Windows Fresh Start

[lucasallum12]

i have had my computer for about 2 years now without reinstalling windows or anything like that. i upgraded both my gpu and motherboard cpu and ram and am finally noticing im running out of storage. i saw that the windows fresh start feature was added and i think that i want to run it, however nowhere on the internet can i find anywhere where it specifies wheteher a product key is required to reset it or if it simply runs through uninstalling everything. To clarify i know what windows fresh start does i just wish to know whether it requires a cd key to activate the windows license or if it maintains my current one. thanks

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

If you perform a refresh in Windows, it doesn't require a product key.

Be aware however, you may want to back up any software you have downloaded, in the case it doesn't make it through the refresh.

The other option is more destructive and you can expect your personal files to be wiped out as well.

The onus of having proper backups is always on the end user. Don't rely on or expect Windows to always do things perfectly, or make any backups for you.

 

[Corwin65]

Also, if you use a MS login you won't need the key.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

i have had my computer for about 2 years now without reinstalling windows or anything like that. i upgraded both my gpu and motherboard cpu and ram and am finally noticing im running out of storage. i saw that the windows fresh start feature was added and i think that i want to run it, however nowhere on the internet can i find anywhere where it specifies wheteher a product key is required to reset it or if it simply runs through uninstalling everything. To clarify i know what windows fresh start does i just wish to know whether it requires a cd key to activate the windows license or if it maintains my current one. thanks

If you are currently using Windows 10 and it is activated, it will most definately stay activated. This is well documented all over the internet.

Instead of performing a fresh start, which still has the potential of bringing crud into your system, I would perform a clean install instead. Just use the Media Creation Tool and download a new ISO of Windows 10 and install it.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

 

[lucasallum12]

i did the fresh start in the end and it got rid of all the junk so i could reinstall only small things however it still says my computer has about 100 gb of storage despite all the programs having been deleted any ideas
i have a terabyte hard drive

 

[Rocky Bennett]

What do your partitions look like when you open Disk Management?

 

[aquielisunari]

No need for the key code. Don't know that key code? https://www.piriform.com/speccy/download can tell you. When installed you click on Operating system on the main summary page.

Maybe you can get to know your PC better. Figure out why your PC is getting so frigging fat. Do some liposuction with surgical precision instead of using a backhoe. You should pay special attention to WindirStat.

I answered a question regarding disk space over here http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3425971/local-disk-space-increasing-constantly.html. That might be plan C.

I use http://lifehacker.com/how-to-move-a-pc-game-to-another-hard-drive-without-re-1714706774 (option 2) if I need to move Steam or Origin games.

I would check your task manager and your Services. Right click your task bar and click on task manager. Look through the list and see what is running. Then you figure out why each process is running. Then you figure out if that process is necessary. After you trim the fat from there you can click on the Services tab within task manager. Then click on Open Services near the bottom of that window. That list is very long. Trimming the fat from there can be tedious. It can also be dangerous. It can also be very rewarding. Make your PC quicker, rewarding. You then click on the Start-up Type tab. See all those services that start automatically? Finding out which ones can be set to manual and which ones that can be disabled and which ones you should NEVER touch involves some Googling. Okay. A LOT of Googling.

Consider this. You go to a county fair. You are the first one there. You then have to wait for the workers to get there and start up whatever they own. Whether it's the Tilt-A-Wheel or the Help Station they need to start. They have about 30 different things that they need to get going. It doesn't take too long. Now you head over to Disneyland. You are the first one there. The start-up procedure will be much longer and will consume a LOT more resources. The same applies to your PC. Have a TON of services set to automatic and it can slow things down.


Ccleaner(link below) can help on multiple fronts. In addition to being a junk cleaner it also has Tools. Start-up is one of those. So... Click on Tools and then click on Start-up. Go through each tab from windows to Tasks? and see what is set to start when Windows starts. See what you can disable or delete.

After you have all your ducks in a row and everything is nice and neat it's then time to check for stowaways. Malwarebytes is a good place to start. Malicious software is notorious of slowing down PC's if they don't render them useless first. Each person has their own combination of security. Some will use Comodo instead of WIndows' firewall. Others swear by AGP and still others have to have Norton in addition to Windows' fireawall and Defender. Others go overboard. Security software is jealous. It's an alpha bit. Some don't mind sharing the security detail. Others throw a fit. Make sure your security you are considering will be compatible with your other security.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

I use Space Sniffer.

http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/


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