How do I install Windows 11 after a factory reset?
QI received my free copy of Windows 11 by clicking a message that said I could update simply by clicking a small icon in the message window. That was great, but now I want to carry out a factory reset – and that’s got me thinking. Once I start this where do I get my copy of Windows from? As I said, the last one came from clicking a small icon, which won’t be there if I’m performing a clean install. Any pointers would be helpful. Esse Barbero
AThere are two answers to your question. First, you can ask Windows 11 to ‘reset’ itself. If subsequently you choose the option to remove everything then, in effect, the result will be a ‘clean’ install. This is because Windows 11 will reinstall itself, removing everything from your PC, other than the operating system.
To do this, first click Start, followed by the Settings cog, then System, followed by Recovery. Then, next to ‘Reset this PC’, click the Reset PC button (see screenshot). Finally, click ‘Remove everything’ then follow the prompts. When prompted, choose ‘Cloud download’ (as opposed to ‘Local reinstall’) to ensure that your computer gets the very latest version of Windows 11.
Alternatively, you can do this ‘manually’. Download Microsoft’s free media-creation tool from www.snipca.com/49371 to make a Windows 11 installation disc or USB stick.
Your licence is stored digitally in your Microsoft account, so Windows 11 (clean-installed on to the same PC) will activate itself after you first log in.