Microsoft Confirms You Can Clean Install Windows 10 After Upgrading
by Brett Howse on June 2, 2015 11:10 PM EST- Posted in
- Operating Systems
- Microsoft
- Windows 10
This is one question that a lot of people have been asking, and Gabe Aul, the head of the Windows Insider program, finally answered it on Twitter today. Credit goes to Brad Sams at Neowin for catching this since it was a reply to another tweet.
Gabe states:
Once you upgrade W10 w/ the free upgrade offer you will able to clean reinstall Windows 10 on same device any time
There’s not a lot else to be said, but he also said they are working on some more information to make this more clear. What it does mean is that in order to get the free upgrade, you need to upgrade from an eligible device, and once done, you can then blow that away and do a clean install. I guess we’re not sure yet if that means you can do a reset using the Windows Recovery tools, or if you can actually start with a new hard drive or ISO in order to do the clean install.
Hopefully we’ll get the final bit of clarification on this soon, but since this is one of the most asked questions that I have seen, I felt it was worth letting everyone know.
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piiman - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link
Many many applications do not completely remove themselves.They leave all sorts of goodies laying around your system.
grant3 - Wednesday, June 3, 2015 - link
I think this whole 'clogging' idea is an urban myth perpetuated by utilities companies trying to push their $19.95 "registry cleaners"masouth - Thursday, June 4, 2015 - link
Windows "clogging" or loss of performance over time isn't a myth, it's a reality created by lazy programers. It has gotten much better since the Win 9x days but there are still some pretty sloppy installs/configs/removals roaming around out there.As far as registry cleaners, YMMV
mapesdhs - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link
Absolutely correct, on both counts. Reg cleaners can help, but they can also scrag a machine. OS bloat isn't as bad with Win7 for sure, really not that bad at all, but it can still happen. If MS though has not changed the fundamental nature of what a file is in Win10 then the notion of sandboxing and file access control is still just a bolt-on like it was when it was added for NT.piiman - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link
"utilities companies trying to push their $19.95 "registry cleaners"Seriously if you don't know that apps do a crappy jobs of uninstalling all their shit then you may want to buy a 19.95 reg cleaners, or go get a free one. Add to that every website with a download has five 19.95 reg cleaners, anti virus, speed up, and tool bar known to man kind and people PC's get "clocked up" all the time. It may not happen to you but their are millions that fall for the added installs when they want to download Candy Land PC. I've gone to people's home and found 10 tool bars on their web browsers. Its getting almost impossible to not download something you never wanted or needed. They make the "ask your permission" question so misleading you have no idea if you should answer yes or no sometimes and their may be 5 times they ask you and every time its worded differently, lol GRRRRRRR Their should be a law against it. My god i'm a very experienced PC user and I'm starting to find it hard making sure I don't download something I don't want or need.
mapesdhs - Saturday, June 6, 2015 - link
Even if supposedly not, you should backup your data before the update just in case.Impulses - Wednesday, June 3, 2015 - link
Wonder if I'll be getting any keys thru MSDNAA or whatever they're calling their current edu program... After the Win 7 debacle where so many non-academics gamed the system with bogus IEEE/ACM subs they kinda cracked down and limited the number of keys they gave out for Win 8.Getting them free isn't even my biggest worry anyway, I do like getting that clean ISO I can use with any other keys tho.
HarryMannbach - Monday, June 8, 2015 - link
It's MS Dreamspark now, at least at our institution. I suspect it will be a matter of one license per individual with Windows 10, as it has been for 8 (though it seems this has a built-in reset timer of some sort).lilmoe - Wednesday, June 3, 2015 - link
Microsoft acts like a surgen who never gives clear answers because of how wide his behind has gotten from lawsuits.I guess the only way to get concrete answers is to wait things out after RTM and see what's allowed and what's not......
Either way, I'll be buying a separate Pro license because it seems like the hassle free way to get the LAST version of Windows. Get it people?
Michael Bay - Wednesday, June 3, 2015 - link
Nobody cares.