[SOLVED] Clean Install - Fixes all software problems?

[ShangWang]

Hi all,

If I do a clean install where I delete all partitions on my drive and install windows 10 on a new partition, it should resolve all software related issues right?
So essentially what I'm asking if it's redundant to do commands like:
sfc scan
DISM
chkdsk
fixmbr

And any other commands to fix a drive are basically done by a clean install correct?

 

[Colif]

it should yes, if problem is just software.

follow this guide: https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/how-to-do-a-clean-installation-of-windows-10.3170366/

3 of those check system files, last fixes boot files. If you clean install it wipes everything and rebuilds as new.

 

[USAFRet]

Assuming there are NO hardware issues, yes.
Of course, this wipe and reinstall means a reinstall of EVERYTHING.
Drives, applications, games, etc, etc.

Anything you wish to keep, have it elsewhere and offline during this process.

 

[Lutfij]

Should being the ley word. If you've fabricated the bootable USB installer for Windows 10 prior to reinstalling the OS, then yes it should resolve any OS related issues but you will need to make sure you're on the latest BIOS for your motherboard, and that you've sourced the latest drivers for your platform/build and stored them onto a pen driver prior to reinstalling the OS. Once you've completed OS installation, manually install all driver relevant to your platform, in an elevated command, i.e, Right click installer>Run as Administrator.

 

[ShangWang]

Assuming there are NO hardware issues, yes.
Of course, this wipe and reinstall means a reinstall of EVERYTHING.
Drives, applications, games, etc, etc.

Anything you wish to keep, have it elsewhere and offline during this process.

Thanks, it looks like I have a hard drive issue despite doing extensive health tests on CPU, RAM, and hard drive health is all fine but I frequently have my laptop freeze for a full minute, then I get BSOD with 0% progress, where it then restarts and gives me a "No bootable device" icon. The only way to get it to restart again is force shutting it down and turning it on.

I checked the hard drive itself, plugged in and secured properly.

Upon clean installing my laptop I got the BSOD again while updating windows, the crash dump is not created and it seems to corrupt my HDD every time this crash happens as I get a prompt from windows to repair drives.

I've only had this laptop for a year and a half, and it's hard drive seems to be faulty because I had stuttering issues the first day I used it despite not showing any errors in health checks.

Is it cheaper to return the product to the seller for faulty product or should I just get a new SSD?

 

[USAFRet]

Is it cheaper to return the product to the seller for faulty product or should I just get a new SSD?

Is it a spinning HDD that is failing?

Replace it with an SSD.
This costs YOU money, but way better overall.

Or, send it back, and they will/might replace it with another HDD. In which case you should put in an SSD anyway...

 

[ShangWang]

Is it a spinning HDD that is failing?

Replace it with an SSD.
This costs YOU money, but way better overall.

Or, send it back, and they will/might replace it with another HDD. In which case you should put in an SSD anyway...

Well, I'm assuming HDD means it has moving parts but I don't see any signs of it actually physically failing, just the freezing/stuttering that happens for no reason whatsoever.

 

[ShangWang]

Should being the ley word. If you've fabricated the bootable USB installer for Windows 10 prior to reinstalling the OS, then yes it should resolve any OS related issues but you will need to make sure you're on the latest BIOS for your motherboard, and that you've sourced the latest drivers for your platform/build and stored them onto a pen driver prior to reinstalling the OS. Once you've completed OS installation, manually install all driver relevant to your platform, in an elevated command, i.e, Right click installer>Run as Administrator.

Thanks, also automatic startup repair is also related to OS right? So it's also a "redundant" fix?

 

[ShangWang]

Is it a spinning HDD that is failing?

Replace it with an SSD.
This costs YOU money, but way better overall.

Or, send it back, and they will/might replace it with another HDD. In which case you should put in an SSD anyway...

Also if the HDD seems to have problems with operating, maybe it would be perfectly fine to use it just for storage?

 

[USAFRet]

Also if the HDD seems to have problems with operating, maybe it would be perfectly fine to use it just for storage?

Nope.
Failing drive is failing, no matter what you use it for.

It does not care that it is no longer the OS drive.
Store stuff on a failing drive, and it will go bye bye.

 

[hotaru.hino]

If I do a clean install where I delete all partitions on my drive and install windows 10 on a new partition, it should resolve all software related issues right?

To address this particular question, this may not resolve all software related issues. If you have a buggy driver for instance, no amount of reinstalling Windows is going to fix that. Reinstalling Windows at best gives you a known state to work with.

 

[ShangWang]

To address this particular question, this may not resolve all software related issues. If you have a buggy driver for instance, no amount of reinstalling Windows is going to fix that. Reinstalling Windows at best gives you a known state to work with.

