Ready to reinstall Windows? Are you really?
Let’s look at your options... By Alex Cox
SO, YOU USE WINDOWS. You’re in a slowly
shrinking but still three-quarters majority, so
it’s not a surprise: Windows users are ubiquitous.
Almost as ubiquitous as people complaining
about Windows, because that group extends
to macOS and Linux users, too. Whatever your
gripes, the thought of reinstalling Windows has
likely crossed your mind at some point. Perhaps
you’ve even gone ahead without thinking of the
consequences. You might even have been left with
a half-functioning machine that’s missing many of
your critical files and programs. Let’s be clear
at the start of this feature (one that’s ostensibly
about reinstalling Windows): Reinstalling
Windows is generally a really dumb thing to do.
Hear us out. Windows 10 is a much cleaner and
more stable OS than its predecessors. There’s no
good reason to reinstall it unless you’ve managed
to screw with its system files to the point of
oblivion, or you’ve fallen victim to some serious
malware that can’t be expunged in any other way.
If you’re in the l at ter br acke t , it ’s prob ably too l ate
for your files—unless you’ve taken the correct
precautions. With a proper process built into your
everyday computer use, reinstalling is trivial and
safe. Mostly pointless, but clean enough.
So, you could reinstall Windows, and we’ll talk
about it in detail, but we’ll also show you other
options. Before you throw everything away and
start over, perhaps you’ll want to clean everything
up manually, or use Windows’ own refresh tools,
to leave your current installation in a better state.
Maybe you’d like to try an innovative (and slightly
silly) dual-boot, putting a clean Win 10 alongside
your dirty one. You could be moving machines,
and want to turn a fresh install on your new
hardware into something akin to your current
PC. It all sounds easy, but proper procedure is
essential if you want to keep everything precious.WINDOWS
MADE FRESH
Windows made fresh
24 MAXIMUM PC OCT 2019 maximumpc.com