Windows 10 Clean Installation Guide

nope, broke my Windows installation once. not using third party tools in an official guide.

It's available here if you want:
Windows 10 Tweaks and Fixes (Index post #1)

 

Fair enough.

Missed it in the tweaks, which is why I brought it up.
I seemed to have hit the jackpot on my last install. Num lock staying on! Only issue so far is that MS still wants to install a damn Intel GFX driver - at least this time it's the newest driver. My wi-fi is metred so it can't, but as soon as I plug in… (unless I make my ethernet metred too)

 

glad you got it sorted, it's also in the tweaks

• How to enable Num Lock on the Windows 10 Logon Screen

 

Tried that many times (the lock screen trick too). It would survive a reboot/shutdown, but if my laptop entered sleep mode it would turn itself off. Never could figure out why. Hopefully that offline update is what fixed things - that really is the only thing I did different (besides the C AIO, but I doubt that has any bearing)

So far, this is probably the best my laptop has run since I bought it this summer.
Should probably stop talking about it so I don't jinx myself

Cheers

 

what offline update now?

 

Nothing new. That update you mentioned in the other thread - KB3216755.
Previously, I just had all the updates that auto update would find. Of course since MS couldn't find their own ass with a GPS, that other one never got done - until now.

 

For some reason when I enable fast boot it goes back to disabled even when I save the settings and USB Support has Full initial or disabled fast boot won't stay enabled some reason.

 

I saw someone else complain about settings not sticking as well... there are a number of possibilities.

Do you save through F10 and confirm the save, or go to the exit BIOS tab and select it there?

What is the make / model of computer? Is this a new computer or an older one? Do they have an updated BIOS to download available from their support site?

An older computer may not save the settings due to a dead CMOS battery, settings can be changed but powering off loses them.

Could be a corrupted BIOS settings area, try using the CMOS reset procedure for your computer - make sure to grab a clear readable photo or written list of each bios settings page before doing the CMOS reset

 

Thanks for the guide. In post #23, the file to download is missing the following entry:

Code:

schtasks /change /tn "Microsoft\Windows\CloudExperienceHost\CreateObjectTask" /disable >nul

 

Here is my tweaked Windows 10 desktop! Be smart.. be like Phoenix.....

 

Making that One Universal m.2 NVMe SSD stick for multiple machines:

Idea:
To create an m.2 NVMe SSD with a fresh basic and clean Windows 10 install with different folders with the respected drivers for AW, MSI, Clevo etc... [This option would allow to only have one m.2 stick that can do it all, but with a little more work with installing the drivers.)

OR

To create a basic clone of a fresh Windows 10 installation with the drivers already installed for each ODM -> Acronis -> that I'd keep on its own USB Flash drive for a quick clean install on a machine. [This option would be ideal for my clients who are wanting a fresh clean install anyway. It'd be very convenient to clone an image over that's all ready to go.]

I'm thinking the second option would be more ideal...hmm

Why:
Because I work with varies types of laptops from AW, MSI, Clevo's etc...so it'd make things easier to just pop in my m.2 SSD and go about different tests, diagnostics etc...rather than installing and configuring all the varies apps that I use on their storage only to just delete it afterwards.

How:
Acronis over Macrium? I'm leaning more toward Acornis from the positive feedback that I'm seeing among heavy users.

Also, the last time I've used Macirum to clone a drive (yes I had selected every partition etc...to make sure it would be 1:1), however when I had tried to refresh the system for my client, it blued screened about half way into it with a message that said that it could not complete the clone due to some error.

This immediately left a sour taste in my mouth that also lessened my confidence in the ability for Macrium to truly do a 1:1 clone. Now, I know that there could have been many other variables, but I would like your feedback on this one, because I'm all ears...

Note: I'm aware of this conversation over here on this thread.

Thoughts:
I think it'd be nice to have a fresh / clean Windows 10 Pro images ready to go on a USB Flash stick with the drivers already installed on it for each given system. (I know that there will be new drivers that gets released, but I'll leave that up to the client to update them.) The goal here is to just make cloning easy to start on a clean slate that I can work off of, instead wasting all that time to delete the Windows junk etc...

Debloating Software:
I usually use Revo for anything that populates on the apps list, but for Windows bloat I use ccleaner.

I like Revo due to it' ability to do an advanced scan to wipe out all the dust.

Any other ideas?



Thanks

 

Windows Key + Using an SSD from one machine on another...

Ex. AW17R4 -> SSD into another -> AW17R4

Laptop (A), originally came with Windows 10 HOME.

I had upgraded it to PRO.

If I put that SSD into another Laptop (B) that already came with Windows 10 PRO, will the Windows installation on that SSD now be registered with Laptop (B)'s PRO key?

