Clevo P750DM-G Clean Install and Issues Help Needed

Hey guys! I am still running my 2016 Clevo P750DM-G and it has served me very well even though some of the hardware is definitely outdated by today's standards (and not as upgradable as advertised). Anyway, I will make this as straightforward as I can.

The Problem
I have been having issues with permissions across my system after deciding to take ownership of the hidden WindowsApps folder. I tried to restore the permissions of the folder and subfolders to TrustedInstaller through many thorough and complex methods that ranged from simply changing it back to running icacls from a bootable drive, through psexec, making changes to the registry permissions keys etc. I tried reinstalling apps that had issues after applying fixes but always ran into some kind of issue... even though I felt like I got close to eliminating the problems... there was always something. Basically I've continually had issues with permissions since deciding to access WindowsApps and some of the fixes no doubt made it worse.

I get lots of "The Parameter is Incorrect" warnings when trying to run normal applications or on startup. Some things simply don't open at all. I can make these issues go away by running icacls through psexec by pstools and verifying Microsoft Store apps through Powershell... but something inevitably pops up again. Even a repair install doesn't do the job because the apps and contents with the issues remain. It's like hitting gophers with a hammer.

Luckily I have been using Macrium to back up before fixes. I did not have any backups before I changed the WindowsApps folder permissions though, so I always ended back up in a quagmire with things not running or functioning as they should (especially associated with the Microsoft Store). I do have a functioning copy of the WindowsApps folder with the right permissions but completely different applications on my D drive which I do not know how to replace my broken WindowsApps folder in Program Files with without causing more harm and errors (maybe someone does know?).

So anyway, I have thought about simply seeing if taking ownership of WindowsApps and leaving the folder like that (though not secure) will allow my system to function properly. Yesterday I had a blue screen of death which did not seem promising but it made sense with all the changes I've made and commands I've run (especially with registry edits). I will probably roll back to a previous image back up. Though that does not fix the permissions it will get rid of the registry edits and blue screen issue. I'm really just tired of trying to fix this so I am thinking I just want to do a clean install.

The Questions
I have a bootable USB drive from ProStar computers with Windows 10 on it (from 2016). It also seems to have drivers for my Clevo model on it. My main concern with doing a clean install is getting the right drivers on here. The USB seems to contain a bunch of drivers with executables. My question is... if I do the clean install, will that upload a copy of Windows 10 with all the Clevo drivers automatically added in there? Some of the drivers seem to be outdated. Example: because I was running into "The Parameter is Incorrect" issues with the Killer Network Control Center I decided to try to install an older version of it from my bootable ProStar USB drive simply by clicking the executable. It messed up my internet connectivity and seemed to cause the blue screen of death. Which makes me think that dealing with the drivers and a clean install could be a seriously annoying issue that I really don't want to spend a lot more time on.

I'm pretty tired of tinkering with my system after more than a week of troubleshooting and not being able to get it right. I am not tech savvy at all really and had to figure these things out as I went along. Any help would really be appreciated. If I do a clean install I would like it to be just that... clean... no more issues and hours of troubleshooting and dealing with drivers that don't work. So please, if anyone could let me know how to make a clean install a smashing success considering the above that would be phenomenal. I can send screenshots of the bootable drive contents or provide any needed information. Of-course I want to keep my files and realize I can't use my full image backups with my apps that I made with Macrium.

If anyone has any magic solutions for fixing the permissions for the WindowsApps folder, all subfolders and all applications and processes associated with it please do let me know! Nothing has worked so far. Or it has worked but not done a clean sweep of the issue and issues remained. Otherwise I will simply have to get this clean install done! I really really appreciate any help! Thank you so much.

I know @Spartan@HIDevolution has really helped me in the past, many years ago. If you have any input that would be awesome too!

 

My instinct here is to wipe the drives and bring things up to date.

Skip the old W10 version and grab the latest W10 21h2 with all of the patches applied already.

Drivers can be found at https://repo.palkeo.com/clevo-mirror/ UN/PW: repo

As to Macrium... once you get everything sorted / installed / patched / updated then make a snapshot for safe keeping.

 

Ah the good old, "I just thought I'd do this with permissions" and it going horribly wrong. You can get a driver set from our website if you would like too.

Had to fix this with CMD run as system and recursive take own commands in the past when people played around.

