Reinstall but keep third party software

brianx · Jul 4, 2023

I wish to reinstall my Win11 but without loosing my programs and data.

Google is full of advice which simply repeats Mycroft's very misleading instructions which claim that you can repair or reinstall without loosing your data, files, or apps. This is SO misleading as they neglect to say you WILL lose all third party software such as my Photoshop, VLC, all my third party utilities, photo processing stuff and tons more. All of which will have to be reinstalled from scratch.

UNLESS

Some clever guru has a way to upgrade, repair or reinstall Win 11?

My Win 11 is running OK, but has odd glitches. I've run scannow which is OK.

Alternatively, can I do a clean install and somehow use a backup to retrieve my old installed programs?
I guess I'm asking the impossible? I understand that the cause of glitches, slow down could be one or more progams I'm currently running so reinstalling windows whilst keeping that software won't achieve anything. I'm just trying to avoid a massive reinstall job!

Wisewiz · Jul 4, 2023

Search the tutorials for In-place upgrade.

Bree · Jul 4, 2023

brianx said:
Google is full of advice which simply repeats Mycroft's very misleading instructions which claim that you can repair or reinstall without loosing your data, files, or apps. This is SO misleading as they neglect to say you WILL lose all third party software such as my Photoshop, VLC, all my third party utilities, photo processing stuff and tons more. All of which will have to be reinstalled from scratch.

Welcome to Eleven Forum.

There are two ways to reinstall your Windows (besides of course a clean install). Reset Windows, or do an in-place repair upgrade. The first looses all 3rd party apps, the second retains them. See this tutorial:

Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to do a repair install of Windows 11 by performing an in-place upgrade without losing anything. If you need to repair or create a new recovery partition or having problems with the Windows 11 operating system on your PC, and the usual solutions will not fix it...

www.elevenforum.com

brianx · Jul 4, 2023

Thank you I know how to do this, and have done it before and LOST all the software I had installed as the option to keep programs and files did not apple to third party software did it? Please confirm if i am right.

Wisewiz · Jul 4, 2023

You are not right. All of your programs and files will be retained. Only System files are affected.

KWEB · Jul 4, 2023

Get an ISO extract it to a USB stick. Run the startup.exe Used it many time to repair something wrong in Windows.
Hasn't lost any programs.

Wisewiz · Jul 4, 2023

Just follow the instructions in the linked tutorial in Bree's post #3 above, and you'll come through without having to re-install any "third-party" programs.

MaryJo · Mar 8, 2024

brianx said:
Thank you I know how to do this, and have done it before and LOST all the software I had installed as the option to keep programs and files did not apple to third party software did it? Please confirm if i am right.

I just did this an hour ago and all of my apps and data are still there. I used the USB install option.

Steve C · Mar 9, 2024

brianx said:
Thank you I know how to do this, and have done it before and LOST all the software I had installed as the option to keep programs and files did not apple to third party software did it? Please confirm if i am right.

You made a mistake then. I've done many repair installs and lost nothing.

Berton · Mar 9, 2024

Steve C said:
You made a mistake then. I've done many repair installs and lost nothing.

Right, I've always gotten 2 choices, one to upgrade and the other for custom when Windows not installed or wanting to clean install which does lose everything.

Try3 · Mar 9, 2024

brianx said:
laim that you can repair or reinstall without loosing your data, files, or apps. This is SO misleading as they neglect to say you WILL lose all third party software such as my Photoshop, VLC, all my third party utilities, photo processing stuff and tons more. All of which will have to be reinstalled from scratch.

They were probably referring to a Repair install [aka In-place upgrade] which does not affect your installed applications or indeed your own files.
- Despite its name, it is not an installation.
- I overwrites all the Windows system files and that can fix various faults.
You cannot preserve your applications, or any other data on the disk, if you Clean install.