Yep, I agree.
However do you think chkdsk does anything a clean install cannot?

 

[ShangWang]

Nope.
Failing drive is failing, no matter what you use it for.

It does not care that it is no longer the OS drive.
Store stuff on a failing drive, and it will go bye bye.

Do you think unplugging the SATA cord and plugging it back in will fix any errors since my hard drive doesn't actually show bad sectors?

 

[hotaru.hino]

Yep, I agree.
However do you think chkdsk does anything a clean install cannot?

Chkdsk can look to see if the storage drive has issues, such as failed sectors on a hard drive (not sure how applicable this is for an SSD). It used to be when you format the drive when installing Windows, you could ask it to do effectively the same thing as running chkdsk. But I think for simplicity they got rid of that.

 

[ShangWang]

Chkdsk can look to see if the storage drive has issues, such as failed sectors on a hard drive (not sure how applicable this is for an SSD). It used to be when you format the drive when installing Windows, you could ask it to do effectively the same thing as running chkdsk. But I think for simplicity they got rid of that.

Thanks, for my case I want to use my current HDD for as long as possible before it actually fails since I can't buy a new hard drive right now.
Would you recommend to use chkdsk to fix errors before doing a clean install or after?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks, for my case I want to use my current HDD for as long as possible before it actually fails since I can't buy a new hard drive right now.
Would you recommend to use chkdsk to fix errors before doing a clean install or after?

You can use that HDD, right up until the moment it fails.
That may be today, next week, next year.

The more you mess with it, the more likely it is to fail completely.

 

[ShangWang]

You can use that HDD, right up until the moment it fails.
That may be today, next week, next year.

The more you mess with it, the more likely it is to fail completely.

Thanks, however I did have to use chkdsk c:/r then a clean install so my windows is stable at least.
I've considered looking at the SATA cord but it doesn't look like I can remove it easily, theres a ribbon that's overlapping it.
Should I just leave it alone?
https://prnt.sc/155vdeb

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks, however I did have to use chkdsk c:/r then a clean install so my windows is stable at least.
I've considered looking at the SATA cord but it doesn't look like I can remove it easily, theres a ribbon that's overlapping it.
Should I just leave it alone?
https://prnt.sc/155vdeb

Yes, leave the cable alone.
Unlikely that is the issue.

Unless, of course, you put in a new drive and similar issues arise.

 

[ShangWang]

Yes, leave the cable alone.
Unlikely that is the issue.

Unless, of course, you put in a new drive and similar issues arise.

Just wondering are infrequent clicks normal?
Sometimes I hear them every hour, sometimes every 30 minutes.
So far no BSOD or windows corruption. Maybe another crash will come in the next month or week.

 

[ShangWang]

Yes, leave the cable alone.
Unlikely that is the issue.

Unless, of course, you put in a new drive and similar issues arise.

Also I have been using the "sleep" option on my laptop to save power when I'm away often.
Sometimes when I open my computer again I hear a "start up" noise from my HDD, and one time it caused the BSOD to happen when I opened it again.

Does putting a computer to sleep possibly put more stress on a HDD since it has to start up many times a day?

 

[iTRiP]

Clean Install windows,(formatting and deleting partitions) to a known state and afterwards only installing and setup known problem free software & drivers is in my opinion always best.

Setting PC power to full performance or (always power on state) lets the hardware of modern pc's regulate their power state with the built in hardware power states and results in better performing components and and longer lasting hardware, when properly decent components are used, and thus not turning on and off irregularly.

 

[ShangWang]

Clean Install windows,(formatting and deleting partitions) to a known state and afterwards only installing and setup known problem free software & drivers is in my opinion always best.

Setting PC power to full performance or (always power on state) lets the hardware of modern pc's regulate their power state with the built in hardware power states and results in better performing components and and longer lasting hardware, when properly decent components are used, and thus not turning on and off irregularly.

Yep, I set hard drives to never turn off and use set to full performance (not high performance) when plugged in.
When not plugged in I use battery saver mode for my laptop.

Do you know if infrequent clicks are normal for a HDD and if frequently putting a laptop to "sleep mode" will wear/damage the hard drive over time?

 

[iTRiP]

In a HDD configuration I would guess that the hardware is indeed switching power modes if you hear infrequent clicks, I would see to it that that doesn't happen thou, with the right setting applied.

 

[ShangWang]

In a HDD configuration I would guess that the hardware is indeed switching power modes if you hear infrequent clicks, I would see to it that that doesn't happen thou, with the right setting applied.

The clicks happen at random. I am either in battery saving mode when unplugged or full performance when plugged in. I don't think it has to do with the power mode since this happens even when idle.

Do you think these clicks in this case are normal?