 

@Tech Junky Thanks man! I’ll consider just going through with it. It’s a big chore considering everything I have on here. But it might be for the best and allow my computer to run.

@Meaker@Sager Yeah I learned my lesson regarding permissions. Really thought taking ownership of a folder was no big deal. But, it can axe your whole system. Any idea what kind of commands you used to get it operating? I’ve tried everything. Might be in over my head honestly trying to do it myself.

 

It's always a chore when you shoot yourself in the foot like this. I periodically every 6-12 months do a fresh install so it's not big deal to me at this point. I have Windows loaded on a USB that does 400MB/s and makes quick work of the install. Takes a few mins to do it and then another hour to install apps / reboots / updates.

I don't personally bother making backups as I store everything I want to keep on a Raid 10 system and have dual NVME's on the laptop for storage as well. OS + a handful of apps at this point makes for a fast scrub / install. With all the junk the OS installs in patches it's a lot of clutter that doesn't help things perform well over time anyway. I got sick of installing W10 updates and just migrated to W11 and it's been pretty quiet. Then again I block updates by DNS and only check for them when there's a flurry of news / reports regarding something in the wild. Most of them are useless though IMO.

 

@Tech Junky Yeah, you're right it's not a big deal. Probably for the best as my Windows image has gotten really bloated and there's a lot on here that doesn't need to be there and is probably causing all sorts of issues. I've been running the same system without clean installs for almost 6 years.

Regarding the drivers, do I install them using executables or do I need to install each one to the relevant devices in device manager manually? I am not familiar with this process. Consider me a noob. If someone could guide me through the process of getting the drivers set up properly that would be awesome!

Also with the Windows 10 clean install... what is the best method? I can put a new version on a bootable USB. Or can I maybe put it on my "D:" drive somehow and mount it? I know there is an internal way to do a clean install/reset from within your system using the "Reset this PC" option in Recovery settings. That last one seems the easiest but perhaps not the most thorough? Or maybe I'm wrong and it doesn't matter.

Lastly will all my files remain in the exact locations when I choose to keep them? I could also opt not to keep them and do a Macrium file backup. Though that seems like adding another process an another layer of complexity on there I don't really feel like dealing with at this stage. I'll likely just stick with keeping the files.

 

I keep all files on a separate partition. i.e. D or in my case S (storage).

If you have plenty of HD space you could repartition resize things into 2 partitions and move them to the new partition. I use Paragon HD partition manager for "live' changes. It will script out the changes you want to make and then reboot into a DOS like environment to make them / move things around. When it's done it will reboot back into windows and you can move files around like normal. You can also do it for free using different utilities or a Linux LiveCD environment. using GParted.If you're not comfortable with this then moving them to an external drive is an option too.

With a fresh install I delete the partitions Windows makes and allocate 100GB for Windows to use and it splits it up into the ~4 partitions it needs for setup / run. After it's done and you're booted into windows you can go into disk manager and create the 2nd partition for storage. If you use the external drive method which in this case might be the simpler option.

As to the drivers folder I use. I simply take the driver packages and decompress them into that folder and direct windows to that when installing them.

https://repo.palkeo.com/clevo-mirror/P7xxDMG/ << this should probably be the right folder to look in for BIOS

https://www.clevo.com.tw/en/e-services/download/ftpOut.asp?Lmodel=P7xxDM/P7xxDM-G&ltype=9&submit=+GO+ << this has actual drivers for video / audio / etc.

If you don't have a Dell they're still going to have a good percentage of common HW covered. Some vendors have something similar where you can download a bunch of the system drivers you'll need to get off the ground when doing a clean install. Then I just take them all and put them in S:\Drivers and when "updating" them point windows to look there instead of waiting for it to go out to the WUS over the internet. 1. you won't need to be connected to install drivers 2. if Windows doesn't pick up your network driver on install you can still get it installed.

Files....as you can see above you'll have moved them to a new location for safe keeping.

For the actual install though you'll want to do USB install vs reset. The reset will push you to redownload the service packs / updates again. If you grab a W10 or W11 21H2 ISO these will be preinstalled and save you a lot of time between download / install / reboot / recheck. https://www.google.com/search?q=windows+10+21h2+iso+october&oq=windows+10+21h2+iso+october

 

Like I say, a system level CMD window (so you are acting as the system ownership wise) using takeown recursively (so folder and all contents).