I have a full version of w7 that I preordered back in '09. In that time I've been able to do fresh installations of the OS whenever I've had issues or upgraded HDDs etc. My worry is that if I upgrade, I will lose that flexibility.
Sure you could use the option "Remove everything and reinstall Windows" in the new settings menu, but it's not really a fresh install
I don't know how you come to that conclusion, but it is a clean install.
and for that next HDD upgrade you'll have to what, spend hours cloning over the OS? Whereas before I could have just done a fresh install from installation media.
Say I'd upgraded, and had to reinstall via my w7 discs after the 1yr period, due to a faulty HDD etc. what happens then? Will I then be stuck back on w7, or will Windows update recognise that the associated product key was upgraded during first year and
allow the free upgrade again?
Will users who take advantage of the upgrade offer for Windows 10 from Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 also be able to obtain recovery media?
Microsoft recently noted the following options available:
With Windows 10, you can create your own recovery media and back up the pristine state of the operating system and preinstalled software. If things go wrong and you are unable to refresh or reset your device successfully, you
can boot the device using recovery media and reset to the prior pristine state.
Source:
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/03/16/how-windows-10-achieves-its-compact-footprint/
You can also initiate a clean install by doing the following:
You can do a clean install a couple ways.
Press Windows key + i
Click Update and Security
Click Recovery
Under Remove everything and reinstall Windows, click Get started
or
At the Sign in screen
Hold down the shift key on your keyboard while clicking the Power icon on the screen
Continue to hold down the shift key while clicking Restart
Continue to hold down the shift key until the Advanced Recovery Options menu appears
Click Troubleshoot
Click Reset
Will ISO media be provided for the final release?
Yes, you will be able to download ISO media for Windows 10 RTM.
Tips: Create backup media for future needs.
Microsoft recently noted the following options available:
With Windows 10, you can create your own recovery media and back up the pristine state of the operating system and preinstalled software. If things go wrong and you are unable to refresh or reset your device successfully, you
can boot the device using recovery media and reset to the prior pristine state.
Source:
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/03/16/how-windows-10-achieves-its-compact-footprint/
Also, you can retrieve the .ESD file from the root of the drive in the C:\Recovery Image folder and create your own bootable copy which you can use for reinstallation purposes.
https://www.ntlite.com/
Extract esd-decrypter-wimlib-4.7z to a folder.
Put the appropriate .ESD file you downloaded into that same folder.
Right click decrypt file in the same folder and click
Run as administrator
Select option 1
Hit Enter
Wait
When complete, burn to a blank DVD or create a bootable copy on a USB thumbdrive.
See article for instructions how to do that.
Preparing the .ISO file for installation.
See instructions for burning .ISO files in Windows 7 or later:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Burn-a-CD-or-DVD-from-an-ISO-file
You can also use the Microsoft USB/DVD Tool, which is recommended for Windows XP users.
After obtaining the .iso file you use the
Microsoft .iso to USB/DVD tool to create a bootable DVD or USB (requires a blank DVD or USB flash stick of at least 4 GB).
If your computer is UEFI based, these are normally systems that come pre-loaded with Windows 8 or later, you will need to prepare the ISO file for such a configuration or you will receive an error message
during setup. The thumbdrive needs to be formatted as FAT32 and use the GPT partitioning scheme. To do this, you need to use
Rufus, a small tool you can download for free.
Rufus - credit: Pete Batard/Akeo
After you have installed Rufus:
- Launch it
- Select ISO Image
- Point to the Windows 10 ISO file
- Check off Create a bootable disk using
- Select GPT partitioning for EUFI firmware as the Partition scheme
- Choose FAT32 NOT NTFS as the File system
- Make sure your USB thumbdrive in the Device list box
- Click Start
- Close when complete
Resources:
How
to reserve your free upgrade to Windows 10
Frequently
Asked Questions: Windows 10
