Repair a Windows install
If you’re trying to fix a problem, a refresh or repair install may be the best route to go down. Here’s what you need to do.
Not all reinstalls require a complete wipe of your hard drive. A repair or refresh installation leaves your programs, settings and files in place, and restricts itself to installing a fresh copy of your Windows files over the top of your existing copy. If your problem is linked to a corrupt file or Windows setting, the repair installation can usually fix it.
All repair installs share one common characteristic: you must launch them from Windows itself. You can’t boot from your install media and repair Windows through that; you need to boot into Windows, then start the repair process from there. If you’re unable to boot into Windows, therefore, you’ll need to skip ahead and perform a full destructive recovery instead.
START THE REPAIR
Starting a repair install varies depending on your PC model and what version of Windows you’re running. Windows 8.1 and 10 users should (at least initially) avoid the Refresh/Reset options provided under Settings > ‘Update & recovery’. These options will preserve your files and any apps you’ve installed through the Microsoft Store, but any desktop programs you’ve installed will be wiped along with Windows itself.
Instead, you should ‘upgrade’ your copy of Windows, which performs a similar non-destructive reinstall to Refresh/Reset with the added bonus that your apps – including those you’ve installed outside of the Microsoft Store – will be preserved. To do so, you’ll need your Windows installation media – see the step-by-step guide on the facing page if you don’t have the latest version.
Why do you need the latest install