Over If the link takes you to the Microsoft Store to purchase Windows 10 Pro, BitLocker won’t be an option without paying for the upgrade. Click “BitLocker settings” and follow the directions to enable it.

If Device Encryption isn’t an option for your PC, you might be able to turn on BitLocker, depending on which version of Windows 10 you have.

If you see an option for “Device Encryption,” click it and follow the instructions to encrypt your hard drive.

But if your computer has a solid-state drive (SSD) - and virtually all computers sold in the last few years do - you’ll have to take an extra step to ensure your old data can’t be recovered even after it’s erased - you should encrypt it.Ģ. Click “System” and then click “About.”

If you have a hard disk drive (HDD), it will be thoroughly erased when you refresh Windows.

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But if you plan to sell or give the computer away, you’ll want to take extra precaution to make sure the data stored on your PC is inaccessible to the computer’s next owner. If you are keeping the computer, you can proceed directly to resetting the hard drive back to a fresh version of Windows. How you wipe your PC depends on what you plan to do with it afterward. If you regularly back up your files, the entire process should only take an hour or so. This will clear out junk files and crust that slow performance. Regularly wiping and reinstalling your operating system can keep your computer running smoothly for much longer than you would expect. If your computer is getting sluggish, it may be time for a clean start.

#How to wipe a computer clean and start over windows 10 how to#

How to Wipe Clean a Computer and Start Over.