How to carry out a totally clean Windows 11 reinstall - no ifs, no buts, just totally clean

Try3 · Aug 1, 2023

Sigurd said:
Just got this back from Chillblast -
If you try right clicking MSI centre and running as admin, pressing okay on the pop up then restart to see if that worked, if not then I would recommend a clean install of it found here:
https://www.msi.com/faq/faq-4147

But to do that means re-installing MSI. I assume that is the clean instal they refer to.

Ian,

Yes, I also think they mean a clean install of MSI centre.
Despite reading the link and its Clean Install MSI Center download file, I'm still not sure what MSI centre is but think it is probably a control centre of some sort for MSI hardware drivers.

Denis

johnlgalt · Aug 1, 2023

If you have a PC / laptop from MSI (or a PC with an MSI motherboard in it) then it will have this software.

It doesn't really do a whole lot that you cannot do yourself, but there are a few parts to it, and part of it is from the Microsoft Store, so rather than using Control Panel, you'll want to go to Windows Settings --> Apps --> Installed Apps and then search for MSI and see if anything else is there.

MSI Center is a hub for all things MSI hardware related, including (but not limited to) addressing hardware like LEDs, fan speeds, etc., allowing for overclocking, updating hardware firmware (not the UEFI firmware, other pieces of hardware that have their own firmware - like he motherboard LEDs), and such.

I built a desktop PC using an MSI motherboard, and I've installed that MSI center exactly twice.

The first time when I built the machine, to evaluate it (prognosis: worthless).

The second time was early Jan when a new firmware for the motherboard's onboard LED light system was released - I installed, updated it, and then uninstalled it again.

It has all sorts of extra modules that it can install too, but it requires elevated privileges (so normally a UAC prompt), for almost ever single module it can install. One of the (many) reasons why I don't use it at all.

Sigurd · Aug 2, 2023

Thanks Johnigalt. You have just confirmed what I discovered yesterday but hadn't had time to post.
I had a look at the MSI site to see if I could find anything useful and pose the question there. However I found I had to register.
When I tried to register I found that I already was. No recollection of this but then you know my age! Once registered and logged in I found why I had MSI, though not necessarily why it keeps reappearing.

Two years or so my PC wouldn't start. For various reasons, apart from checking the obvious, I wasn't inclined to investigate it myself so took it a local PC repair shop. They confirmed the mobo had died. Since I therefore needed a new one, I told them to upgrade it, CPU and memory. According to MSI registration the mobo was on their books because I or the repairer had registered it. This is the first time I have done a clean Windows install on this PC. That still doesn't explain why it appeared on my list of programs after that instal and before I installed any apps.
I tried to reinstall MSI, as a way to eventually remove via some other route, but that failed. But later when I switched my PC on in the evening, the MSI install started automatically! Johnigalt has explained what it does and that is what my copy does.
As it no longer keeps displaying the irritating privacy notice I will just ignore it.

But as I said on my OP, "The standard "clean" reinstall routine provided by Windows 11 Recovery routines must retain somethings as when it is finally done it "knows" things from before". Looks as if something from MSI was retained!

Oh what fun!!!

Try3 · Aug 2, 2023

it is probably installed as part of one of the drivers that Window installed during Windows installation.

Denis

Sigurd · Aug 2, 2023

Must be. Anyway thank you all for your help. MSI lurks in the background but it does no harm and does not irritate any more!
Sound like one of my medical diagnosis!

johnlgalt · Aug 2, 2023

If you have no real need for it, you can leave it installed, and just prevent it from running in the background by going to Windows Settings --> Apps --> Startup, then find the MSI Control center app and simply uncheck it. From that point on it should not automatically run every time you log in / reboot your machine.