repair or fresh install

what's the difference between windows repair and fresh install??

after i got a blue screen from a cpu overheat on my desktop pc, seems like something is wrong with my windows (can't get to log in the domain anymore).

so i'd like to know if it's better to go with repairing windows or a fresh install.. and what are the differences between them..

thanks for any input..

 

CPU overheat is not related to windows however for me :

A fresh install is something you must do after you try a windows repair that takes a couple of hours

 

A repair will try to repair an existing installation by restoring missing or corrupted system files etc. Which means all the programs and other user data will be intact.
A fresh install means installing a clean copy from the start, all installed programs and user data will be lost.

Maybe your problem doesn’t need a reinstallation at all. What exactly is the problem? do you get any error messages when trying to log in?

 

If the cpu is overheating, you may want to look at your heatsink first. It may be failing or no longer making the proper contact with the cpu. If that is the case, repairing or reinstalling Windows will not really help.

 

Gotta fix your overheating first. If you have an older desktop maybe you need to put new thermal paste, then check your cpu fan is working and of course your heatsink has good contacts as previously mentioned. And of course the air vents.

Fresh install is re-installing Windows and all your programs. Repair is when Windows attempts to recover the drivers for operating system integrity but not necessarily for programs installed.

 

thanks for the replies.

the overheating issue has been resolved. i bought a new heatsink + fan for it and now it's running fine and cool.

i didn't get any error messages when loggin in the domain but as usual it just logged in.. but at the domain server pc side the computer doesn't show this computer logged in the domain which i found it weird (and so other computers can't access to this "blue screened" computer's shared drive)... cuz this happened after that bluescreen memory dump when the cpu overheated... so i was assuming this was caused by that sudden shut down of the computer and if i need a fresh install or a repair will do the job...

 

It might fix it if you simply remove the computer from the domain, delete the computer's account on the domain, and then re-join the computer to the domain. No OS repair necessary. Check with your domain admin before you do that though, depending on your network you might need to make sure it's in the correct OU and has the correct group memberships.

As for overheating, it is possible that the hardware could still be okay but some files could have become corrupt. While I still think re-joining the domain is a better first step, if you are going to try and repair the OS, you're better off backing up personal data/files, format, and re-install from scratch. No point in a repair if it comes to that.