How to Do a Repair Install of Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade
If you're having problems with Windows 10 on your PC, you could use push-button reset to refresh or reset Windows.
Refresh your PC Fixes software problems by reinstalling the OS while preserving the user data, user accounts, and important settings. All other preinstalled customizations are restored to their factory state. In Windows 10, this feature no longer preserves user-acquired Windows apps.
Reset your PC prepares the PC for recycling or for transfer of ownership by reinstalling the OS, removing all user accounts and contents (e.g. data, Classic Windows applications, and Universal Windows apps), and restoring preinstalled customizations to their factory state.
The options above are great for what they are intended for, but you could also do a repair install of Windows 10 by performing an in-place upgrade without losing anything other than all installed Windows Updates.
- You will only be able to do a repair install of Windows 10 from within Windows 10. You will not be able to do a repair install at boot or in Safe Mode.
- You will need at least around 8.87 GB + what Windows is currently using of free space available on the Windows drive.
- The installation media (ex: ISO or USB) must be the same edition and same or newer build as your currently installed Windows 10. If it's not, then the repair install will fail.
- The installation media (ex: ISO or USB) must be the same language as your currently installed Windows 10. If it's not, then you will not keep anything.
- If you have a 32-bit Windows 10, then you must use a 32-bit ISO or USB.
- If you have a 64-bit Windows 10, then you must use a 64-bit ISO or USB.
If Windows is encrypted by BitLocker, then you will need to either suspend or turn off BitLocker for the Windows drive before doing a repair install. Once installation has finished, you can resume or turn on BitLocker again.
Before you get started doing a repair install of Windows 10, be sure that you also temporarily disable Secure Boot in your UEFI firmware settings. Once installation has finished, you can enable Secure Boot again if you like.
- System Protection will be reset to the default of being turned off. It is recommended to turn on system protection after the repair install has finished to have restore points.
- You will lose any custom fonts.
- You will lose any customized system icons.
- You may need to re-establish your Wi-Fi connection.
- You will need to redo Windows updates subsequent to the build you have used for the repair install.
- Windows.old will be created.
- You will need to redo any language downloads including the display language if you changed that.
This tutorial will show you how to do a repair install of Windows 10 by performing an in-place upgrade without losing anything.
You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do a repair install of Windows 10.
Video by: Steve (essenbe)
Here's How:
1. Sign in to an administrator account in Windows 10.
2. If you have not already, you will need to disable or uninstall any 3rd party AV or security program you have installed first to prevent it from interfering with the upgrade to Windows 10. You can reinstall it after Windows 10 has finished installing.
3. Do the step below depending on what you are using to do a repair install of Windows 10 with.
- step 4: To do a repair install of Windows 10 with an ISO file
- step 5: To do a repair install of Windows 10 with USB installation media
- step 6: To do a repair install of Windows 10 with Media Creation Tool.
4. To Do a Repair Install of Windows 10 with an ISO file
5. To Do a Repair Install of Windows 10 with USB Installation Media
A) If you have not already, you will need to create a Windows 10 installation
USB flash drive.
B) Connect and open the USB flash drive, and run the
setup.exe file to start Windows 10 Setup. (see screenshot below)
Windows Setup Command-Line Options
C) If prompted by
UAC, click/tap on
Yes. (see screenshot below)
D) Go to
step 7 below.
6. To do a repair install of Windows 10 with Media Creation Tool
Do not use the Media Creation Tool to do a repair install with if you have an older build of Windows 10 installed and wish to retain it since the Media Creation Tool will not include support for older builds. You will be upgraded to the latest build provided by the Media Creation Tool.
A) Click/tap on the
Download button below to go to Microsoft, and click/tap on the bottom
Download tool now button at Microsoft's site.
B) Save the
MediaCreationTool.exe file to your desktop, and run it.
D) If prompted by
UAC, click/tap on
Yes. (see screenshot below)
E) Click/tap on
Accept for the applicable notices and license terms. (see screenshot below)
F) Select (dot)
Upgrade this PC now, and click/tap on
Next. (see screenshot below)
G) Windows 10 will now start downloading. Go to
step 9 below.
7. Windows 10 Setup will now start preparing. (see screenshot below)
8. Select (dot) Download and install updates, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
9. Windows 10 Setup will now start getting things ready. (see screenshots below)
10. Click/tap on Accept for the license terms. (see screenshot below)
11. Windows 10 Setup will now check for and install any available updates, and make sure you're ready to install. (see screenshots below)
12. When ready, click/tap on Install to start the repair install of Windows 10. (see screenshots below)
If you only have Nothing available to select, then the installation media is not the same as what you currently have installed.
If you would like to change what you keep, then click/tap on the Change what to keep link, choose what to keep, click/tap on Next, and go to step 11 above.
If you don't have Keep personal files and apps selected, you will not keep everything.
13. Windows 10 Setup will now start the in-place upgrade installation to repair Windows. (see screenshots below)
This will take a while to finish.
14. You can now sign in to Windows 10. (see screenshots below)
15. When each user signs in for the first time, they will see the first sign-in animation before reaching their desktop.
16. Make sure that you have the correct time zone, date, and time set.
17. If you like, you could use Disk Cleanup to delete the Windows upgrade log files, Previous Windows installation(s), and Temporary Windows installation files items to free up the large amount of space that they take on your hard drive. (see screenshots below)
This step will delete the C:\$Windows.~BT and C:\Windows.old folders.
If you delete the Windows.old folder, you will no longer be able to go back to a previous version of Windows.
That's it,
Shawn
I think a large number of people are going to need to take this step which will save a great deal of time trying to debug an initial upgrade install found "buggy"! I had to go this route when 10 was first on and found to be just that needing a big repair. This is mainly due to the upgrade installer not fully seeing everything go on as it should.
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