If your Windows 10 PC is experiencing issues or you want to start fresh, you can reinstall the operating system using the built-in recovery partition or a recovery drive you created earlier. This process will erase all your personal files, apps, and settings, so it’s important to back up any important data before proceeding.
Reinstalling Windows 10 from the Recovery Partition
To reinstall Windows 10 from the recovery partition:
Restart your PC and press the power button to turn it off when you see the Windows logo.
Press the power button again and immediately hold down the Shift key. Keep holding the Shift key until you see the “Preparing Automatic Repair” screen.
On the “Choose an option” screen, select “Troubleshoot”.
Select “Reset this PC”.
Choose “Remove everything” to erase all your files and settings.
Select “Only the drive where Windows is installed” and then choose “Just remove my files”.
Click “Reset” to begin the reinstallation process. Your PC will restart several times during this process.
After the reinstallation is complete, you will have a fresh installation of Windows 10 with default settings.
Creating a Recovery Drive in Windows 10
If your PC doesn’t have a recovery partition or you want an external backup, you can create a recovery drive:
In the search box next to the Start button, search for “Create a recovery drive” and select it.
Make sure “Back up system files to the recovery drive” is selected and click “Next”.
Connect a USB drive with at least 16GB of storage and select it, then click “Next”.
Click “Create” to begin copying files to the USB drive. This may take several minutes.
You can use this recovery drive to reinstall Windows 10 on your PC if needed. Keep in mind that the recovery drive doesn’t contain your personal files, settings, or programs.
If you ever need to use the recovery drive to reinstall Windows 10, connect it to your PC and restart. Press a key when prompted to boot from the USB drive. Select your language and keyboard layout, then click “Repair your computer”. From there, you can choose to reset your PC or use advanced options like System Restore.
Creating a recovery drive is a good idea, especially if your PC doesn’t have a built-in recovery partition. It provides a reliable way to reinstall Windows 10 if you encounter major issues or want to start fresh.