Reinstall Windows 10 Without Deleting Your Software, Files or Settings

[The AchieVer]

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 close when being opened, among other bugs around the platform.

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

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

Running an in-place upgrade worked to fix our instance of Windows 10 that couldn't otherwise be repaired with Command Prompt commands such as SFC /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth – neither of which would finish their operation on our installation.

The reinstallation can be initiated from within Windows using the setup.exe file on a Windows 10 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 as planned you won't have to do much afterward and it's 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 can't boot into your installation. You must be logged in to a Windows account and that account must have administratoraccess. 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 type" or go to Control Panel\User Accounts\User Accounts\Manage Accounts\Change an Account\Change Account Type where all of the accounts on your Windows installation should be listed and those with admin-level access will say "Administrator."

Double-click your account and then click "Change the account type" for the option to go from a Standard user to an Administrator.

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

If you're unable to make your account an administrator, note that the Windows administrator account is disabled by 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 administrator account

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), as well as the same language and architecture (32/64-bit).

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

Conveniently, this step in the installation will help you with storage information, displaying capacity usage for different areas of your operating system, and you can also choose a secondary/external storage device from a drop-down menu of every drive attached to your PC.

Although you'll keep all of your files and software, the reinstallation will delete certain items such as custom fonts, system 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 you have a UEFI system with Secure Boot enabled, it's suggested that you disable Secure Boot before starting the in-place upgrade and then re-enable the feature afterward.

 

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[The AchieVer]

@Melgas

 

I have posted this one for you 

 

Regards

[Melgas]

#
Hi, "The AchieVer".
I immediately realized. I was one of the recipients.
Thank you very much for your availability and your attention.
Strong embrace and a prosperous and healthy 2019 YEAR.
#

[The AchieVer]

26 minutes ago, Melgas said:

a prosperous and healthy 2019 YEAR.
#

 

I heartily reciprocate the same 🙂

[hey]

7 minutes ago, The AchieVer said:

I heartily reciprocate the same

Yeh, nice feel to it.  Allow me to join in the groupie.

[debebee]

After Paste, you can select all, then press the color button and then black to override whatever color was posted in, we are looking for maximum legibility here

[The AchieVer]

4 minutes ago, teodz1984 said:

After Paste, you can select all, then press the color button and then black to override whatever color was posted in, we are looking for maximum legibility here

Thanks for your suggestion.

I have used gray color font.

 

Was using black color, but perhaps, many members requested to use dark gray .......