You may see multiple user folders even though you have one Windows user check each folder. Here you’ll see a folder for each Windows user as well as a Public folder. Go to the Users directory of Windows-typically C:Users. So if you’re unsure what you have, use an external hard drive or flash drive.įirst, back up the usual user folders, which is where you likely have stored all or most of your personal files and documents. If you save your data to a partitioned space, you could lose the data when doing the clean Windows install. Drives can be partitioned so they appear as different drives in Windows but are actually the same physical drive. If you’re backing up to a secondary internal drive, be sure it’s physically a different drive than your main drive. To save your files and data, you need some type of backup drive, which could be an external USB hard drive, a USB flash drive if it’s big enough, or even a secondary internal hard drive if your PC has one.įurther reading: If we show you how to back up your PC for free, will you finally do it? A clean install of Windows 10 requires more effort, but eradicates all those potential headaches as well as any lingering bloatware on your PC. This sounds convenient since it’s supposed to keep all your files and programs intact, but as an IT professional I’ve seen many issues arise from this upgrade method, such as system slowness, errors, and other strange behaviors.

If you take advantage of Microsoft’s free offer to upgrade Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 to Windows 10, the default method is an in-place upgrade. A clean install using a stock Windows disc or flash drive also gets rid of programs and bloatware installed from the factory.

Microsoft has tried to make this process easier with the Refresh and Reset features starting with Windows 8, but power users still might consider a good ol’ format and clean install. Sometimes, the best way to fix deep-seated Windows issues is to burn everything to the ground and start from scratch. Reinstalling Windows refreshes the operating system, which gets rid of most corruption, errors, and viruses.

Fresh windows