HP Spectre X360 clean install guide

HP are pretty good at not filling their laptops with bloatware and unnecessary apps so performing a clean install isn’t as necessary on HP machines as it is on others. However, if you do want a fresh start, this HP Spectre X360 clean install guide is for you.

To make this work you will need a legit copy of Windows 10 which is available directly from Microsoft. Download the correct version of Windows with the Media Creation Tool first. Then create a USB disk as the X360 doesn’t have an optical drive.

Clean install Windows 10 on an HP Spectre X360
Once you have a current copy of Windows 10 on a USB drive, we can begin the installation.

1. Boot your HP Spectre X360 and hit F12 to access the boot menu.
2. Select to boot from the USB drive.

3. Select Install Now when the window appears. The window appears after a few seconds of loading time.
4. Follow the wizard making the appropriate choices for your region. Choose US settings unless you live elsewhere.

5. Select ‘I don’t have a product key’ when prompted. As the HP Spectre X360 came with Windows 10 installed, it will already have a license. Windows will activate itself once installation is complete.

6. Select Custom when you see ‘Which type of installation do you want?’ We want to make sure we are performing a clean install.
7. Select a partition to install Windows 10 onto. Your drive may only have one partition or it may have more. Much depends on whether you have done anything before. Select the appropriate partition to install.

8. Windows 10 will now install. This will take a while and may include a couple of reboots. Once complete, you should see a series of windows telling you things like ‘Setting things up’, ‘Not long now’ and so on. Let Windows do its thing.

Once installed, you will need to update all drivers and patches.

1. Click the Windows 10 Start button and select Settings.
2. Select Update & Security and Advanced options.

3. Check the box next to Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows. This makes sure all available updates are included in Windows Update downloads.
4. Go back to Update & Security and select Check for Updates.

5. Allow Windows to download and install all updates. This may take a while depending on how recent your copy of Windows 10 is.

Once Windows Update completes, you should have a fully functional HP Spectre X360. Visit the HP Spectre X360 support webpage to download any drivers Windows Update didn’t include.