Windows 10 Clean Installation Guide

@Ultra Male I was referring to the 'new' detailed version of the search menu compared to the older version. Is there a way to revert back via reg edit or a setting? Nothing to do w/ paint, but how the information is displayed. To get rid of the 'desktop app', run, open, pin pannel to the right

 

Can't help you there as I have no idea.

This is the only thing I care for and use:

 

The trend continues in v1903, no way around it unless you use 3rd party Start menu skins.

 

Can we add this code ourselves ? and how please .

 

Everything explained in the source link in my post #636.

How to block any other service and protect the settings
Windows Update Blocker New version allow users to add any other service into Wub.ini file to block it , first please edit Wub.ini file and add your desired service name under the “dosvc=2,4” line , for example if you want to block “Windows Update medic Service” Please open services and find it


then click on it and copy the Service Name



Write or paste the service name under the dosvc=2,4 line



Finally open Windows Update Blocker and use “Apply now” button.

 

Thank you Papusan, i had an old wub.exe, from majorgeeks and was not update, that's why i couldn't find the ini file of the wub.exe and add those three lines. Now it works fine, but i see that, if the service WUmedic service isn't activate, the WUMT ( windows update mini tool) doesn't work. I need those 3 services WUpdate, WU Medic service and Update Orchestrator not to be disable... this is crap; don't wanna use the mini tool and behind my back , with the medic services, windows apply a new major update on my windows 10......

 

You're welcome!

Download standalone patches. Close internet connection and install. Always have the door closed when you're conneted to the web. Patches will be posted in the proper Win 10 sub-forum or you can find them posted on different web pages when they being released from Redmond Moron HQ.

 

i understand it ( I usually read patch notes before apply or search manually for updates ), but ii i don't wanna update windows, after the date security expired for my version 1809. If i use the mini tool once, will windows via the medic services, will update on my back a new windows version ? (for example 2107 version in 2 or 3 years ) ?

 

I trust only locked doors. Lend the key to strangers is not good. Would you trust one you met random on the street? Nope.

 

yo Paps, I went ahead and installed 18362.1 and guess what? Clicking on Apps crashes Settings app.

 

I got something annoying, on my notebook, when i power on the pc, or restart it.

When i point my mouse on the Start menu, the first time, it is grey, i mean i can't clic on an app or my browser. I have to close or move my mouse to the desktop and then i can reach the start menu and do my things...

I got a friend with the same notebook, did tweaking windows 10 ( 18.09 ), followed this guide with my help and got the same problem or bug.

Does someone knows the clue ( If you understand me xD ) ?

 

Can you post a screenshot?

 

On the left side, after restart, darkness, contrast start menu, and i clic on desktop, then come back in, on the right side, it's the normal one.

 

Sorry I can't help you there. Don't use that POS Start Menu.

 

you got a nice one xD. what is ''POS" ?

 

Same as Trash!

 

Ahh, I've seen it on my PCs too. It happens rarely but I hit start button twice to get rid off the bug. If you have Linux, I'd try deleting programData\Search. I think its a problem with Cortana and Windows Search shell.

 

I don't have linux. I found a search file in Programe/Data/Microsoft/Search, i put in the basket and restart but does nothing....
it's ok, i will leave it like this, just a little bug. Maybe if got some time, will tweak this menu as Ultra male did. Thx for your help guys.

Edit : Found the "Open-Shell", will give a try when i got time xD

 

After spending some time in these forums, I have decided to clean install my laptop the 'Phoenix' way. I will do it over the weekend. I have been reading, and preparing drivers, iso etc over the week.

The problem I have is, this thread is nearly 5 years old. I was wondering if there is anything I should do differently than the instructions in the first 3 pages for a 1809 installation tomorrow.

P.S. my current installation is fairly normal. I installed windows, threw all the drivers in one go, and tried to use it cleanly. However it has no tweaks, everything works as microsoft intended which might not be great from my recently acquired understanding(I now know about things like telemetry). I will try to do boot times, and benchmarks for before and after if I have the time.

 

Might as well wait for 1903 which will be available very soon.

 

Oh, I was under the impression that 1903 was not good. I tried to read the 1903 forum, and everyone kept complaining about the insider build. But Ill hold off and read a bit more I suppose. Thanks for the heads up.


Edit: I have access to the insider preview build 18362. I could just install that. Are insider builds buggy? Do they get service as current build when 1903 is release as a consumer build?

 

I suggest you, if you clean install win 10, if you had before installed "Dragon center", you should after a clean install, open the laptop, remove the battery, remove the CMOS battery, and push the power button for 30 seconds, for a "Clear CMOS", because as I read from Falkentyne, Dragon center changed/messed things in bios, and makes your cpu throttle or conflict throttling, even you use throttlestop. There's also a tyni button as you can see or reach with a paperclip under the pc, near ventilation area on down side, but don't know if it's related to the CMOS too..... Then you go install a fresh win 10.

