REPAIR OR REINSTALL?
Sometimes, you can’t fix your Windows problem following any number of tools or steps. At times like these, it’s tempting to reach for the ‘nuclear’ option and reinstall Windows from scratch, but sometimes you can get away by ‘upgrading’ your Windows installation by installing a fresh version over the top of your current build without wiping data, settings, or applications.
This ‘repair’ installation requires you to create Windows installation media—you can download the tool for burning a DVD or writing to a spare, unused 8GB flash drive from https:// www.microsoft.com/enus/software-download/ windows11 or www. microsoft.com/en-us/ software-download/ windows10 depending on your version of Windows. Alternatively, Windows 11 users can download the ISO file directly, then double-click it to mount the file as a virtual DVD in File Explorer.
From here, open the drive and double-click setup.exe, then follow the prompts to start the installation process including downloading any updates if they’re required. After everything is ready, you’ll be prompted what type of install you wish to perform. Make sure ‘Keep personal files and apps’ is selected before clicking Install
(if necessary, click ‘Change what to keep’ to select it). From this point on, Windows will reinstall itself, rebooting when necessary to eventually return you to your desktop, with the problem hopefully fixed.
If you’re looking for a more drastic fix, but one that doesn’t involve losing any personal files on your system drive, you can also reinstall Windows via Settings – navigate to System > Recovery > Reset this PC. You’ll see there’s no option to preserve settings and apps, so only consider this if Windows is falling apart at the seams and you’re unable to take final backups of data and your system using tools like Macrium Reflect; otherwise, update your backups one last time and consider wiping the drive clean and starting completely from scratch using your newly created installation media.