To perform a clean installation of Windows 10, you'll be needing your product key to activate, as such you want to make sure you know this information before doing anything else. There are various tools and methods to recover your product key, I personally like to use the Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder tool. This is a free tool that is easy to download and use. (During the installation of the tool, make sure to select the custom installation and remember to uncheck the installation of additional add-ons.)
Upgrading to Windows 10
Upgrading to Windows 10 can be done in two different ways: you can reserve your free copy using the "Get Windows 10" app, and you'll be notified when the operating system is ready for you to install. Or you can manually download the installation files from Microsoft to perform an upgrade.
If you're downloading Windows 10 manually, when using the "Download Tool" make sure you select your correct version (32- or 64-bit). If you don't know, go to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\System, and under System type, you'll see what version you need to download.
When you launch the Download Tool, you'll will be given two choices, here you want to use theUpgrade this PC now option, and then follow the on screen instructions. The upgrade process should only take around 20-30 minutes, but the time will depend on your internet connection and hardware in question.
If everything worked as expected, your computer should be activated. To check if your computer is activated, open the Settings app, and navigate to Update & security, and on Activation, you should see "Activation: Windows is activated".
Doing a clean installation of Windows 10
Now that you have upgraded and you're sure that Windows 10 is activated correctly, it's finally time to do the clean installation.
Open your web browser and once again go to this Microsoft support page to download Windows 10. Once you're in the "Download Tool", choose the Create installation media for another PC option to create either a USB bootable media or an ISO file that you can burn later on a DVD. If you choose to make a USB, you'll need a USB drive with at least 3GB of storage.
During this process, you have to make sure you choose the correct language, architecture (32- or 64-bit), and edition. If you don't know, go to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\System to get this information.
Once you have created your installation media, reboot your computer with the USB drive or DVD you just created. During the reboot access your system BIOS to make sure you can boot from media with the Windows 10 installation files. (Note: The process to enter the BIOS will vary from PC-to-PC, so make sure to check your manufacturer support website to learn more on how to do this.)
Alternatively, most computers today offer an option during boot to access a boot menu, usually this involves pressing one of the functions keys, such as "F12". If you have this option, you don't need to change the BIOS settings.
If everything is going as expected, you should see the Windows Setup. Click Next, and then Install Now. At this point, you need to enter the product key, you can skip this step, but entering the product key now will ensure you're installing the correct edition of Windows 10.
Click Next, accept the licensing terms, and click Next again. Now, you want to pick the Custom: Install Windows only (Advanced) option to perform a clean installation.
Select and delete any partition on the hard drive that you have currently Windows installed. After deleting all the partitions, usually on "Drive 0", select the empty drive and click Next.
Now the installation process will begin, so you can now grab a cup of coffee and wait until the installation is complete. Then you'll be presented with the out-of-box experience to configure your installation. Here simply follow on the screen directions to configure Windows 10 to your needs. During the configuration process you'll be prompted to use a Microsoft Account, so make sure you have this information ready. You can also create a local account, but if you go this way, you won't be able to take advantage of many Windows 10 features and you won't be able to access the Windows Store to download apps.
After the configuration, the setup will complete any remaining process, and then you'll be presented with the new Windows 10 desktop.
You done it!
Quick tip: now that you in Windows 10, make sure to open the Settings app, go to Update & securityto check for updates and to make sure your computer is activated. Also go to Device Manager and double-check if you need to install any additional drivers. You can also launch the new Windows Store and check for Windows App updates to make sure you are using the latest services. Finally, restore your data from backup and reinstall all your applications.
How are you installing Windows 10 via Windows Update or are you performing a clean installation?Tell us your installation process in the comments below.
Source:WindowsCentral