The only application or software, i had install on my fresh MSI GE73 8rf, was the steel series, and my function keys works well, rgb keyboard, or mute, up and down volume and brightness, switch profile on rgb too (under my power button). I made my bios update and EC too from msi after installing windows, making my tweaks and disable some services and others things.

Download your application, tools, software, Nvidia Driver, prepare yourself for a clean install, don't connect your pc to the network after installing win 10, do your things, tweaks, install app, services, telemetry... After that, connect your pc to the networks, and make your updates if you need it. I suggest you to try "wub.exe" and/with wumt 64" from major geeks, works fine. (Windows Update Mini Tools ). With it , you can update, hide, disable as your preferences. Hope it helps !

P.S : I know it takes time, but the time and effort you put in it, makes you win and avoid trouble by the time, trust me. I'm on 1809 and works fine, didn't update since 3 month, no needed for now, my point of view...

 

Right, on the MSI laptops that button on the MOBO is supposed to be the CMOS clear button, which would do the same thing as holding the power button down. As far as I am aware though Dragon Center only resets your Bios settings for your CPU current delivery, which you can fix manually in the Bios. I have been using my PC without Dragon Center after learning about that. Thank you for the heads up.

I really like the windows update mini tools. Thanks for sharing that with me.

 

I found Insider releases to be much stable than retail or production releases since almost none test them. I just did an in-place upgrade from 18362.30 to 18362.86 since something caused upgrade failure. Next week we will have new ISO with CUs integrated. Stay tuned!
I still have Settings crashing when Apps option is chosen.
Only reason I upgraded from v1803 to 1903 was to fix BT audio which MSFT broke in v1803 and fixed in v1809 and above. Another reason was Retpoline patch in 19H1, sadly v1809 got it backported too since its an LTSC branch supported for a long time.

 

I'm still on 1709! Do you recommend upgrading to latest version of windows 10?

 

For now stick with 1709 until 1903 is stable and until all apps are updated to 18362.1 SDKs. Only few apps have 19h1 support and rest have DPI issues and performance issues.
MSFT has a tendency to release a new version with higher version numbers. Enjoy your v1709 for 2 more months.

 

how did you manage to not upgrade to 1803 and 1809? Did you disable Windows updates?

 

Yes. All credit to your amazing thread Windows 10 Tweaks and Fixes!!!!


This is how it looks when I'm in windows update... nothing but the green dot hahaha!!!

Tip if you set your OS installation in a separate partition always create a macrium image 1 week before every major upcoming windows update just in case your W10 accidentally updated.

 

just installed 1903. i have a few questions. i followed this guide. when it tells you to install chpset,lan,wlan,videocard drivers it means from manufacturer.? if so i cant update those old drivers after they are installed.? cant use a driver updater app.?
on windows defender i had same problem as this guy here. http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...nstallation-guide.781178/page-4#post-10088741

i could not untick those same entries.
i read i must do it again but theres no windows defender in my pc. i ask cause i hate it updates wdefender definition.

 

For me, on a fresh install, I would take my drivers for Nvidia from Nvidia site and not from MSI, same for intel, and others. For example, on my pc, the MSI Support didn't update some drivers and/or came with bloatware or apps that i avoid. (No dragon center, no MSI scm...) But I took realtek drivers, cause got some trouble with audio after fresh install, even it was not the last driver, and after made updates, via WU, or Apps.

Just make a fresh install for NVidia with DDU, the others can be update via windows update (control it with Windows Update Mini Tool WUMT+ Wub app( it control switch off/on the WU services : https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/wumt_wrapper_script.html) or manufactures. EDIT : I'm on the 1809, and can use WUMT+WUB, don't know if it works on 1903...

Since Oct/Nov, there's now DCH Driver ( requirements from microsoft ) witch is a pain in the ass if you don't have a email link to the Win.Store; With a local account, you can't dwload and install apps or driver, from the store...

Edit : As UltraMale said , i would avoid 1903, cause there's always problem with new windows version and drivers, maybe that's your case....

 

i have no problem with drivers. since am noob ive asked if the step in his guide that mentions to install drivers in the order he wrote are those drivers from say your manufacturer. or i could browse for more recent drivers. also asked if used from manufacturer if i could use a driver updater app to update drivers or its a no no.
ive said followed his guide to idisable windows defender. i did but it still updates definitions. so am thinking its not fully disabled. as i encounter same problem as the guy described in the link .

 

Thank you for the excellent guide.

 

is there such a guide for windows 8.? thanks

 

Negative. Only Windows 10 and Windows 7.

I don't even consider Windows 8 as an OS. It should have never been released. It's worse than Windows ME if you ever used that! Windows 8 is an OS designed for tablets but got ported to work on regular PCs. Failure from its inception till its demise. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Windows 8.1 ain't so bad, and given the alternative after Windows 7 expires January 14, 2020 - Windows 8.1 is good till January 10, 2023. That's 3 more years away from the Windows 10 disaster zone.

