Windows 10 How to Re-install or Upgrade to Windows 10 / How to Force Reset Your PC

[CJ___]

How to Re-install or Upgrade to Windows 10 / How to Force Reset Your PC:

There are many reasons to re-install/reset Windows 10 on your PC. Maybe your PC has an outdated operating system, maybe the PC has problems with some software. The reason I had to do it was my internet drivers were not working (meaning I could not connect to the internet), and I could not reinstall them. Resetting my PC by re-installing Windows 10 solved the issue for me. This process is not guaranteed to work, but it's better than tossing a computer in the trash can (which you shouldn't do without resetting it first). This and other reasons are why I put this guide together.


How to Simply Reset Your PC:

Note: Before continuing to reset your computer, make sure to have your files backed up to a cloud service, USB device, etc. If your files are not backed up, you will lose all of them.


This process takes less time than what I had to do, and it is simpler. If you know it will not work, scroll down to my solution that worked. This did not work for me, but it may work for you – I recommend trying this first to reset your PC:

1. Go to Settings by clicking the Windows key then clicking the gear icon.
2. Select the "Update & security" option.
3. Click the “Recovery” option from the left side of the window.
4. Click the "Get started" option under Reset this PC.
5. Click either "Keep my files" or "Remove everything," depending on if you want to keep your files or not.
6. Select "Just remove my files" or "Remove files and clean the drive.” Cleaning the drive may take longer, but it will make sure that your files are permanently deleted – this is the best option to use if you are giving your computer away or selling it. If you are going to keep the computer, choose "Just remove my files.”
7. Click the “Next” button if Windows warns you that you won't be able to return to a prior version of the OS.
8. Click “Reset” when prompted.
9. Click “Continue” when prompted.

Note: Instead of navigating to settings, you can hold down “Shift” on your keyboard and click the “Restart” button on screen. To find the “Restart” button, click the Windows key and click the power icon. If you do not hold down “Shift” when you click “Restart,” nothing will happen.


If this did not work or you have already tried it, continue reading . . .


How to Reset Your PC by Re-installing/Installing Windows 10:

Basically, to force the computer to reset, you can install Windows 10. In the process of installing Windows 10, it gives the option to reset your PC. If you don’t want to reset it but you want Windows 10, you can still follow these instructions.



If your computer can connect to the internet, follow these steps to reset it:


Note: Before continuing to reset your computer, make sure to have your files backed up to a cloud service, USB device, etc. If your files are not backed up, you will lose all of them.

1. 
   
   1. On the PC that can connect to the internet, go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and download the Windows 10 media creation tool by clicking “Download tool now” button. This program is created by Microsoft, so don’t worry about viruses or anything like that.
   
   2. Open the MediaCreationTool1909.exe file bye double clicking it (it may not have the .exe part depending on your settings). If prompted, click “Yes” to allow the program to make changes to your device.”
   
   3. Now, click “Accept” to move to the next step.
   
   4. Click the option “Upgrade this PC now”
   
   5. The rest should be self-explanatory . . .
   

Make sure to click “Reset this PC” to delete your files. If you do not, the files will not be deleted on it. However, if your purpose is upgrading to Windows 10 and you want to keep your files, do not reset your device.



If your computer cannot connect to the internet, follow these directions to reset it:


Note: Before continuing to reset your computer, make sure to have your files backed up to a cloud service, USB device, etc. If your files are not backed up, you will lose all of them.


Before I get to the process, you will need these items:

• Another laptop capable of connecting to the internet
• An USB flash drive with 8GB (or more) formatted to FAT32

How to Format a USB Flash Drive to FAT32:


Note: the USB device will be reset after you have completed these steps, meaning all files on it will be lost – back them up to a cloud service, USB device, etc. If your files are not backed up, you will lose all of them.


Follow these steps to convert your USB flash drive to FAT32:

1. Insert the USB device into the computer that can connect to the internet
2. Click the Windows key, and type in “Computer Management”
3. Click on “Storage”
4. Click on “Disk Management”
5. Right click on the USB device that you want to convert to FAT32
6. Click on the “Format” option
7. Click “Yes” when asked if you are sure you want to delete all the data on the drive
8. Name the USB drive and select the option “File system” as FAT32
9. Click “OK”
10. Click “OK” again

Now the format is FAT32 – you can check by going to File Manager, right clicking the USB drive, and clicking “Properties.” The “File system” should be FAT32.



How to get Windows 10 on a USB Flash Drive:


Now you need to get Windows 10 on the USB flash drive. To do so, follow these steps:

1. On the PC that can connect to the internet, go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and download the Windows 10 media creation tool by clicking “Download tool now” button. This program is created by Microsoft, so don’t worry about viruses or anything like that.
2. If the USB device isn’t in the computer already, insert the USB device into the computer capable of connecting to the internet.
3. Open the MediaCreationTool1909.exe file by double clicking it (it may not have the .exe part depending on your settings). If prompted, click “Yes” to the message “Allow this program to make changes to your device?”
4. Now, click “Accept” to move to the next step.
5. Click the option “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD or ISO file) for another PC.
6. Select the ISO option and click next.
7. Select a location on your PC to save the file to – make sure to remember where you saved it.
8. Click next and it will begin installing the Windows 10 ISO file.
9. Now you need another tool. Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56485 and click “English” then “Download.”
10. This will take you to a list with multiple options. Click “Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool-Installer-en-US.exe” and click “Next.” Make sure to click the checkbox that the underlined part is the exact same on as it is here – the part that says en-US determines the language of the tool.
11. Once it downloads, double click the “Windows7-USB-DVD-Download-Tool-Installer-en-US.exe” file to run it (it may not have the .exe part depending on your settings). This will launch the tool.
12. Step 1 in the program will ask for the ISO file. Remember where you saved it earlier? Click “Browse” and find the Windows 10 ISO file. After you find it click “Open.”
13. Now click “Next”
14. Step 2 will ask which device you want to save it to. Click “USB device” and click next.
15. Select your device from the drop-down box and click “Begin copying.”
16. If prompted, click “Erase USB Device.” Now click “Yes.” It will begin creating a bootable device.
17. When it finishes successfully it says, “Bootable USB device created successfully.” You may now close the program and remove the USB flash drive from your computer.

After all these steps, the USB flash drive is a now a bootable USB than can be used to setup Windows 10 on any computer capable of running Windows!


How to Install Windows 10 on Another Computer

After completing all of this, you are probably wondering how to install it on another computer. Follow these directions:

1. Plug the USB into another computer.
2. Go to File Explorer on that computer.
3. Find the USB device in File Explorer and double click the file “setup.exe” to launch the Windows 10 installer.
4. Accept the Microsoft Policy.
5. The rest should be self-explanatory . . . .

Make sure to click “Reset this PC” to delete your files. If you do not, the files will not be deleted on it. However, if your purpose is upgrading to Windows 10 or just re-installing Windows 10, and you want to keep your files, you do not need to reset your device.


If you have any questions about this, I will do my best to answer them. I am not the most experienced computer person, but I had to do a lot of the tasks mentioned in this guide without help. That’s why I created this guide – so you can know how to do this. Comment if it helped!


- CJ___

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