Since the PRO key on Laptop (B) is stored in the bios, does it automatically grab that Key and activates the Windows 10 PRO again on that SSD?

Or do I have to manually enter the stored PRO key in order to activate the Windows 10 installation on that SSD?

 

What was the error?

So far I haven't had any such failures, but I have had failures with Acrois which is why I was looking for another tool and found Macrium.

Staying with Macrium ever since because they keep staying up to date quickly at OS transitions and continue to offer a full function (for me) Free version that I can recommend to others.

I wouldn't give up on Macrium, I'd debug the particular problem, you can also ask for help from Macrium if there is a bug.

Did you try a 2nd restore after checking the error, and check for a hardware related issue? Did Acronis clone that drive ok?

 

If you did the Feature Upgrade Windows 10 Pro on a non-Pro laptop, then that Pro Key *didn't* get put in the BIOS, it still has the original key.

You need to call MS to get the Pro upgrade transfered. I've done it a couple of times for Windows 8.1 Pro. Took a while, getting switched between departments, but finally got it handled.

 

That's what happened to me when trying to do a clean install on my MSI laptop, I have a Pro key but it wasn't giving me a choice, it would automatically install Home since that's the key stored in the UEFI BIOS......here is how to fix that:

How to select Windows Home or Pro when installing Windows 10

 

P870DM sercure boot does not work either when I enabled it says system mode:setup sercureboot:not active even when I enabled it did clean install secure boot still not enabled and fast boot still not working.

 

@hmscott

Never enabled Secure Boot on my previous Clevo laptops but I did enable it on the MSI, works fine, however also on the MSI, Fast Boot option in the BIOS never sticks, everytime you save and exit, it goes back to disabled....

MSI's stupid response about this:

Even if I reset BIOS to stock and not set any OC parameters, it never sticks to Enabled

 

I guess I have confirm someone else if working on there p870dm with Prema BIOS becuase both settings on mine don't work unless it is over clocking feature not making it work or a bug.

 

Explain through a ticket response as you did here, maybe leave out the "stupid" part, and keep working on getting an MSI engineer to fix the BIOS.

I've never had problems with getting Fastboot in the BIOS to stick OC or not, so someone is mis-conveying information between departments.

Ask them to escalate to the engineering group, as you believe there is a miscommunication, Fastboot isn't connected to OC.

Be patient, sometimes it takes a while to get a good connection through from the "front desk" through management to engineering.

You may need to close the ticket and open it again wording it differently - try filing the ticket during a different time of day to get a different shift working on it for you.

Please let us know how it works out.

 

Did you install Windows with Secure boot enabled? Try that

Or, look for a good conversion path, here are a couple that came up using google:

How to flip over to UEFI with Secure Boot with no data loss.
Requires Windows 8 or later.
http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1836130/flip-uefi-secure-boot-data-loss-requires-windows.html

Convert Windows 10 from old MBR (BIOS) to UEFI
https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/3s7ieq/convert_windows_10_from_old_mbr_bios_to_uefi/

Fastboot not working isn't something I can help with, you need to work with the BIOS maker / vendor to figure out what's up.

Who did you purchase your P870DM from? They can help you and should, since you paid them for support.

 

This might technically be the wrong thread to ask, but since I do this when I do my clean installs, I'll ask anyways…

Is there really any benefit in setting up using a different DNS server than the auto assigned ISP one? I've been sticking with OpenDNS for a while now. Works OK, but can't say if its any faster or more reliable than the ISP/GoogleDNS/other alternatives

 

changing DNS is a gimmick. Stick to your ISP's DNS for the fastest speed. Remember, the closer the DNS server's physical location from you, the faster things would be as opposed to choosing some DNS server that is cities or even countries away from you

 

Changing your DNS works sometimes if your IPS has banned your access for some sites. For example, Romania or rather the Bucharest specific DNS was banned from accessing certain sites, especially Chinese electronics sites a while ago. Changing the DNS would fix things right up.

But I do recommend the same thing as @Phoenix !

If you don't need to do it for a reason, NEVER change your DNS as it's most probably going to slow your traffic down and add some risks (for example bank data can leak if the new DNS you're using is not a good one).

Some browsers like those made by COMODO will route traffic through their own DNS - this is helpful if you're banned from accessing certain sites.

 

Actually, there are many hidden gotcha's that can be avoided by circumventing ISP DNS, and doing a little work with some widely available apps for each location you work from can reap great benefits.

First, a little background:

Spoiler

DNS Hi-jacking - Manipulation by ISPs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_hijacking#Manipulation_by_ISPs

"A number of consumer ISPs such as (big list, not complete) use DNS hijacking for their own purposes, such as displaying advertisements [25] or collecting statistics. This practice violates the RFC standard for DNS (NXDOMAIN) responses, [26]and can potentially open users to cross-site scripting attacks"

...lots of good info...