So it's either pay for Windows 7 support - we don't know how much costs, who can subscribe to the support, or what it provides; then it's either Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, and who wants to wish Windows 10 on anyone?

Maybe you could consider a quick update of the instructions for Windows 8.1? It might be fun.

 

just because you asked, I will make one this week.

 

Thank you Ultra Male, I know there will be others that will appreciate it as well. I hope it goes smoothly - as I say that I know it's always a tough job, so thank you in advance for putting in the hard work to save everyone else from Windows 10 as long as possible.

I really expect Microsoft to turn the corner some day on Windows 10, but it's not quite there yet...

 

There is an difference between Win 8 and Win 8.1

 

well yeah i agree with you. i dont like it i rather use win7 but it isnt for me its my nephews and told him to use win10 instead but he says he doesnt like it. read all posts and seems youll be making one soon.. thank you

 

Yeah, for a start, a Start Button!

What is the difference between Windows 8 and Windows 8.1?
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-Windows-8-and-Windows-8-1


Windows 8.1 + updated drivers shortly thereafter and it was more stable than Windows 8.0 / 10, and about as stable as Windows 7 +- normal Windows cruft. Certainly a lot more stable than Windows 10.

 

Yeah. stability increased with Win 8.1 - But who would use Win 8/8.1 start meny, and even today?

Somewhat old numbers from bro @Mr. Fox testing but I can't imagine the performance have improved much for Win 10

 

There are start menu replacements to match Windows 7 functionality and look / feel under Windows 8.1.

And, I'd trade a little performance by staying on Win 7 / Win 8.1 - which I won't notice in every day tasks - to stay out of the way of Windows 10 until the last minute - or until Windows 10 is actually stable and doesn't suck time out of our lives to have it installed.

Watching everyone suffer on Windows 10 through the years with bad updates, drivers, stability, all while I am still using Windows Vista, 7, 8.1 with no stability issues - is calming - for me anyway.

I heartily recommend it, and when Windows 7 is no longer viable for some that need application support and ongoing version updates for tools they use, move to Windows 8.1 massaged to look like Windows 7 for a few more years.

Some applications (Chrome / Steam / Gmail / Chrome-Netflix) no longer install, work, or get updates on Windows Vista, but they do still provide updates and version upgrades on Windows 7 / Windows 8.1 - at least right now.

I assume that application support will stop for some applications when Windows 7 stops getting Microsoft updates, then it's time to move to Windows 8.1

 

Hi guys, I recently installed my full version of Windows LSTC 2019 and I’m wondering if this OS will have the same stability issues that all other versions of 10 is experiencing even though it’s bare bones Windows 10 OS.Also, I was reviewing the clean installation and wondering if the following steps are necessary with LTSC 2019:

AutoRun.exe

Task Scheduler Items to Disable:

Group Policy Editor

Any help or comments will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again

 

The same tweaks/guides apply to any edition. The only difference with LSTC is that it has less bloatware. You still need to do everything mentioned.

 

Thanks @Ultra Male! I got it and will proceed accordingly.

 

Perfect! Shout out if you need help.

 

@Ultra Male @Papusan I think I will have to wait on the using Windows 10. My wife installed a few programs for work and none of them will start. She is so frustrated. All the frameworks and Visual C++ seem to be working correctly. I think I will do a clean install with Window 7 and move to 8.1 when I'm forced to move up. I don't have the time for screw ups or experimentation, this is my work computer. Her IT team has been working for 3 hours trying to fix the problem. I'll wait on Windows 10 for now. Thanks for the offering the Windows 7 to 8.1 transition guys. You all help a lot of people.

 

@Ultra Male Thank you for creating such a detailed guide, this is awesome. Sorry if this isn't the appropriate place to ask this question, but I have followed your instructions exactly and just completed a clean install on my GT75. I have my old SSD and HDD on my other computer and would like to completely wipe/reformat (unsure of the terminology) them before installing in my laptop. I believe the HDD has some recovery files etc. (it was the original drive for the laptop) but I can't seem to be able to erase. What would be the best method/software to completely wipe these drives clean as if they were brand new? Again, sorry if this the wrong place to ask or if there is already a clear guide somewhere, but any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

you're most welcome.

See post 2 in this guide, you want to use the diskpart / clean command to completely wipe them off, then they'd be like you just bought them from the factory with no partition or data and not even initialized (as in MBR or GPT)

 

Awesome, thank you! Sorry, I don't know how I missed that... Do you think there is any benefit in keeping the MSI recovery files that were originally on the HDD the computer came with? Also, I'm not familiar with "initialized (as in MBR or GPT)". One of the drives is an EVO 970 that will be exclusively for games (steam, VR, etc...) and the HDD is just going to be storage for photos and crap. Any critical steps for "initializing"? Is there an MBR or GPT option I will need to choose in this process? If so, which one? Sorry for the lame questions, this is the only place I trust to receive legitimate, thorough answers to my questions. Thanks for taking the time to help me out man, much appreciated.