I like to do a clean install on a machine, but maybe for a different reason than what you may be thinking.
For me, it's simply a matter of testing to make sure that I can get a good, clean install if something were to happen that caused major corruption on the OS drive.
So here is what I do:
Preparation
1) Create a full image backup of the system (just in case I need to get back to where I am).
2) Create a backup copy of every driver installed on the system - this requires only single command.
3) Download a full set of drivers for the system from the manufacturer.
Clean Installation
4) Start a completely clean install of Windows on the system. This is the first big test - will it see all drives or do I need any drivers in order to see storage on the system?
5) Complete the installation and try restoring all of my backed up drivers from step 2. Again, this requires only a single command to restore all drivers.
6) At this point I should have a completely clean install with all drivers installed. However, I'll go back to step 4 and do another clean install, this time applying all of the drivers that I downloaded from the manufacturer just to make sure that I have a complete set of working drivers in case I ever need to just install / reinstall any one single driver.
7) Finally, I'll create a customized image with all of the drivers for my system slipstreamed into it. This way, I can easily perform an unattended setup with all the drivers already preinstalled for my system.
For me, it's simply a matter of testing to make sure that I can get a good, clean install if something were to happen that caused major corruption on the OS drive.
So here is what I do:
Preparation
1) Create a full image backup of the system (just in case I need to get back to where I am).
2) Create a backup copy of every driver installed on the system - this requires only single command.
3) Download a full set of drivers for the system from the manufacturer.
Clean Installation
4) Start a completely clean install of Windows on the system. This is the first big test - will it see all drives or do I need any drivers in order to see storage on the system?
5) Complete the installation and try restoring all of my backed up drivers from step 2. Again, this requires only a single command to restore all drivers.
6) At this point I should have a completely clean install with all drivers installed. However, I'll go back to step 4 and do another clean install, this time applying all of the drivers that I downloaded from the manufacturer just to make sure that I have a complete set of working drivers in case I ever need to just install / reinstall any one single driver.
7) Finally, I'll create a customized image with all of the drivers for my system slipstreamed into it. This way, I can easily perform an unattended setup with all the drivers already preinstalled for my system.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Win11 Pro 23H2
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Home Built
- CPU
- Intel i7-11700K
- Motherboard
- ASUS Prime Z590-A
- Memory
- 128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
- Graphics Card(s)
- No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
- Sound Card
- Realtek (on motherboard)
- Monitor(s) Displays
- HP Envy 32
- Screen Resolution
- 2560 x 1440
- Hard Drives
- 1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
2 x 8TB HD
- PSU
- Corsair HX850i
- Case
- Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
- Cooling
- Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
- Keyboard
- CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
- Mouse
- Logitech MX Master 3
- Internet Speed
- 1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
- Browser
- Edge
- Antivirus
- Windows Defender
- Other Info
- Additional options installed:
WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
-
- Operating System
- Win11 Pro 23H2
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
- CPU
- Intel i7-1255U
- Memory
- 16 GB
- Graphics card(s)
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Sound Card
- Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 13.3-inch IPS Display
- Screen Resolution
- WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
- Hard Drives
- 2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
- PSU
- USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
- Mouse
- Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
- Keyboard
- Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
- Internet Speed
- 1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
- Browser
- Edge
- Antivirus
- Windows Defender
- Other Info
- WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor