Benefits of clean install after W11 upgrade


RFS

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Windows 11 Home
Thought I'd share my experience of this as I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I last did a clean install on this PC nearly 4 years ago when I built it, since when it had numerous W10 upgrades culminating in 21H2 before I put the W11 Beta on it a couple of months ago via upgrade. The Windows drive is a 100 Gb dedicated partition of a 256 Gb NVMe SSD. Despite running all the clean-up functions, the C drive had settled around 60 Gb and the Macrium Reflect full backups were around 38 Gb.

The first thing I noticed was how quick the install from USB flash drive was - within 5 minutes it was up and asking for my usual customization details. Took another couple of hours to get all my software re-installed (including the .346 CU) plus configuring it how I wanted it.

When all was done, including a final clean-up, the C drive usage is just under 38 Gb and the Macrium Reflect full dump is just over 17 Gb. Seems like an awful lot of dead wood has been removed! And the system seems noticeably more responsive too.

It was certainly well worth doing!
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Home (Beta) 22000.346

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel I3-10100
    Motherboard
    MSI H410M-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GT 1030
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 970 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Samsung QVO 870 SATA SSD 2 Tb
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Microsoft Office 2021 Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel i3-8100
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z370 D3
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia GT 720
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Seagate 2 Tb HDD
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Thanks for sharing your experience. When I got my new PC parts not too long ago I performed a clean instillation of 10 and then I upgraded to 11. The reason was I had to set TPM 2 from discrete to firmware and I wanted to make sure that the hardware was setup correctly and that it all worked.

To me at least, doing a clean instillation from time to time is a good thing to do. I know others will disagree but that's just my personal preference.
Have a nice day
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home(Beta) - 23H2 - 22635.3350
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Banana Junior 5600- G Series
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Strix B550-F
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 64GB 4x16
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viotek 32", 28" ASUS VP28U
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    Primary SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus
    PSU
    EVGA BQ 700w 80+ Bronze
    Case
    Zalman i3 NEO
    Cooling
    ARCTIC Freezer 7 X
    Keyboard
    Corsair
    Mouse
    Amazon Generic with Cord
    Internet Speed
    Download: 295.11 mbps Upload: 65.35 mbps T-Mobile Internet
    Browser
    Firefox and Edge
    Antivirus
    MS - Defender
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
. Took another couple of hours to get all my software re-installed (including the .346 CU) plus configuring it how I wanted it.
What is a ".346 CU"?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    i7-12700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z690-Plus WiFi DDR4
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX 1650 iTX
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 34" Curved IPS
    Screen Resolution
    3440 x 1440
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus GX-650 80+ Gold
    Case
    NZXT H510
    Cooling
    Enermax Aquafusion 240 ARGB
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
What is a ".346 CU"?

The 22000.346 Cumulative Update (KB5007262) released to the Beta and Release Preview channels on Friday.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel I3-10100
    Motherboard
    MSI H410M-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GT 1030
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 970 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Samsung QVO 870 SATA SSD 2 Tb
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Microsoft Office 2021 Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel i3-8100
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z370 D3
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia GT 720
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Seagate 2 Tb HDD
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I make a weekly Macrium image of my C: drive. Pictures and videos are on a separate drive.

I usually do a fresh installation and all programs every 6 months with a new windows 10 version. The old
data is retrieved from the old macrium image and copied to the new installation. This includes contents of the
user "roaming" folder. I have a root folder named "Personal" in which I store all my important documents.
I copy that over to the new installation and the growth in 6 months is minimal.

With time there is slow increase the size of the macrium image from 16 gig to about 24 gig. The size of the image
appears to stop growing after about 6 months.

I have come to the conclusion that Macrium image will increase with time even if no significant new data is added.


I could not find any satisfactory explanation of the growth of Macrium image after doing multiple internet searches. Cleaning WinSxS folder has no significant effect. I would also do "Disk Cleanup"
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    28 in Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    6 SSDs a mixture of 3 Nvme and 3 Sata.
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    40 MPS download and 3.5 MPS upload. The condo building is nor wired with Fibe yet
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
Hi,
Most of the upgrade is creating a restore point and compressing it into windows.old
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-7-10-11Pro's
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer 17" Nitro 7840sn/ 2x16gb 5600c40/ 4060/ stock 1tb-os/ 4tb sn850x
    CPU
    10900k & 9940x & 5930k
    Motherboard
    z490-Apex & x299-Apex & x99-Sabertooth
    Memory
    Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb & Trident-Z 3600c16 4x8gb & 3200c14 4x8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Titan Xp & 1080ti FTW3 & evga 980ti gaming
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek x3
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
    Screen Resolution
    1920-1080 not sure what the t.v is besides 43" class scales from 1920-1080 perfectly
    Hard Drives
    2-WD-sn850x 4tb/ 970evo+500gb/ 980 pro 2tb.
    PSU
    1000p2 & 1200p2 & 850p2
    Case
    D450 x2 & 1 Test bench in cherry Entertainment center
    Cooling
    Custom water loops x3 with 2x mora 360mm rads only 980ti gaming air cooled
    Keyboard
    G710+x3
    Mouse
    Redragon x3
    Internet Speed
    xfinity gigabyte
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    mbam pro
Thought I'd share my experience of this as I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I last did a clean install on this PC nearly 4 years ago when I built it, since when it had numerous W10 upgrades culminating in 21H2 before I put the W11 Beta on it a couple of months ago via upgrade. The Windows drive is a 100 Gb dedicated partition of a 256 Gb NVMe SSD. Despite running all the clean-up functions, the C drive had settled around 60 Gb and the Macrium Reflect full backups were around 38 Gb.

The first thing I noticed was how quick the install from USB flash drive was - within 5 minutes it was up and asking for my usual customization details. Took another couple of hours to get all my software re-installed (including the .346 CU) plus configuring it how I wanted it.

When all was done, including a final clean-up, the C drive usage is just under 38 Gb and the Macrium Reflect full dump is just over 17 Gb. Seems like an awful lot of dead wood has been removed! And the system seems noticeably more responsive too.

It was certainly well worth doing
In the end, all you are saying is a clean install was (allegedly) more responsive and you saved a lot of space.

This is usually indicative of inadequate housekeeping to keep installation in tip top condition.

PCs are like cars - if not maintained adequately, performance wilk suffer.

I have never needed to clean install for years as I do regular housekeeping e.g. diskcleanup, delete old apps, make sure all settings are optimised (particularly background apps) etc.

You said it only took a few hours to reinstall apps. However, you do not say if that includes all the time it takes to get apps setup to your liking.

I would say it would take me several days to reinstall and setup all my apps.

In my mind, a clean install is the last resort when you get problems with an upgrade, or you have very particular reaons to clean install.

The crucial point is that if inadequate housekeeping is done, eventually your new installation will deteriorate in performance.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
My computer needs are very modest. After the base installation 90% of my needs will be met by installing 1) Firefox 2) Thunderbird 3) LibreOffice.

Keeping the size of installation small was a technical challenge to me when SSD were more expensive. I do keep my system clean and despite this the Macrium image grows slowly over a few months.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    28 in Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    6 SSDs a mixture of 3 Nvme and 3 Sata.
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    40 MPS download and 3.5 MPS upload. The condo building is nor wired with Fibe yet
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
This is usually indicative of inadequate housekeeping to keep installation in tip top condition.
Inadequate housekeeping? Not in my case. I've always made a point of running clean-up after every major install and making sure any unwanted software is removed. Stuff just builds up over time and a clean install is the simplest, and safest way, of clearing it out.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel I3-10100
    Motherboard
    MSI H410M-PRO
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GT 1030
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 970 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Samsung QVO 870 SATA SSD 2 Tb
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Microsoft Office 2021 Plus
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-build
    CPU
    Intel i3-8100
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z370 D3
    Memory
    16 Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia GT 720
    Sound Card
    Motherboard default
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 NVMe SSD 256 Gb
    Seagate 2 Tb HDD
    PSU
    ATX 450W
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Keyboard
    Microsoft
    Internet Speed
    930 Mb down / 120 Mb up
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I just checked two of my Macrium images of my new desktop. On the image made on Oct. 20th the Windows folder is 33GB and on the image made Nov. 3rd. the Windows folder is 31GB. I wonder why newer Windows folder is smaller?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Stuff just builds up over time and a clean install is the simplest, and safest way, of clearing it out.
In my case I cannot reinstall some of the software that came with my 'main machine' laptop. Some of it came pre-installed by the OEM back in 2011 with its OEM Windows 7 and there are no installers available now (or in fact, ever).

