Forum Discussion
How to Delete And reinstalling Windows OS
I want to completely wipe my hard drive and perform a clean installation of Windows 10 or Windows 11 on my computer. I have already backed up all my personal files to an external drive but I am unsure of the correct steps to delete the existing operating system and reinstall a fresh copy without creating any dual boot or recovery partition issues.
Do I need to use a bootable USB drive made with Microsoft's Media Creation Tool and then delete all existing partitions during the setup process? I would like to know the exact sequence of options to choose during installation to ensure the old OS is fully removed and replaced with a clean version. Also should I worry about driver compatibility or activation after the clean install is finished? Thank you for any guidance.
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You can select the second option saying, "Remove everything". Then when it asks from where to reinstall Windows, say cloud install. Alternatively, you can create a bootable USB and WIPE ALL THE PARTITIONS and install windows again. Both will make the OS a new installation. Unless you have some very old devices such that when you turn on memory integrity right now, it blocks those drivers, you won't have to worry about driver compatibility. Or even if you face issues, you can turn off Memory Integrity, if you are comfortable doing so. And for activation, you won't have to worry about it as long as you don't change a single piece of hardware inside the CPU Cabinet, such as, the CPU, GPU, SSD/HDD.
