really impressed! (repair install)

trying to troubleshoot USB driver issue I slightly corrupted my registry. Ahem! Tried DISM restore and after a while went and got my Windows 11 USB Flash drive.
I double clicked the setup.exe and the installing windows began (flash drive is quite old so I was going to recreate the media, however it said installing Windows so I left it.
There was no 'chose what files to keep', I think it flashed up briefly and closed. System reboot and stayed like that for a while installing updates, rebooted some more, got the setting things up screen, restarted and my old lock screen and PIN were there.
PC is exactly how it was before I broke it! (I have a Windows old folder), I even have Kaspersky still sitting there.
Everything works, really really impressed I have about 2 TB of programs and games and they're all there, registry is perfect drivers directing as they should, no errors in event log a couple of telemetry warnings.
But that was about 3 days quicker than the last time I tried it :)

You've discovered the In-Place Upgrade (repair install)...

An In-Place Upgrade "compares" what is installed on the computer, with the Windows ISO image.
Then, it overwrites any corrupted Windows files, with clean copies from the ISO image.
This is how it "repairs" Windows while allowing you to keep your programs and personal files.

Here is the short version of the In-place upgrade tutorial...

DISABLE non-Microsoft:
a) antivirus software
b) firewall software
c) drive encryption software


Make a full OS backup with a program like Macrium Reflect or AOMEI Backupper Standard
Making a backup is optional, but always a smart move.
Macrium Reflect
AOMEI Backupper Standard (free)
Hasleo Backup Suite (free)



Get the Windows 11 ISO (Option #2), and save it to your desktop...


Right click the ISO image and choose: MOUNT
Open File Explorer and you will see a new drive letter. It will "look" like a DVD optical drive.
Double click the new drive letter to open it.
Find setup.exe and double click it to start the in-place upgrade.

Choose the Keep personal files and apps option.

After it's all done... to UNmount the ISO image, right click the new drive letter and choose: EJECT.

The ONLY thing you will lose is some of your personalizations.
Your drivers, programs and data will be intact.

@wrogg

Now that you have discovered that... discover backup software also.









With backup software and the backup software's bootable media, you can recover from just about any disaster... even if Windows won't boot.

In-Place Upgrades are great. But backup software is greaterer.

The only downside to In-Place Upgrades, is that they only fix Windows issues. Whereas backup software will restore your system to the way it was before the boo-boo. All of it. Drivers and 3rd party programs as well.

Click to expand...