12 |^ |^ November 2019
Microsoft is happy to dole out the code for Windows 10, but you’ll need a proper licence if you want to use it fully.REINSTALL FOR
FUN AND PROFIT
Keep lists of installed programs, and their activation
keys, to rapidly make your old PC feel like new again
Reinstalling Windows 10 is a fairly
trivial task. Put in the right media,
boot from it, grind away the old OS,
and replace it with the pristine bits of
a shiny new install. This can be a
painless, if time-consuming,
procedure that leaves you with a
like-new PC, or perhaps an even
better one if you were unlucky
enough to buy a PC burdened with
preinstalled trashware.
Before you do this, make sure
you’ve checked off a few
prerequisites, all of which are good
practice even if you’re not planning
to wipe everything and start again.
First, keep a record of your product
key (if you have one – most likely if
you’ve upgraded from a previous
version of Windows), or make sure
your digital licence is well looked
after. If you’ve bought a PC in the last
few years, you’re probably using adigital licence rather than a key.
Check Settings > Update & Security >
Activation. If you see the message
“Windows is activated with a digital
licence,” this means you’re digitally
signed, but you should link that
license to your Microsoft account in
case of installation issues or future
hardware changes. Head to Settings
> Accounts > Your Info, sign in with
your Microsoft account details, and
the message should change to
“Windows is activated with a digital
licence associated with your
Microsoft account.”Key information
Next, dig out the keys for all your
crucial software and keep them safe
too, as you’ll need to reinstate
everything manually when
performing a full reinstall. You can
use PowerShell to make a list ofyour installed programs; run it
as administrator, and type: Get-
ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\
Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-
Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion,
Publisher, InstallDate | Format-Table
–AutoSize > C:\software.txt
A list is created as a file called
software.txt in the root of your C
drive. Tweak if you want a different
file name or location. Keep a copy of
this elsewhere, in case you come to
your reinstalled machine and realise
there’s something you’ve forgotten.
If you want to make your job easier,
ProduKey (http://nirsoft.net) can dig
up keys for many Microsoft apps and
Windows; also consider using a
lockable password manager, such as
LastPass (www.lastpass.com), to not
only keep a record of logins, but to
store details about your software so
it’s always there when you need it.
You can’t back up programs
(Windows’ file structure doesn’t work
like that), but you can (and should)
back up every other little thing.
Backing up your hard drive using“Dig out the product keys for all your
crucial software and keep them safe,
as you’ll need to reinstall that too”
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