Solved What should I save prior to clean install?

So, I am biting the bullet and am installing Windows 11 as a clean install. I already have windows 11 running, but it was not a clean install and has issues right now. Anyway, I want to keep a lot of things such as photos, desktop icons, applications, etc. I have been migrating some of these to another drive. My questions are a few. First, will I be able to migrate saved files back to my c: drive after the clean install? Second, will I lose any data associated with apps like Google Earth, iTunes, Opera (browser), etc.? If so, should I try to locate their files and move them first? Thanks.

On a Clean install, the drive will be cleaned so everything will be lost. It is the best but also a drastic solution.
You can try an Repair install. It will keep data and programs and reinstall Windows.

If you decide to do a clean install, you need to save all your data (photos, videos, documents etc) to an external drive. Application settings, like browser bookmarks or iTunes etc is much more complicated as they are on the C:\users\"Name"\AppData and even if you save the folder it isn't easy to restore on the new installation.
You have to google to find out how to create and restore iTunes, Opera etc settings. Some applications have their own backup and restore programs.

@bimfi

Save your bookmarks/favorites.


One thing I learned a while back... keep all things like pictures, videos, music, installed games, copies of installed programs, documents, etc., on a storage drive. Then things are a LOT easier. Same for bookmarks.

Backup any app specific settings.
Copy your user folders to external media.
Clean Install Windows 11. NOTE: Pay special attention during setup that you choose to save your files to the hard drive. If you miss this step all your user folders will default to Onedrive. It is a mess to correct afterwards if you miss this step.
Copy the FILES within the folders you copied back into your user folders after install is complete.

glasskuter said:

Pay special attention during setup that you choose to save your files to the hard drive. If you miss this step all your user folders will default to Onedrive.

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Yep, yep, yep. There's been more heartache because folks missed this step during install, than anything else, really.

My advice to clients is to save their documents, pictures, etc., anything that exists nowhere else. Also of importance is browser Favorites/Bookmarks/Links, especially if the computer has been used awhile, any E-Mails saved by an installed E-Mail Client. Also, for expediency, any downloaded program installation files to save some time.

Thank you all. I will let you know how it all turns out!

None of the replies mention the most crucial thing you should back up i.e. existing 3rd party drivers. You might need these to boot new installation.

Check to see if you have any programs that need to be de-registered so you can then apply the licence again on your new machine. This may be your anti-virus, back up software etc. Also save your emails. Check you have your passwords saved also.
Take a full back up of your installation to an external drive so you can access it if you need to by mounting C drive plus you can also revert back to it should something go awry and you need to get back up and running.

Ghot said:

There's been more heartache because folks missed this step during install, than anything else, really.

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Yeah, and each and every time we're asked a question about how to resolve it after the fact, people give advice on how to solve it, much of which is incorrect or incomplete which sends the conversation all over the place and the poster in the wrong direction. One piece of bad advice given by the same ones every time is to uninstall onedrive. It's bad because it's not a fix since Windows will only reinstall onedrive at some point. IMO there's only one way to solve it correctly and that's to disable onedrive. For the most part, I've recently backed off on offering my own details and explanation since it seems to be largely ignored. Now I only point them in the direction of Brink's tutorial and leave it at that.

glasskuter said:

Yeah, and each and every time we're asked a question about how to resolve it after the fact, people give advice on how to solve it, much of which is incorrect or incomplete which sends the conversation all over the place and the poster in the wrong direction. One piece of bad advice given by the same ones every time is to uninstall onedrive. It's bad because it's not a fix since Windows will only reinstall onedrive at some point. IMO there's only one way to solve it correctly and that's to disable onedrive. For the most part, I've recently backed off on offering my own details and explanation since it seems to be largely ignored. Now I only point them in the direction of Brink's tutorial and leave it at that.

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I don't know about that. I uninstalled OneDrive and it never came back.

But I use Bitdefender firewall.
I have a theory, that Windows firewall does things that Microsoft wants, rather than things we might want.
Like maybe... allowing OneDrive to reinstall.

I also uninstalled all the Apps, and they haven't come back either.
These are the only Apps, I left installed...

Ghot said:

I uninstalled OneDrive and it never came back.

I also uninstalled all the Apps, and they haven't come back either.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it would be a bigger step for MS to re-install OneDrive (or some other app) than to change a OneDrive setting (from disable to enable, for example)

If you indeed do not want to use OneDrive, a clear uninstall is better than a half-hearted start/stop measure.

Uninstalling OneDrive is a reversible step, BTW, you can always re-install OneDrive from the MS Store.

Haydon said:

Yeah, it would be a bigger step for MS to re-install OneDrive (or some other app) than to change a OneDrive setting (from disable to enable, for example)

If you indeed do not want to use OneDrive, a clear uninstall is better than a half-hearted start/stop measure.

Uninstalling OneDrive is a reversible step, BTW, you can always re-install OneDrive from the MS Store.

Click to expand...

Yep.
The same for the Apps. IF I ever need one of them, I can just get it from the MS Store.

...and welcome to Power User (well as soon as the ranks, update).

glasskuter said:

NOTE: Pay special attention during setup that you choose to save your files to the hard drive.

Click to expand...

That step may NOT be available depending on the options you choose during setup. Moreover, even if you choose 'save your files to the hard drive' then the OneDrive app may still be installed on your computer, although sync may be turned off, for example.

I read some of the problems that people have with OneDrive. Not all of them lack attention in the setup phase, that's definitely not an automatic allegation. It's just that MS pushes very hard for using OneDrive, and it can easily happen that OneDrive is installed by default.

And yeah, if you don't want to use OneDrive (and many do) I indeed advocate for uninstalling OneDrive (after turning off sync).

And as an advocate, I do think that uninstalling OneDrive is good advice

To each his own

Ghot said:

... Power User (well as soon as the ranks, update).

Click to expand...

LOL, thank you forum, although I have never paid much attention to such things, here and in real life. Nonetheless, thanks

If you use online sites, then you need to save the login/password info for each site -- and HOW to do that varies greatly with each of the browsers used. You need to Google for the browsers you use to find out how to save and restore that information.

Also, I'm not a fan of clean-installs unless they are absolutely needed; instead, I would try a repair-install first, to see if that fixes the issues.

I always recommend moving the User folders (pictures, documents, music) to a separate drive/partition. I've done this for years - everything is safe even if Windows is re-installed.

In this video guide, you will learn the steps to use the Windows Package Manager tool to export and import apps on Windows 10 and 11.

If you have an OEM version of Microsoft Office, consider running the uninstaller ( Uinstaller ) on your old device - otherwise Microsoft may show the Key as already used, and block on the new device.

Don't move all your files back after the clean install. Keep them on a separate drive so it is a lot faster to perform image backups and restoration. Whenever you have problems with windows, you won't have to worry about your files because they will be safe on a separate dtive.