" Manipulation by registrars
Some domain name registrars, notably Name.com, [30] perform a DNS hijacking on failed domain name lookups despite objection to this practice by ICANN [31] and their consumers."

" Response
In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office have acknowledged that the practice of involuntary DNS hijacking contravenes PECR, and EC Directive 95/46 on Data Protection which require explicit consent for processing of communication traffic. However they have refused to intervene, claiming that it would not be sensible to enforce the law, because it would not cause significant (or indeed any) demonstrable detriment to individuals. [12] [13]

ICANN, the international body responsible for administering top-level domain names, has published a memorandum highlighting its concerns, and affirming: [29]

"ICANN strongly discourages the use of DNS redirection, wildcards, synthesized responses and any other form of NXDOMAIN substitution in existing gTLDs, ccTLDs and any other level in the DNS tree for registry-class domain names.""

" Remedy
End users, dissatisfied with poor "opt-out" options like cookies, have responded to the controversy by finding ways to avoid spoofed NXDOMAIN responses. DNS software such as BIND and Dnsmasq offer options to filter results, and can be run from a gateway or router to protect an entire network. Google, among others, run open DNS servers that currently do not return spoofed results. So a user could use Google Public DNS instead of their ISP's DNS servers if they are willing to accept that they use the service under Google's privacy policy. One limitation of this approach is that some providers block or rewrite outside DNS requests.

Google in April 2016 launched DNS-over-HTTPS service. This scheme can overcome the limitations of the legacy DNS protocol. It performs remote DNSSEC check and transfers the results in a secure HTTPS tunnel.

There are also application level work-arounds, such as the NoRedirect Firefox extension add-on that mitigate some of the behavior. An approach like that only fixes one application (in this example, Firefox) and will not address any other issues caused.

Website owners may be able to fool some hijackers by using certain DNS settings. For example, setting a TXT record of "unused" on their wildcard address (e.g. *.example.com). Alternatively, they can try setting the CNAME of the wildcard to "example.invalid", making use of the fact that '.invalid' is guaranteed not to exist per the RFC. The limitation of that approach is that it only prevents hijacking on those particular domains, but it may address some VPN security issues caused by DNS hijacking."

You don't need to only use google, and in many other countries there are similarly open DNS servers that don't return spoofed results that can be found with utilities you run from each location you connect from to find the optimal non-spoofed closest (quickest response) DNS:

Spoiler: namebench - try DNS Benchmark first

namebench
https://code.google.com/archive/p/namebench/

" Open-source DNS Benchmark Utility

Are you a power-user with 5 minutes to spare? Do you want a faster internet experience?

Try out namebench. It hunts down the fastest http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System'>DNS servers available for your computer to use. namebench runs a fair and thorough benchmark using your web browser history, tcpdump output, or standardized datasets in order to provide an individualized recommendation. namebench is completely free and does not modify your system in any way.

Downloads
https://code.google.com/archive/p/namebench/downloads

DNS Benchmark
https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm

" Domain Name Speed Benchmark
Are your DNS nameservers impeding your Internet experience?

A unique, comprehensive, accurate & free Windows (and Linux / Wine) utility to determine the exact performance of local and remote DNS nameservers . . .

“You can't optimize it until you can measure it”

Now you CAN measure it!"

Download (embedded in text):
https://www.grc.com/files/DNSBench.exe

I've spent a lot of time with both utilities, not recently as I am set up, but the first time through both there are lots of fun things to learn, and read up on from these sites and others.

I also set up DNS servers, have for many years, so maybe my interest is a bit deeper than you want to spend time delving into the details.

A few minutes with these tools will get you end results that are useful, and elevate your awareness of DNS servers shenanigans

Update: Wow, I ran the DNS Benchmark for fun, been over a year since I checked last, and found a pair of new open DNS servers that are significantly faster than the ones I found before.

 

Ran the DNS Benchmark (custom namelist) last night and the ISP servers were a goodly bit faster. Guess I've been deluding myself by changing them these past few years

 

told you bro, stick to your ISP, it's the closes / fastest. Do not defy teh l4w$ of physics

Newton said, the closest distance from point A to point B is a straight line

 

Faster isn't necessarily always "better", and with DNS manipulation by ISP's, selling your access / usage data, and redirecting results to other sites, it's good to consider the "next best" speed from open dns servers that don't compromise the responses.

If you run the namebench - it takes a while - and it's output isn't as pretty - but it has comprehensive data that it summarizes per dns server as to how it is futzing around with the DNS response. The results come through as a file web page through your default browser.

