If you want to install the update now, select Start Settings Update & Security Windows Update, and then select Check for updates. If updates are available, install them. If version 20H2 isn't offered automatically through Check for updates, you can get it manually through the Update Assistant. Download CCleaner for free. Clean your PC of temporary files, tracking cookies and browser junk! Get the latest version here. Windows 10 updates provide the latest features and security improvements to help keep your PC more current and more secure. Before the installation process starts, Windows checks to make sure there’s enough storage space on your device for the installation.

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When you have a need to reinstall your Windows 10 operating system, you may be wondering whether one to choose: Windows 10 reset VS clean install VS fresh start. Here, this post will show you the difference so you can choose the best one for you.

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Should I Reset or Reinstall Windows 10?

If you are using a Windows 10 PC, it may fail to work due to many problems caused by system file corruption, system settings changes, third-party software, malware, etc. To make your PC work normally, some of you may choose to reinstall the operating system since you may think it is annoying to troubleshoot and you may find that you are still experiencing problems eventually after troubleshooting.

Microsoft offers you three options to reinstall Windows OS, including Reset this PC, Fresh start and clean install by Windows installation media.

When coming here, you may be interested in Windows 10 reset VS clean install, Windows 10 fresh start VS reset or Windows 10 fresh start VS clean install and you don’t know which one should be used to install your operating system.

Below, you will learn many details about the differences.

This article tells how to reinstall Windows 10 without CD or USB drive, as well as reinstall Windows 10 from USB drive with ease.

Reset This PC VS Fresh Start VS Clean Install

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Overview of These Three Options

Windows 10 Reset This PC

Reset This PC is a repair tool for serious system problems and it is available from the Troubleshoot menu or the Recovery page in Windows 10 Settings. If your PC cannot run properly, resetting your PC may solve issues without requiring the internet connection to work.

The feature offers you two options to reinstall OS: keep the personal files and remove everything. The first option removes all installed software and apps, resets all Windows settings, but personal files including documents, music, and more are not removed.

The second option is much like a factory reset since it will delete everything including installed programs, apps, settings, personal files, etc.

Windows Fresh Start Review

Basically, the Fresh start feature helps to start fresh with a clean and up-to-date installation of Windows 10, but it can leave your data intact.

In other words, this will keep your personal files, some Windows settings, and remove most of your apps. It installs a fresh copy of the most recent version of Windows 10 by downloading from the Microsoft website.

Clean Install

This refers to reinstalling Windows 10 by downloading the latest Windows 10 installation ISO file from the Microsoft website and burning it to a USB drive or CD/DVD disc. It also offers you a fresh system without any hidden corruptions or problems.

In other words, all information including apps, settings and personal files on system partitions are deleted and you will reinstall the system from scratch.

Tip: In addition, Windows allows you to create a repair disk or a recovery drive that includes Windows troubleshoot tools for troubleshooting PC issues. If you are interested in that, refer to Create Windows 10 Repair Disk/Recovery Drive/System Image to Repair Win10.

Windows 10 Reset VS Clean Install

After learning so much information, you may ask what’s the difference between reset and clean install Windows 10. Let’s see the following contents:

When you do a clean install, you remove the previous version of Windows and replace it with Windows 10. The crucial thing is that your hard drive is erased (not the entire disk) - that's how the existing operating system is removed. Technically, the partition containing the OS is erased.

The Remove everything option of PC resetting is like a regular clean install and your hard drive is erased and a fresh copy of Windows is installed.

But by contrast, a system reset is faster and more convenient. Clean install must require an installation disc or USB drive.

Windows 10 Fresh Start VS Reset (Remove Everything Option)

Reset this PC (Remove everything option) will delete all apps, personal files, and Windows settings.

But, Fresh start can keep your personal files and some settings. It will remove most of the apps, but any store apps installed by your manufacturer will also be kept and the device will be updated to the latest version of Windows.

Importantly, if your PC fails to boot, you can reset it in Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), but there is no the Fresh start option in the recovery environment.

Windows 10 Fresh Start VS Clean Install

Both of them can install the latest version of Windows 10. However, there is a difference: Fresh start can keep personal files, settings, and some apps, but clean install means everything will be deleted and it’s really a full clean install.

Which One to Use for Windows 10 Reinstallation

After learning so much information about Windows 10 reset VS clean install VS fresh start, you may want to know which one to use for Windows 10 reinstallation.

If your PC cannot boot up, fresh reset is not useful. Here, you can choose to reset your PC or perform a clean install. If you have an installation disc, a clean install is a good way to completely solve the system issues. If you don’t want to create bootable USB drive from ISO file for a clean install, please reset the PC in WinRE.

To sum up, which one you use should be based on your actual situation. Usually, reset and clean install are used, so we will show you the specified operations in detail in the following paragraphs.

Warning: After reading the part Reset This PC VS Fresh Start VS Clean Install, you know the reinstalling system may cause data loss. Thus, before resetting the PC or performing a clean install, you can choose to back up your important personal files and programs.

Back up Files before Windows 10 Reinstallation

To keep PC data safe, you had better make a backup of your personal files and programs to avoid data loss and having to re-download apps. To do this, you can use a piece of professional file backup software. We highly recommend using MiniTool ShadowMaker.

As reliable and professional backup software for Windows 10, this tool enables you to back up files, installation programs, Windows operating system, partitions, and the entire hard drive. In the backup process, the backup source will be compressed into an image file. This can help you to sync files to another location to keep data safe.

Importantly, MiniTool ShadowMaker offers a feature named Media Builder, allowing you to create a bootable USB disk/drive or CD/DVD disc and then boot the PC to start backup and recovery in case of system breakdown.

Right now, you can get MiniTool Sh

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