While there’s nothing to stop you selling your PC with the contents of its hard drive intact, it’s a very bad idea. Apart from the fact that you’ll be giving the new owner access to all of your files and other personal information, you’ll also be selling any software that’s still installed. Even if this was legal (which it usually isn’t), that means you won’t be able to install the same software on your new PC — not without breaking the law, anyway.
So the solution is to wipe your PC and restore it to a factory fresh state, with nothing but the Windows operating system installed. This, incidentally, is something you might also want to do when you want to reinstall Windows from scratch to give your computer a new lease of life — getting rid of years’ worth of old stuff can work wonders. This process has changed a bit with the arrival of Windows 10 and there are two ways to do it, depending on what you want to achieve. We’ll cover both.
Getting ready
Step 1: Backup your files
Windows 10 can ‘refresh’ your PC without affecting your documents, but we still recommend backing them up before trying it — just in case.
When you wipe your PC, on the other hand, everything on it is lost, so you’ll need to backup any files and documents you want to keep.
The easiest way to do this is to drag the contents of your Documents folder (and any others you want to save) onto an external storage device, such as a hard drive or USB flash drive. Alternatively, you can use cloud storage such as BT Cloud. Copying to and from cloud storage will be much slower than using an external hard drive, however, so think twice before using it for more than a few gigabytes worth of files.
Step 2: Save your software serial numbers
Any installed software will also be lost when you wipe your PC (whichever method you use), so you’ll need to reinstall it afterwards. So review what’s currently installed, and dig out the corresponding install discs and serial numbers.
Most relatively recent software can usually be downloaded, too, but you’ll still need a valid serial number or activation code to use it. If you don’t have these, a free tool like Belarc Advisor will list all software installed on your PC and any corresponding serial numbers — just click Software Licences in the left of its results windows to see yours.
Step 3: Download any drivers
While Windows 10 should detect all hardware in a relatively new PC and install its own drivers, it’s risky to rely on that happening. If nothing else, you should download the necessary driver for your computer’s Wi-Fi or network adapter, then at least you’ll be able to get online afterwards to download any other drivers you might need.
You’ll need to refer to your computer’s manual or its manufacturer’s web site to see which driver you need — and best sure to save it on a removable drive, not the hard drive you’re about to wipe.
Option 1: Reset this PC
Windows 10 has a built-in method for wiping your PC and restoring it to an ‘as new’ state. You can choose to preserve just your personal files or to erase everything, depending on what you need.
Go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Recovery, click Get started and select the appropriate option. Then follow the on-screen instructions to restore Windows 10 to a factory fresh state.
Option 2: Securely format the PC
If you’re selling or giving your PC to someone else, it’s a good idea to securely erase the hard drive before reinstalling Windows 10 to prevent any old data from being recovered. This is rather more involved than Option 1 and the exact steps to reinstall Windows afterwards depend on how Windows 10 was supplied.
If you don’t have a Windows 10 install disc of some sort, you’ll need to follow Steps 1 to 6 of our How to perform a clean installation of Windows 10 guide, but don’t go any further than Step 6 for now.
1. Download DBAN
Whatever these case, once you have a Windows 10 install disc, you’ll then need to download the free DBAN (Darik Boot And Nuke) tool and burn it to a CD.
2. Boot your PC with the DBAN disc
Boot your PC using the DBAN disc and press the [Enter] key to continue from the first menu screen.
When the main DBAN screen appears, use the [J] and [K] keys to highlight the hard drive partition you want to erase (if there’s more than one) and select it by pressing the [Space bar].
3. Securely erase your hard drive
Then, when you’re ready to proceed, press the [F10] key to begin the secure erase. This will take some time and the process cannot be interrupted.
4. Reinstall Windows 10
When the secure erase has finished and you see a ‘Blancco’ ad, eject the DBAN disc and reset your PC. You can now reinstall Windows 10 by following Steps 7 to 11 in our guide.
A clean install of Windows 10 usually can help you mainly in three scenarios: when your PC begins to degrade performance, when it gets infected with a very tough virus impossible to remove, and when you need to start fresh by removing all the apps you installed or came pre-installed on your PC.