It's not as simple as picking the fastest DNS, but if you are lucky your ISP has open and uncompromised DNS servers from which to choose as well.

 

This is entirely true as well! It is really tricky to name who is the best and what is the best DNS to use.

I would stick with ISP or google because they seem the safest right now.

 

There would be more awesome an Windows 7 installation guide, because on newer systems many people facing with problem CD / DVD driver missing ERROR BUG which prevents the installation. Many people do not know the fix, however it is easy with Windows 7* USB 3.0 Creator Utility and after will install perfectly also with the newest Sky Lake and Kaby Lake processors.
So rather lets support the good old Win 7, than this telementry, spying 10.

 

I switched to Google DNS and OpenDNS because my ISP's DNS was slower and restricting access to NBR and other forums.

 

Can we do this using Windows 10 own utility: Control Panel -> File History -> System Image Backup?

Also, is there a difference between creating a system image versus a recovery drive? What is preferable?

 

I never used the Microsoft built in backup but when I tried it once, the image file was humongous compared to Macrium Reflect.

I advice j00 to stick to Macrium Reflect FTW

 

Windows 10 Upgrade to Windows 10 Redstone 2 Build 15063

Download the upgrade assistant

 

How does it work?

 

the update is stuck @0%

The 15063 ESD files will be in place in the next hour.

 

Never happened, did it? And, the "unauthorized" official download from Russia is missing the 15058.0.170310-1436.rs2_release_CLIENTCombinedSL_RET_x64fre_en-us.esd file in the 10.4GB zip archive, LOL.

 

The act of defiance is complete. I found a place to get it so I can decide now instead of waiting. If it sucks more than before, I've got my image to fall back on. Aeroglass is broken, so that needs to be updated pronto.


Edit: And, now DDR4-3333 only gets BSOD and the blue error screen where the path to winload.exe is not found if I set 3333. Had to drop back to 3000 after installing RS2. ThrottleStop is now causing a hard lock-up with RS2. So far the only good things I can see is O&O ShutUp still seems to allows me to get away with killing everything (latest version released 3 days ago) and StartIsBack still works. But, StartIsBack had to be reinstalled because Windows 10 RS2 told me it was not compatible and removed it. As usual, they are liars.

@Phoenix - seems like just another worthless abortion from the Pacific Northwest Nazis.

 

Is anybody interested in slim win 7 in other words optimised win 7?

 

Whoa....

I wish they would fix more than they break man...

 

I've mentioned this before, but for the US readers, it's timely and important to point out again that using your ISP's DNS further provides information they can sell to 3rd parties, causing an invasion of your privacy.

Please check out the discussions in this new thread:

These 24 Senators want to let your internet history be sold
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...t-history-be-sold.802409/page-2#post-10491516

It's more important than ever to know how to limit your privacy incursions to protect yourself and your family, and carefully choosing a DNS provider is an important step.

 

Romania has one ISP most of times

Or rather, most areas have only one that is feasible.

Bucharest is considered one of the world's fastest internet area actually, but at what cost?

 

My google fu failed me. Has anyone found a way to install Windows 10 Store games without the actual Windows 10 store app installed? I love the clean install of Windows 10 too much right now to go back but if there was a way to get Halo Wars 2 on PC I'd be a happy cylon.

 

This guide will be updated within a month to the Redstone 2 Windows 10 as the initial wizard is completely revamped now

 

Thank you!

I'm sure your guides have been a great aid to many people throughout the time!

 

When you create the new Windoze X Redstone 2 guide... Do as usual, but gather all the tweaks in a single separate post in the end or in OP. (Put together as keywords in a separate post). From start to finish.
1. First tweak
2. Next tweak
3. 3rd tweak
And so on
Hope you understand what I meant Thanks

 

it takes a month to make the guide, let alone add tweaks. This is a clean install guide not a tweaking guide. there is a separate tweaking guide for this. It is beyond the scope of this topic/thread to add tweaks. Heck, it will take at least a 100 screenshots / tweaks just to make the guide

 

I don't talk about screenshots or advanced setup. Only the keywords bro. In the correct order from 1 to the end. With the correct order, everything goes much faster. No needs for special explanation of the tweaks. Only the names and the order in one post.

 

let me get the guide done to start with. you don't understand how time consuming and difficult it is. I have no energy or time to do anything but the guide. Users should go to the Tweaks thread for tweaking

the guide is only a clean install with the correct settings to disable all the bloatware and privacy invasion crap

 

I know brother. Such takes time and we know yoo do as good y00 can. It was only meant as a good suggestion. Keywords are easy to follow when they are collected in a single order in a single post.(Then No need to follow the entire guide). All info is easy to find if needed - Most, at least some knows what then must be done

 

Posted by mistake