So if I want to keep all my software then I have no option but to upgrade, and now have transferred that system image to new W11-compatible hardware. My System One in My Computers below is running an install of 11 that can trace it's upgrade path right back to an OEM Windows 7 Home Premium, then through every version of W10 up to 21H1, and now to W11. Never had any issues with 'stuff building up'.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
pre-installed by the OEM back in 2011
Just curious, Bree. Exactly what 10 year old programs are you still running.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Just curious, Bree. Exactly what 10 year old programs are you still running.
Well, several that I can easily reinstall such as PaintShop Pro 7.04. But one that only ever came as an OEM pre-install is the free Microsoft Office 2010 Starter (Excel/Word).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
I can surely understand that. I'm going to ride Office 2007 Enterprise as long as the 32 bit horse will carry me.
Microsoft Office 2010 Starter (Excel/Word).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
I did a clean install to my beta channel pc simply to get the M2 hard drive running properly. The other pc had a clean install using the ISO on DVD downloaded directly from Microsoft for the first machine. This was because I got fed up waiting forMicrosoft to get around to upgrading the W10 for me. Neither had anything on them that wasn't already backed up on USB so clean install was no trouble. Both fully qualify for running W11 even though they are both well under the speeds of some high end machines that fail to qualify.
Favorites, music and pictures plus some downloads which are useful to me are the only things that I kept to reload on the new copies of W11, which have both run and updated with no problems that I have noticed.
W11 will not suit everyone as there is no 32 bit version
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    W11 pro beta
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    home built
    CPU
    Athlon 3000G
    Motherboard
    Asrock A320M-HDV r4.0
    Memory
    16Gb Crucial DDR4 2400
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard cpu
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560-1440
    Hard Drives
    WD black SN750 M2 500Gb
    PSU
    500W Seasonic core 80+gold non modular
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R2
    Cooling
    front 2 x 120mm rear 100mm stock psu
    Internet Speed
    135/20
    Browser
    Firefox and edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Security and free Malwarebytes
  • Operating System
    W11 pro 64 beta (from W10 pro system builder pack)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    MSI B450 tomahawk max II
    Memory
    4 x 8Gb Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000 DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    onboard cpu
    Sound Card
    motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 21.5" IPS
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 1Tb Black M2 SN850X on Asus hyper M2 X16 max V2 card
    PSU
    Be Quiet 400 semi modular 80+gold
    Case
    Coolermaster Silencio 650
    Cooling
    140mm front, 120 rear Akasa Vegas Chroma AM
    Internet Speed
    135/20
    Browser
    edge/Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD plus Malwarebytes free
Well, several that I can easily reinstall such as PaintShop Pro 7.04. But one that only ever came as an OEM pre-install is the free Microsoft Office 2010 Starter (Excel/Word).
PSP 7.04! My everyday, quick image manipulator! For smaller things it is much lighter than pulling up Lightroom!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (22631.3296)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    CLX Intel Battlebox Ultimate (RA)
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i9-13900KS 3.20GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero WIFI - ATX
    Memory
    128GB DDR5-5200 Kingston Fury Beast RGB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac Trinity NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4090 24GB GDDR6X
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell G3223Q 32" 4K Ultra HD
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 @144hz
    Hard Drives
    2TB Samsung 990 Pro 2280 NVMe M.2 SSD
    2TB Samsung 990 Pro 2280 NVMe M.2 SSD
    2TB Samsung 980 Pro NVMe M.2 SSD
    PSU
    1200W Corsair HX Ser HX1200 80+ Platinum
    Case
    Lian Li / Der Bauer 011DXL ROG
    Cooling
    Phanteks Glacier One 360 RGB AIO LC
    Keyboard
    Logitech K350 Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech M705 Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1GB Fiber : 940/920
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Premium
Well, it all depends where you start from. If you start from a disorganised and rather poorly maintained version of windows, a clean install may help.

If on the other hand, your version is well maintained (regular disk cleanup), windows fully updated all apps/drivers up to date, old stuff deleted etc., then a clean install will have little benefit.

I have never needed to clean install for years, and that is through all versions of Windows 8 and 10 on 3 different laptops.

My pc idles at around 1% and I checkedcwith clean dual boot and same. Only discernable difference is I use a bit more idling RAM than a clean install bit that is to be expected with 70+ apps installed. I checked performance using passmark and virtually no difference.

Of course, if you factor in time to reinstall everything, get all program setting back to how you like them etc., then a clean install should be the last resort when all else fails.

In other words, if you tidy up pc properly, then a clean install should not be needed.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
It's great how quick clean installs are these days isn't it? :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 14-ce3514sa
    CPU
    Core i5
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 evo plus 2TB
    Cooling
    Could be better
    Internet Speed
    200mbps Starlink
    Browser
    Firefox
    Other Info
    Originally installed with a 500gb H10 Optane ssd
I have never needed to clean install for years, and that is through all versions of Windows 8 and 10 on 3 different laptops...
...if you tidy up pc properly, then a clean install should not be needed.
Same here.

My System One below has never had a clean install. Its installed Windows started life as an OEM pre-installed Windows 7 on another machine, where it upgraded to the first release of Windows 10 in 2015, and then through every version of Win10 up to 21H2. After migrating the OS to a new machine Windows Update upgraded it to Windows 11.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
It's great how quick clean installs are these days isn't it? :)
The clean install of Windows may be quick, but it takes me days to install and setup all of my programs.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
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