Starting with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft introduces a new “Refresh Windows” tool that let you very quickly do a clean install of Windows 10 to start with a fresh copy of the operating system with the latest update available at that time.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to reinstall Windows 10 with the latest update using the “Refresh Windows” tool.
How To Install Windows 10 Clean Install
About ‘Refresh Windows’
Although the “Refresh Windows” is a great tool to easily reinstall Windows 10 without bloatware and to fix any software problem your PC may have, it’s important to review what will happen during a clean reinstallation process.
Using the refresh tool will remove all the apps that don’t come standard with the operating system. This means that apps included by your manufacturer, such as drivers, support apps, and other apps will be removed too.
It’s also possible that you may lose some digital licenses, digital downloaded content, and various other digital entitlement for certain applications.
Before proceeding make sure to make a full backup of your computer, and make sure to consult your software manufacturer support website on how to reinstall an application and how to restore your digital content after a clean install.
If you’re using a program like Office, make sure to find the product key to reinstall the suite of apps afterwards.
It’s important to note that you’ll need an internet connection, and around 12GB of free storage space to download and install the operating system.
How to use ‘Refresh Windows’ to reinstall Windows 10
Once you know how the tool works and you have a backup of your machine and personal files, follow these steps to reinstall Windows 10:
Open Settings.
Click on Update & security.
Click on Recovery.
Under “More recovery options”, click the link to download the tool.
On the “Start fresh with a clean installation of Windows 10”, scroll down and click the Download tool now button. (Click here to download the tool directly.)
Double-click the RefreshWindowsTool.exe file to launch the tool.
Click Accept to agree to the licensing.
Choose to Keep personal files only or Nothing. If you can’t decide, you can check my previous guide on which path you should take reinstalling Windows 10.
Click Start to begin reinstalling Windows 10.
The tool now will proceed downloading the over 3GB of data containing all the necessary files to reinstall Windows 10 with the latest update.
After a few reboots, you’ll be presented with the out-of-box experience (OOBE), so you can finish configuring your new installation.
Once the installation completes remember to go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update to finish installing any new update and download any required device driver. However, you may need check your PC manufacturer’s support website to download any additional driver that isn’t available through Windows Update.
What’s different between ‘Refresh Windows’ and ‘Reset this PC’
You probably noticed that under the recovery options there is also the “Reset your PC” option. This tool is virtually the same as the new “Refresh Windows” tool with some key differences.
When you use the “Reset your PC” option, your computer will use the Windows 10 installations files that are already stored on your computer. If your PC is a OEM device, during the reset process all the settings and apps that came originally with your device will reinstall again.
Also, there could be the case that installation files on your computer may get corrupted, which will prevent you from completing the reset.
On the other hand, the refresh tool will download the files on demand with the latest updates from the Microsoft servers to do a clean install of the operating system, which it’s less likely to have issues.
When you should use the ‘Refresh Windows’ tool
Microsoft support many ways to do a clean install of Windows 10. In this case, you should use the Refresh Windows when you can still access your desktop and get to the recovery settings.
This is a perfect tool for scenarios, such as when your device is enrolled in the Windows Insider Program, and you want to unenroll your device and go back to an stable version.
It’s also a perfect solution, when it’s been sometime and you start noticing slow performance, errors, or other issues.
Perhaps the best use of the refresh tool is when you get a new computer and you want to start fresh with an installation of Windows 10 that removes all the bloatware, trialware, and other software that came preinstalled on your device.
Wrapping things up
The refresh tool to do a clean install of Windows 10 is very easy to use, and one of the best features is that you don’t need to create a bootable media. This means no messing around with the BIOS or UEFI BIOS to install Windows 10.
Keep in mind that you can use this tool as long as you have access to your computer. If you’re having other issues that prevents you from starting your system, you should alternatively download the ISO file of Windows 10 to create a bootable media and do a traditional clean installation.
