Windows Reinstall: How To Reinstall Windows 10/11 Using Installation Media

If your laptop still won’t start after performing all the troubleshooting steps, you may need to perform a Windows OS reinstallation to fix the problem. There are many reasons why you might want to reinstall Windows on your PC. Many users prefer a clean install of the Windows OS to the bloat the manufacturers ship with a new PC/laptop. This helps with performance and clears unnecessary clutter that distracts you on your PC. Reinstalling Windows also helps when it fails to recognize new hardware on your PC. A corrupt Windows update or faulty driver can also cause problems with normal Windows operation and render the PC unable to boot. Whatever be the reason, we help you easily Reinstall Windows 10/11 using installation media with the quick step-by-step guide given below.

Before we get started it’s worth noting that Windows 10 and Windows 11 follow a similar process for reinstalling Windows, so the instructions below will work for both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Creating Windows Installation Media

You will need bootable Windows installation media to begin reinstalling Windows. Microsoft makes it very easy to create installation media through media creation tools From its software download website. A USB pen drive/flash drive with a minimum storage capacity of 8GB is required to create a bootable Windows installation media. Once you have got a blank USB drive, all you need to do is connect it to your PC/Laptop and follow a few easy steps and you are good to go. is here Step by step guide to create Windows 10/11 bootable USB drive using Media Creation Tool:

backup important data

Now that we have a bootable Windows USB drive, we can start installing Windows. But before that, we need to back up important files as a full data wipe is required to clean Windows. Windows provides several ways to back up local data such as backup and restore utility. Follow the steps given below to back up your important PC files using the tool:

  • go for control Panel or search it in windows search bar
  • Choose backup and restore option from system and security Adjustment
  • click on set up backup Option
  • attach an external hard drive
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to perform a full backup of Windows

You can also choose to back up individual files to a USB flash drive file history Windows feature.

Link Windows to Microsoft Account

There is one more important step before starting the Windows reinstallation process – linking Windows to a Microsoft account. Microsoft introduced a digital license model for Windows activation starting with Windows 10. Modern versions of Windows no longer rely primarily on product keys for activation and instead link the activation license to a Microsoft account. Microsoft verified Windows 10 by registering the laptop’s hardware with the company’s servers. This ensures that the laptop can always automatically re-verify the installed Windows copy, even when Windows is clean, where all local data has been erased.

Microsoft now makes it mandatory to sign in with a Microsoft account on Windows 11 when starting the PC for the first time. Windows 11 activation sign-in is linked to Microsoft account, which means if you fail to successfully link Microsoft account on new PC/Laptop, when you reinstall/clean install Windows 11 it will Windows may have failed to verify the license again. , This may mean losing access to the original version of Windows on the laptop. This is the reason why it is necessary to link Microsoft account with Windows. That said, here’s how you can link Windows to a Microsoft account.

  • go to system Adjustment
  • choose Accounts
  • tap on email accounts

click now Add Account To sign in to a Microsoft account

  • To verify Windows activation, go to Settings -> Activation

  • If Windows is activated successfully, it will show Active in the icon activation state section of activation Screen.

How to reinstall Windows 10/11

Now that we’ve created a bootable Windows USB drive, backed up important data, and linked the Windows license to a Microsoft Account, we’re ready for the reinstallation process. So, without further ado, let’s start with the steps.

if you can boot into windows

If you can start Windows and have the installation media ready, reinstalling Windows is fairly easy. Follow the steps below to reinstall Windows:

if you can’t boot into windows

For some reason, if your PC or laptop won’t boot, and you’ve tried all the basic troubleshooting steps, you may want to clean boot the Windows OS using a bootable USB media from the Windows Boot Manager. for this you may need Change boot order from BIOS or UEFI menu To boot from a bootable USB flash drive. On some laptops, the laptop’s boot menu can be accessed by pressing Esc Repeatedly while the PC is starting up. You can also “search”How to Access Boot Menu on Asus/HP/Lenovo LaptopFor example to find instructions on the internet. You can then choose a bootable USB drive from the Boot menu to boot into the Windows installation setup. For your convenience, we have listed some shortcut keys for accessing the boot menu on laptops from popular manufacturers:

laptop shortcut to access boot menu
Asus Esc
Himachal Pradesh Esc
acer F12
SAMSUNG F12
msi F11
Ditch F12
Lenovo F12

Once you have access the Windows Boot Menu, select the bootable USB drive from the Boot Manager and follow the steps below:

  • boot manager will take you to Windows Setup Screen
  • Choose Language, time and currency format, keyboard and input method to be set from the menu. By default, the US format is selected.
  • Click next
  • Click Install now
  • Accept Click on Terms and Conditions in the next screen next
  • The next screen will present you with Upgrade and Custom Options, upgrade option lets you keep your existing files While you can still start Windows normallyAnd this custom The option will let you clean Windows While the PC is not starting – ie from the Windows Boot Manager. This option will let you change partitions and drives and boot Windows using the installation media.
  • Selecting a Custom option will give you the option to change the storage partition. (You can create a separate partition and Delete, Format, Renew, and Expand option.) By default, the primary partition is selected where you can install Windows. In addition to the primary partition, you also have System, MSR and Recovery Division. Select the primary partition to install Windows OS and then click next, If you are warned that if you already have Windows OS installed in the selected partition, all its files will be moved to a hp graphic card folder. choose Correct
  • Setup will now begin installing Windows – follow the on-screen instructions to install a fresh copy of Windows that is free of any manufacturer bloatware. Make sure to keep the laptop on during the entire installation process, otherwise, it will corrupt the existing installation and make the PC unable to boot. You must complete the reinstallation to start your laptop manually.

questions to ask

1. Is there any way to recover/reset Windows without using installation media?

reinstall windows

Yes, You Can Reinstall Windows With Windows recovery drive, A recovery drive works similar to installation media, allowing you to reinstall Windows and troubleshoot your PC. The difference is that it doesn’t include a full Windows installation setup that will let you change the language, partition, and more while you install Windows. You cannot boot into the Windows installation setup using the boot menu like you can with traditional installation media.

“find” to create a Windows recovery driverecovery drive In the Windows Search Bar -> Click next When prompted to create a recovery drive (make sure you backup system files to recovery drive Options) -> Attach the USB flash drive and follow the on-screen instructions. Note that the USB flash drive must have a Minimum 16GB storage capacity,

2. How long does it take to reinstall Windows?

Windows reinstallation takes anywhere between 20 minutes to 30 minutes to complete the process. This may take longer depending on the performance of your PC.

3. Is there an easier way to reinstall Windows?

yes, windows reset Option One works in the same way as installation media, in the sense that you can reinstall the full Windows OS if there’s a problem with the existing Windows OS setup – but as mentioned above, you can’t use a partition or drive. Cannot convert as you would with an installation media.

4. Does reinstalling Windows delete the existing data on the hard drive?

Yes, it does if you are doing a clean install of windows wipe entire local storage, If you’re upgrading Windows using the first method in this article, you can choose to keep your personal files and apps.

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