Reinstall Windows 10 Without Deleting Your Software, Files or Settings

We recently experienced an installation of Windows 10 with system files that were corrupt to the point that certain sections of the Settings app would automatically shut when being opened, among other bugs around the platform.

After attempting typical repair options, we used a Windows 10 ISO to perform an in-identify upgrade, reinstalling Windows 10 while keeping our applications and all.

If this sounds familiar, we have covered a similar procedure using Windows 10's built-in "Reset this PC" choice, but that removes your programs and just retains your files and settings on the newly installed operating system, whereas once again, the in-identify upgrade even preserves the software you have installed.

Running an in-place upgrade worked to fix our example of Windows x that couldn't otherwise be repaired with Command Prompt commands such as SFC /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Paradigm /RestoreHealth – neither of which would cease their operation on our installation.

The reinstallation tin exist initiated from within Windows using the setup.exe file on a Windows ten ISO/USB drive or from the Media Creation tool, and the process took around half an hour to finish on our desktop PC.

Since even your applications are retained on the resulting installation, if all goes equally planned yous won't take to do much afterward and it'due south certainly a path of less resistance compared to fully reinstalling Windows.

Getting started with an in-place upgrade

For starters, the in-place upgrade isn't an option if you tin can't kick into your installation. You must be logged in to a Windows account and that account must have administrator access. If you're not an admin, you will be prompted for credentials when launching the installer.

To check if you have an admin account, search Start for "change account blazon" or go to Control Console\User Accounts\User Accounts\Manage Accounts\Change an Business relationship\Change Account Type where all of the accounts on your Windows installation should be listed and those with admin-level access volition say "Ambassador."

Double-click your business relationship and and so click "Alter the business relationship type" for the option to get from a Standard user to an Administrator.

You lot can also find this information by searching Commencement for Netplwiz.exe. With that application open, select your account and get to Backdrop then the Group Membership tab for the Standard user/Administrator toggle.

If you're unable to make your account an ambassador, notation that the Windows administrator account is disabled past default and can be enabled from an elevated Command Prompt:

net user administrator /active:yes | enables administrator account (relog)

net user | lists all Windows accounts including the ambassador business relationship

As another requirement for the in-place upgrade, your Windows ISO/USB drive/Creation Tool must contain the same edition of your operating system (or newer), too as the same language and compages (32/64-bit).

Yous'll also need some spare storage on the Windows drive -- around 8GB when we tested.

Conveniently, this pace in the installation volition assist you with storage information, displaying capacity usage for different areas of your operating organization, and y'all can likewise cull a secondary/external storage device from a driblet-down menu of every bulldoze attached to your PC.

Although you'll keep all of your files and software, the reinstallation will delete certain items such as custom fonts, arrangement icons and Wi-Fi credentials. However, as part of the process, the setup will also create a Windows.old folder which should have everything from your previous installation.

If yous take a UEFI system with Secure Kicking enabled, it's suggested that you disable Secure Boot before starting the in-place upgrade and and so re-enable the characteristic afterward.

Actually starting the in-place upgrade

Start the Windows setup (setup.exe) by mounting the ISO or opening the Windows USB installation drive from the File Explorer.

Windows x has native support for mounting ISOs by correct-clicking and choosing Mount or by using the following PowerShell command (our installation was and then broken that the right-click choice wasn't available to us):

Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath "C:\FileName.ISO"

After launching setup.exe or the Media Cosmos tool, you'll have the choice to upgrade now or to create an installation ISO/USB drive -- you desire to Upgrade this PC now. You might be prompted to download updates prior to this option beingness available.

The installer will perform some initial setup/scans and eventually ask what you desire to go on on the new copy of Windows.

If you intend to keep your currently installed software on the repaired operating organisation, brand certain that "apps" are listed and not only "files" (Go on personal files and apps).

The rest of the in-identify upgrade amounts to waiting virtually a half an hour for Windows to reinstall, which rebooted our organization several times and didn't require whatever further intervention from the states.

When completed, you'll load back into the aforementioned Windows environment where you originally started the "upgrade," except with newly installed operating system files which should be bug-gratis.

After completing the in-place upgrade

Every bit mentioned earlier, although this reinstallation retains your software and settings, the procedure creates a Windows.one-time folder with data from your previous re-create of Windows. This folder occupies a large amount of storage and isn't easily deleted directly from File Explorer, though you can browse the contents at C:\Windows.old.

Disk Cleanup can delete the Windows.old folder every bit well as other temporary installation files used in the setup: Search the Outset menu for Deejay Cleanup then click "Clean up organisation files" to run a secondary scan that volition locate Windows junk files.

When nosotros scanned after the in-identify upgrade, Disk Cleanup found 3.61GB of "Previous Windows installation(s)" and 225MB of "Windows upgrade log files."

If y'all're really low on storage space, we've found that tertiary-political party software such as Wise Disk Cleaner will remove more data than Deejay Cleanup, and that particular tool even removed more than than CCleaner.

Other than deleting backlog Windows data, yous'll probably have to relog into your Wi-Fi network and y'all may have to install some Windows updates if you lot didn't apply the most recent Windows ISO. However, that ought to be about the extent of your chores after the in-place upgrade/repair installation.