The “Refresh Windows” tool only works for Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Home. This tool isn’t meant to upgrade Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. If you’re running Enterprise or Education edition of Windows 10, the tool won’t work.
What do you think about the Refresh Windows tool to reinstall Windows 10? Let us know in the comments below.
A clean install of Windows is the right way to go when all other software troubleshooting you've tried has been unsuccessful and you want to install or reinstall a 'clean' copy of Windows back on your computer.
Most of the time, a clean install is the thing you try after one of Windows' automatic repair processes hasn't solved your problem. A clean install will return your computer to pretty much the same state it was in the day you first turned it on.
In case it's not clear yet: a clean install should be reserved for the most serious of Windows operating system problems since all the data on your primary hard drive partition (usually the C drive) is erased during the process.
How to Clean Install Windows
A clean install of Windows is accomplished during the Windows setup process by removing the existing Windows installation (assuming there is one) before installing a new operating system or reinstalling the existing one.
In Windows 10, the Reset This PC process is an easier-to-do, and equally effective, way to clean reinstall Windows. See How to Reset Your PC in Windows 10 for a walkthrough.
In versions of Windows prior to Windows 10, the individual steps involved in completing a clean install can differ greatly based on the operating system you happen to be using:
Important Reminders
Remember, a clean install of Windows will erase everything from the drive that Windows is installed on. When we say everything, we mean everything. You'll need to back up anything you want to save before you begin this process! You can back up your files online or use an offline backup tool.
In addition to backing up the individual files you want to keep, you should also prepare to reinstall your programs. Gather the original installation discs and downloaded program setups to any program you want to put back on your computer. One easy way to document all your installed program is with the Save to text file option in CCleaner, accessible via Tools > Uninstall.
No program outside of those that come bundled with an original Windows setup will be on your computer after the clean install is complete.
If you only have a restore disc from your computer manufacturer but not an original Windows Setup disc or download, a clean install as described in the linked guides above may not be possible. Your restore disc might instead have a relatively similar process that will restore your entire PC, Windows, and programs, back to the factory default.
Please reference the documentation that came with your computer or contact your computer manufacturer directly for directions.
When dealing with a particularly sick computer, sometimes reinstalling Windows 10 is the only cure. In the past, reinstalling Windows took a lot of time and effort. When you add the time spent installing Windows with the time spent copying your files and programs back onto the computer, you could be looking at a half-day’s work.
Windows 10 aims to solve that problem. By pushing a few buttons, you can tell Windows to reinstall itself onto your computer. And while installing a fresh copy of itself, Windows saves everybody’s user accounts, everyone’s personal files, their apps downloaded from the Windows Store, and some of their most important settings.
Performing a reset saves settings from your wireless network connections as well as from your cellular connection, if you have one. The Reset tool also remembers any BitLocker and BitLocker-To-Go settings, drive letter assignments, and personalization settings, including your lock screen background and desktop wallpaper.
When your computer wakes up feeling refreshed with its new copy of Windows, you only need to reinstall your desktop programs. (The program politely leaves a handy list of those programs on your desktop, complete with website links, if possible, so you know exactly what to reinstall.)
The Reset tool can go one step further, if you like, by wiping your computer completely clean of everything: user accounts, data, and personal files. Then Windows 10 reinstalls itself, just as if it were on a new PC. That lets you either start from scratch or simply give away your computer to a relative or charity without worrying about leaking your personal information.
To reset your ailing PC, follow these steps:
Click the Start button and choose Settings from the Start menu.
The Settings app appears.
Click the Settings app’s Update & Security icon. When the Update & Security window appears, click the Recovery option from the left pane. Then, in the section called Reset Your PC, click the Get Started button.
If asked, insert your Windows disc, flash drive, or whatever else you used to first install Windows. Don’t have a Windows installation disc or drive? Then click Cancel. You can’t use the Reset option, unfortunately.
Windows displays the window shown here, offering two ways to reset your computer.
Unless you have a good reason, choose Keep My Files.Choose an option and click Next.
