Reinstall Windows 10?

[desura]

Does Windows 10 suffer bloat over time? Is there another way of cleaning it up to near clean install performance without having to reinstall everything?

 

[Ketchup]

What "time" are you referring to? The one-year mark is still a couple weeks away. In my mind, that is not enough time to give you a definitive answer on your question.

And, you seem to be talking about two different things. Bloat (referring to size), and performance. Both are highly dependent on the user.

I am going to take a guess as to what you are talking about though - I remember a few updates that made Windows XP noticeably slow down. By the time I was done with XP, I was running 3x the memory I had when it was first released, just to get relatively the same performance. Vista was similar but to a lesser degree (the service packs seemed to cause it on that OS). I haven't noticed this at all in 7 or 8.

But also consider startup programs, drivers, scheduled tasks, hard drive fragmentation, these can all lead to slower performance over time. And with Windows 10 less than a year old, I can't really tell you what it's going to "bloat" to in the future.

One last thing to consider: Microsoft is calling it that last OS. New releases are coming in through Windows Update on a somewhat regular basis. You can re-install Windows from scratch, but as soon as you do it's going to want to update to that latest version again. So never again will Windows return to the exact way it was when you first installed it.

 

[nerp]

No. OS Bloat is a non issue for Windows 10. Unless, of course, you install third-party security tools, fix-it suites, 'driver updater' junk and registry destroyers(cleaners).

A modern CPU, 8GB or more of ram and an SSD and you can basically stop worrying about tedious system maintenance. Just use your computer. The way we said they should operate in the 1990s.

Still, that's not to say you can mess up a computer by installing something or falling prey to bad code, malicious ads, or other things. It happens. After Aug. 3, the public version of Windows 10 will have a 'reset pc' function that basically wipes your box and gives you a fresh install. Quick and easy. It will be a very useful tool for decrapifying PCs and laptops riddled with manufacturer bloatware.

 

[SingleAction]

I have a related question about reinstalling win10.

I have an older Lenovo laptop with win7 on it. It developed a problem that I could not find or remove. I did extensive research on this and never found a fix. So I decided to upgrade to win10(what did I have to lose at this point)

The upgrade was painless, everything worked, and it was like having a new computer again!
The problem started again on the 3rd day. It does not appear to be a hardware issue.

What I want to know is if I should try using the "reset pc" option within win10 first, or do a fresh install if I still can(having already used the free upgrade from 7>10)?

I downloaded and burned a disc image ISO from MS to DVD, and have the COA for the laptop. I assume that I can wipe the drive clean and do the install this way, and most likely will have to get the drivers from Lenovo!

What would you do in my situation?

 

[nerp]

If the machine is running Windows 10 OK now, you don't need to worry about the key. Just boot the USB key or ISO DVD you burned and install it fresh. Skip the part when it asks for the key.

Definitely download all the drivers you need from Lenovo first and stick them on a disc or USB key. Then when Windows is done installing, install the drivers, hit up Windows Update and you're good to go.

The 'reset pc' option apparently is coming after Aug. 2 or 3 when the next major update to Windows is released.

 

[SingleAction]

What's confusing is the version I have appears to already have this option available!

In settings>update & security> recovery> there are 3 options.

"Reset this PC"
"Go back to Windows 7"
"Advanced start up"
Ver. 1511 build# 10586.494
I didn't try clicking on it, but it's not greyed out

 

[XavierMace]

The 'reset pc' option apparently is coming after Aug. 2 or 3 when the next major update to Windows is released.

I'm pretty certain I've had a 'reset pc' option since beta.

 

[Puffnstuff]

If you've got a problem and upgrade the problem migrates with you which happened to me the first time I upgraded to 10. A clean install is the only way to remove the issue and performing a clean install is painless, just skip the enter key portions and since you previously activated that hardware it will automatically activate the next time it connects to the net.

 

[Ketchup]

I'm pretty certain I've had a 'reset pc' option since beta.

Yeah, it's always been there. Not sure why other posters are saying "it's coming." Obviously it's a lot easier/faster than making a USB image to boot off of.

 

[Dahak]

I'm pretty certain I've had a 'reset pc' option since beta.

Its been there since Win 8. Its to allow another way of doing a fresh install of windows incase you do not have the media handy

 

[SingleAction]

Yeah, it's always been there. Not sure why other posters are saying "it's coming." Obviously it's a lot easier/faster than making a USB image to boot off of.

Let me get this straight!

So, after resetting using the "Reset this PC" option, it's the same as if I took the ISO DVD, boot from it and did a clean install? It' not like doing a restore?

Wouldn't I be better off just doing this from the DVD, wiping the drive clean and doing the install?

Puffnstuff was right about the problem migrating along with the win7>10 upgrade!

 

[nerp]

I'm pretty certain I've had a 'reset pc' option since beta.

Yes, but it's not exactly the same as the anniversary update version as I understand.