What happens if it is necessary to do a Factory Reset

Hi VivDenham,

Welcome to Microsoft Community. Your interest in Windows 10 Technical Preview is much appreciated.

If you will do a factory reset then you will have to upgrade to 8.1 first and then only you will be able to install Windows 10. To install Windows 10, you should have Windows 8.1 installed on your computer.

Keep us posted if you face any issues on windows in future. We will be glad to help you.

Does the same apply for windows 7?

Factory reset > Win 7 > 7.1 > 10? :)

Hi Angarac,

I learned from a collegue of mine who works for Microsoft that they are only doing it by way of upgrade to currently installed Win 7 machines, or the standard 8.1 or higher version of windows with a free upgrade to avoid piracy. If they begin again with the CD key system, keys will be shared. Its not going to happen this way with Win 10 on Microsoft's choice of action.

Hi, I'm still a bit confused about this process for whenever a reformat is required. Just to clarify, after we upgrade to Win 10 and we need to make a computer repair (ie. a failed hard drive) where a format is required...we can then regain our free copy of Win 10 (even after the 1 year period) just by installing our old eligible copy of Windows 7/8/8.1 with the service pack upgrades, then Win 10 upgrade? And this can be done an unlimited amount of times per device?

Also, does the upgrade allow us to choose a clean install on a hard drive/partition?

Thanks.

Hi VivDenham,

Welcome to Microsoft Community. Your interest in Windows 10 Technical Preview is much appreciated.

If you will do a factory reset then you will have to upgrade to 8.1 first and then only you will be able to install Windows 10. To install Windows 10, you should have Windows 8.1 installed on your computer.

Keep us posted if you face any issues on windows in future. We will be glad to help you.

Hi Annu Singh

I think is very annoying for all users that did an upgrade of windows 8 to have to go through the WHOLE upgrade process, you guys know how much time it takes to format a computer! isnt there another way?? I mean I have a custom built gaming rig and I bought win 8 > upgraded to win8.1 > then bought the upgrade to win 8.1 PRO WMC and now win 10!?  I formatted my rig about a month ago (had it for six months) and it took a whole weekend to do the upgrades to win 8.1 Pro WMC! when windows can be installed in 20 minutes! i think is ridiculous!! isnt there another way!?!?!

regards

Javier

When ever a computer has issues involving a clean install factory reset,

taking updates from 7, 8, or 8.1, that takes 2 days. Then you fight the updates it failed to take, in addition having to wake up in the middle of the night twice.

Apple's Operating System is designed to keep what it currently has.

A great marketing tool, not having to spend 2 days of updates.

I'd like an bias mode option at start up to load Windows 10 by external drive or CD,

to bypass days of work. And to keep it a permanent Windows 10, when wiped clean.

Microsoft can surely figure out how to do this by July 29.

In December Microsoft, sent a bad update. Who ever took it, had to wipe their computer clean.

Remember KB 3004394?   Anybody get fired?  Or they ready to punish me again?

I bought an Apple when you did this to me!

I was told by Microsoft Level 2, they would have a solution to keep a Windows 10 a Windows 10,

when doing a clean install. 

If not, please sell me a Genuine Windows 10. That would gladly be worth 48 hours of labor at minimum wage of $7.25, taking Windows Updates. Then another couple of days reformatting, reloading files.

If not, trust me, I know they right people at Apple to write a nice Marketing Campaign,

involving get the other guys Operating System & you work you for free for 48 hours.

When ever you have an issue, just wipe it clean, and spend another 48 hours.

Or how bout, some us write the code to teach you how to keep it a Windows 10?

Sorry for being so rude, but I don't appreciate what you did to me in December.

Remember me, I'm the one who took the Patch Tuesday update saying Christmas Eve, your Windows 8.1 Keys wont work anymore, you will no longer have a Windows computer.

What do I do when you do it to me next Xmas Eve?

Another question all want to know what are the going to be Windows 10 Keys.

After Upgrading to Windows 10 from 8 .. if there is an need for doing Factory RESET means , Is there any Way to Backup the Currently Installed Windows 10 to Recovery Disc for Install it Again Without Connecting to Internet ???  Or I have to Download it Again from 8.1 ??

Apparently you have to download it again from win 8.1 it happened to me a month ago, i had to reset my rig and i had a win 8 home originally, had to update to 8.1 then upgrade to 8.1 pro WMC to be fully functional... I bought the win 8.1 pro WMC upgrade. That why Im      asking if theres another way because one thing is a 100MB update but 4 2GB updates?!?! and cant even be done in one swift download, it has to be separated with each upgrade!

Hi VivDenham,

Welcome to Microsoft Community. Your interest in Windows 10 Technical Preview is much appreciated.

If you will do a factory reset then you will have to upgrade to 8.1 first and then only you will be able to install Windows 10. To install Windows 10, you should have Windows 8.1 installed on your computer.

Keep us posted if you face any issues on windows in future. We will be glad to help you.

If that means what I think it does then that is insane. I brought Windows 8 when it first came out, then got the free update to 8.1. It takes a whole weekend to install them all from scratch.

If I cannot burn Windows 10 to an iso and install it without needing to re-install 8, then update 8 from Windows Update, then updated to 8.1, then update 8.1, then update to 10 then as much as I do like 10 I might well not bother with it as I dont really want to spend 3 days getting Windows installed from scratch it takes long enough now.