Hardware & Technical I know this is a dumb question, but I have to ask.

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Deleted member 110222

D
The reason I haven't gamed on PC for a while is because I have been having difficulties getting *any* updates to complete on Windows 10.

Now, I don't know if this is a drastic solution, but, if it meets certain criteria, then it might be worth doing.

Problem is I don't know how to do it.

Can I wipe my system and reinstall Windows as if I had just gotten a brand new system built? If so, how? Would this effectively reset all those backlogged updates that refuse to go through?

My system has been rubbish for a while. It hasn't been working properly for months. I felt ashamed, so I brushed it under the carpet and just never turned the computer on at all.

Help appreciated.
 

Robert Maynard

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Robert Maynard
I did this morning to a laptop that was close to being "fixed" in an entirely different manner....

If you have a suitably sized USB stick, 8GB should be fine:

Go to: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

Download the tool to Create Windows 10 Installation Media and run it.

It'll create a bootable USB stick that will install Windows 10 from scratch on the target device.

Remember to back up anything on the PC that you want to keep.
 

steevaavoo

steevaavoo
Also, click "Start", type the word "reset", click "Reset this PC" and then choose "Get Started" and choose "Remove everything" - that will effectively perform a factory-reset of the PC.

Though the advantage of Robert's method is that you will download the 1803 version of Windows 10 if you make the bootable disk, which will save having to update your current version to it during the Factory Reset method (assuming it doesn't download it as part of that process).
 

Deleted member 110222

D
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help. Like I say I know it's a dumb question, but I really never claimed to be the most knowledgeable person.
 

Deleted member 110222

D
Robert Maynard said:
I did this morning to a laptop that was close to being "fixed" in an entirely different manner....

If you have a suitably sized USB stick, 8GB should be fine:

Go to: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

Download the tool to Create Windows 10 Installation Media and run it.

It'll create a bootable USB stick that will install Windows 10 from scratch on the target device.

Remember to back up anything on the PC that you want to keep.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm going to have to buy a USB stick then. Unfortunately I don't currently have one. Fortunately, it's the end of the month so my next payment is due.
 

Pville_Piper

Pville_Piper
I had most of my stuff backed up when my hard drive went south... But I had never saved to a configuration file the settings for Joy Stick Curves and after re-installing Windows 10 I couldn't get Joy Stick Curves working with both my throttle and my joystick. But I It ended well as I got better curves with T.A.R.G.E.T. even though it was a major pain to figure out and get working.
 

Deleted member 110222

D
Good news guys.

It wasn't as bad as I thought. Just a backlog of redundant updates clogging the system... Or something.

Basically I needed to use the Windows 10 update assistant.

In fact I was... I just didn't realise I needed to download a newer version.

Fortunately I have a friend who I can trust with my entire system via remote operation, so he showed me what I was doing wrong.

I haven't really used my PC for at least six months. Not looking for sympathy when I say this, just stating facts: My depression has been so bad that the thought alone of something going wrong with my PC put me off it. That's why I've been using my Xbox so much. Those things either work or don't. No middle-ground.

I found it a little more comforting LOL.
 
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Necronaught

Necronaught
Un1k0rn said:
Good news guys.

It wasn't as bad as I thought. Just a backlog of redundant updates clogging the system... Or something.

Basically I needed to use the Windows 10 update assistant.

In fact I was... I just didn't realise I needed to download a newer version.

Fortunately I have a friend who I can trust with my entire system via remote operation, so he showed me what I was doing wrong.

I haven't really used my PC for at least six months. Not looking for sympathy when I say this, just stating facts: My depression has been so bad that the thought alone of something going wrong with my PC put me off it. That's why I've been using my Xbox so much. Those things either work or don't. No middle-ground.

I found it a little more comforting LOL.
Click to expand...
Things must be bad dude if you are gaming on an Xbox.
 

JetsonRING

JetsonRING
A "clean" Windows install can definitely clean up your system and improve performance as well as fix issues stemming from an older Windows install with lots of programs and bull-poop installed over time. I did this a few months ago when I was having problems with Windows. To do it right though requires a fair bit of knowledge regarding Windows installs.

If your PC is one of the "brand-name" computers (Dell, HP, etc.) I highly suggest that you use the built-in recovery mode (most brand-name PCs have one) to reset your PC back to factory-new condition. This will wipe the PC and reset it back to its factory original condition. You should then be able to easily install all the Windows updates, the latest drivers for your GPU and perform a fresh Elite Dangerous install.

If you have a "white-box" PC it gets more complicated depending on what software & OS licenses you own, the Windows version you are using and etc.

If you are not really good at working on PCs and installing Windows you might consider paying someone to back up all of your data, re-formatting the Hard-drive and performing a clean Windows install. o7

PS: If using Windows 10 there is a System Recovery option to perform a "clean reset" of your computer however, it is not really "clean". It does not reformat the hard-drive and does not erase the registry. I found that out the hard way. A clean install from boot-able media is the way to go on white-box computers.

PPS: Glad to see you worked it out. o7
 

Asp Explorer

Asp Explorer
Pville_Piper said:
Mine was clean alright... No better performance though...
Click to expand...

If you are SSD based and it's been running for a while - have a look at secure erasing either through motherboard UEFI or OEM bootable stick. I've an ancient OCZ SSD that now needs regular wiping, as it's now slower than the USB stick used to wipe it :(
 

hairychris

hairychris
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead said:
I forgot how, but you can clear your temporary update download files from Windows, and that usually clears up any update issues.
Click to expand...

Open file explorer
Scroll down to "This PC", right-click on C disk, select "Properties"
On new pop-up, click "Disk Cleanup"
On new pop-up, click "Clean up system files" (You'll need to put in your administrator password - if you are running an admin account as your day-to-day account then BAD! Set up a new regular user account and use that...*)
After a bit of a wait the pop-up will reload, and there will be an option "Windows Update Cleanup" which is what you want.

* Running an admin account as your day-to-day account makes your machine vulnerable to malware, ransomwear & etc. Let's just say that I know of several major companies who've been badly hit by malware and this was a major contributing factor!
 

hairychris

hairychris
BTW This is a great article on things that you can do. Author is well-respected Windows sysadmin & security Twitter bod @SwiftOnSecurity

decentsecurity.com

Decent Security

Computer security for everybody.
decentsecurity.com decentsecurity.com
 
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