The Reset tool offers two options:
Keep My Files: The most widely used choice, this reinstalls Windows, but preserves everybody’s user accounts and files. The only thing you lose are desktop programs, which must be reinstalled from their discs or installation files. If you choose this option, jump to Step 6.
Remove Everything: Only choose this when you want to wipe everything away from your computer, including everybody’s user accounts and files, and reinstall Windows 10. Then you can start from scratch or safely sell or donate your computer to others. If you choose this, move to Step 5.
Choose whether to just remove your files or to remove files and clean the drive.
Windows offers you two choices:
Just Remove My Files: Select this option only when your computer will stay within your family. Although this option is relatively secure, somebody with the right tools may be able to extract some previously erased information.
Remove Files and Fully Clean the Drive: Select this option when you intend to sell or donate your computer to strangers. This option removes your data and then scrubs the hard drive extra clean. That keeps out everybody but the most dedicated specialists who own expensive data recovery equipment.
When you click an option and click the Reset button, Windows removes everything from your computer, fully cleaning the drive, if requested, then reinstalls itself to leave your computer with a “like new” copy of Windows 10.At that point,you’re finished, and your computer’s ready to start afresh or be given away safely.
Take note of what desktop programs will need to be reinstalled, then click Next, and click the Reset button.
Windows reinstalls itself on your computer, which takes anywhere from15 minutes to an hour. When your computer wakes up, it should feel refreshed and ready to work again. Expect any or all of the following things to take place when resetting your computer:
If you’ve inserted a Windows DVD into your computer in Step 2, be careful when your computer restarts. As it restarts, your computer may ask you to “Press any key to boot from disc.” Don‘t press any key; instead, wait a few seconds until the message disappears. Then Windows loads itself from your computer’s newly refreshed hard drive rather than the Windows installation DVD.
When your computer wakes up and you sign in, you find a shortcut called Removed Apps waiting on your desktop. Click it, and your web browser displays a page with links to any desktop programs that you need to reinstall — if you decide you miss them, that is. (And if you do miss them, you need the program’s installation discs to reinstall them.)
Shortly after Windows wakes up, it visits Windows Update to download and install oodles of security patches, as well as updated copies of its bundled apps. Grab a good novel.
After resetting your computer, reinstall your desktop programs one by one, restarting your computer after each new install. That gives you the best chance to weed out any misbehaving programs that may have caused the problems that messed things up.
If you’re connected to a network, you may need to tell Windows whether you’re on a home network or a public network. You may also have to rejoin your homegroup.
If you’ve wiped your hard drive completely clean, you can use a File History backup to restore the files that once lived in your Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders.
The “Reset Your PC” feature in Windows 10 restores your PC to its factory default settings, including all that bloatware your PC manufacturer included. But the new “Fresh Start” feature in Windows 10’s Creators Update makes it much easier to get a clean Windows system.
This was always possible through downloading Windows 10 installation media and reinstalling it on a PC. But Microsoft’s new tool makes performing a full Windows reinstall to get a completely clean Windows system much easier.
How This Works
The “Reset this PC” feature resets your PC to its factory default settings. If you installed Windows yourself, that means you’ll have a clean Windows system. But you probably didn’t install Windows yourself. Like most people, you probably purchased a PC that came with Windows, plus some extra bloatware.
In that case, resetting your PC will reset it to the way you got it from the factory–which includes all the software the manufacturer originally installed on your PC. From annoying bloatware to useful software drivers, it will all come back. You’ll have to either live with that junk or spend time uninstalling it.
To get rid of the bloatware for a clean, fresh-from-Microsoft Windows 10 system, you previously had to download Windows 10 installation media, create a USB drive or DVD, and then reinstall Windows 10 yourself. Windows’ new “Fresh Start” feature makes this process much simpler, allowing normal PC users to completely reinstall Windows in a few clicks.
Even Windows geeks, who often reinstall Windows on every new computer they get, can save some time with the “Fresh Start” feature. Just follow the instructions to quickly and easily reinstall Windows 10 on a new PC.
What’s the Catch?
- Open the Start menu and find the “Windows Defender Security Center” application.
- Head to “Device Performance & Health” in the sidebar, and click “Additional Info” under the Fresh Start section.
- Click the “Get Started” button and follow the prompts to reinstall Windows.
The downside is that you’ll lose all the manufacturer-installed software on your PC. Sure, most of it is garbage, but some of the important stuff—like drivers and software—can probably be downloaded from your PC manufacturer’s website. If you want a utility later, you can probably download just that specific tool.
But, if there’s something you can’t get online–or if that bloatware includes a useful deal–you’ll want to make sure you get any necessary license keys or registrations before you do this. For example, many new Dells come with 20GB of free Dropbox space, which is a pretty great deal.
Similarly, you’ll want to get any other product keys for existing software you want to keep. If you’re using iTunes, you’ll want to deauthorize iTunes on your computer first. You’ll then need to reinstall and authorize iTunes after this process is finished. If you have a product key for Microsoft Office, you’ll need to ensure you have that product key to reinstall Office later. If you use Office 365, you can download and install Office once again afterwards. The same goes for any other application that requires a key or authorization.
Lastly, while Windows promises to keep your personal files as part of this process, it’s always a good idea to have a backup copy of any important files on your PC in case anything goes wrong.
How to Get a Fresh Start on the Creators Update
The “Fresh Start” feature is part of the Windows Defender interface. Open your Start menu and launch the “Windows Defender Security Center” application.
RELATED:How to Get Windows 10’s April 2018 Update Now
If you don’t see this application, you haven’t upgraded to the Creators Update yet. You can still use another method, explained below, to do this on the Anniversary Update.
Click the “Device performance and & health” option in the sidebar, and then click the “Additional info” link under Fresh start.
You can also head to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and click the “Learn how to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows” link to access this screen.
This window explains exactly what will happen. Windows 10 will be reinstalled and updated to the latest release. You’ll keep your personal files and some Windows settings, but all of your desktop applications—including the applications that came with your PC and applications you’ve installed—will be removed. While Windows does promise to keep your personal files, it’s always a good idea to back up your files anyway.
Click the “Get Started” button when you’re ready to start. You’ll have to agree to a User Account Control prompt to continue.
Windows warns you that the process may take 20 minutes or longer, depending on how fast your PC is. Click “Next” to begin.
The tool provides you with a list of all the desktop applications that it will uninstall. It also saves this list in a text file on your PC’s desktop, making it easy to see what apps you previously had installed.
When you’re ready, click “Start” to begin the process. Not that you won’t be able to use your PC while Windows reinstalls itself, so make sure you’re ready.
After the process completes, you’ll have a fresh Windows 10 installation. Run Windows Update—it should run automatically, anyway—and your computer should hopefully download all the hardware drivers it needs. If not, visit the driver download page for your computer on the manufacturer’s website and download any drivers and other software you need.
How to Reinstall Windows Without Bloatware on the Anniversary Update
An earlier version of this feature is also available on the Anniversary Update. You can still reinstall Windows and get rid of bloatware, even if you haven’t upgraded to the Creators Update yet. However, Microsoft recommends the Fresh Start tool in the Creators Update as the better option.
To get started, open the Settings app from your Start menu. Head to Update & Security > Recovery. Scroll down and click or tap the “Learn how to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows” link under More recovery options.
This link takes you to the “Start fresh with a clean installation of Windows 10” page on Microsoft’s website. The page provides more information about the process.
Click the “Download tool now” button at the bottom of the page to download the Refresh Windows Tool.
Run the downloaded “RefreshWindowsTool.exe” file and agree to Microsoft’s license agreement. After you do, you’ll see the “Give Your PC a Fresh Start” window.
Select “Keep personal files only” and Windows will keep your personal files, or select “Nothing” and Windows will erase everything. Either way, all your installed programs are removed and your settings are reset.
Click “Start” and the tool automatically downloads the Windows 10 installation files, which are about 3 GB in size. It then begins the installation process, giving you a fresh Windows 10 system—no manufacturer bloatware included.