Clean Install or Not Clean Install Windows 11 On Supported Desktop

[bikeman25]

Hello All

 

My Last System clean install was Christmas 2020 when i got my Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB M.2 NvMe drive,     Would it be a waste of TIme or a good thing to do prior to installing any new PC Games at Christmas or Software?     I do have System image backup, but my 8TB drive ran out of space, so unforuately i no longer have the base Image from the original clean install..     

 

Plan on making a new image after this clean install, then updating it every so often, and incremental backups for other times, hoping to keep the base image this time hopefully i'll have enough space to for once

*May Or May Not make the 4TB drive that is currently Internal on Main Desktop external again if i can afford a newer enclosure, and resume using WD Black 1TB Internally for Music Storage/Photos, and a Few Small Programs that doesn't need Speed of SSD Drives,  Games are all on Game Sata SSD (1TB)     Currently the WD Black 1TB  is used on occasion with Hard drive dock, but may or may not on next dust clean out, after i have the newer enclosure for the 4TB, swap things around for good.--Last time i just restored from Full Image of the Storage drive to the 4TB on Previous clean install

 

 

[+Warwagon MVC]

I never clean install just for the hell of it.  Waste of time. 

[bikeman25]

Well that answers that then lol,  guess i'll wait til i have a real reason for Main Desktop and Secondary Machine Laptop,  or one of the drives kicks the bucket, then i know i'll have to for sure.      

 

Laptop i'd upgrade the M.2 SSD in that one, and then definitely would be time for clean install, but 10th Screw still won't budge no matter what i try, guess when i got more money, get it to local shop and let them upgrade the M.2 in that one,  the 8GB of Ram at same time (to 16GB max it can hold i believe)    

 

Desktop running very well, no issues to report,  just thought would do a clean install, since haven't done one in ages on the Desktop machine, but yeah i guess waste of time, and all the reconfiguring and such

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by bikeman25

[+Warwagon MVC]

On 22/12/2022 at 15:28, bikeman25 said:

Well that answers that then lol,  guess i'll wait til i have a real reason for Main Desktop and Secondary Machine Laptop,  or one of the drives kicks the bucket, then i know i'll have to for sure.

 

Just clone the HDD to the m.2 ..boom done!

[bikeman25]

Well only have 1 M.2 Slot (boot drive) so don't plan on upgrading the M.2 anytime soon in the Desktop unless it goes bad

Drive Config is 

500GB Boot Drive NvMe in the Desktop

1TB Game SSD

and 4TB Storage Drive for Music/Photos/Videos like game captures that i take sometimes

Used Space on Internal 4TB is about 476GB currently

 

Laptop M.2 128GB, but so far working fine there as well,  and the Storage drive on Laptop 1TB Hitachi, til i can get that upgraded as well

 

Don't a see a reason that i have to clone anything as yet, typically make system images with Macrium Reflect every so often as my backup, in addition to One Drive bit of Backed up files

 

 

 

[ThaCrip]

Assuming you don't install a bunch of random junk, which I am guessing you don't, you should be able to last AT LEAST 2-3 years without a clean install of Windows. but if you don't install much stuff in general, you may be able to go many years without a clean install. still, I would probably do at least one clean install every 5 years max if for no other reason to keep things fresh and clean up any left over junk.

but I would avoid Windows 11 for now, especially if you play games as you are more likely to have issues vs the more standardized Windows 10. plus, there is no real rush to leave Windows 10 yet anyways since it's supported until Oct 2025. I would see how things are in say early 2025 and then go from there.

p.s. I am on Linux Mint, so I typically do a clean install between major versions (as major versions it's best to clean install but small point release updates it's okay to update is the general word), which are 2 years apart. in other words... I don't clean install any sooner than this, but more typically probably no later than 3 years or so even though one could technically wait closer to 5 years if they really wanted to since that's how long each major version is supported. all of the small amount of games I play/replay work on Linux through Lutris etc.

[bikeman25]

Well been on Windows 11 for over a year now on desktop. Nope I don't install much junk at all.   Yes will do clean install once every 5 years though for sure

 

 

 

[-_MSD_-]

Now I'm finally able to upgrade my PC to Win11 ( TPM2.0 was always enabled, but it didn't tell me my HD needed to be GPT and not MBR, thanks Microsoft), I'm tempted to do it. It won't be a clean install, really can't be assed. My Win10 has been installed for over 160 years (recently ghosted over to a 1tb M,2 drive). It has a few issues with ownership gripes and other foibles, but its pretty damn solid. Just not sure if I'm gonna like Win11, but thats by the by. To answer the OP question...YES, fresh install (especially if you get issues you don't know how to solve)....I just can't be bothered with all the hassle of getting my system back to how I've got it now, all comfy and familiar...maybe on my next PC build I will....Merry Christmas folks!

[NinjaGinger]

Say, when going from 10 to 11, I would do a clean installation. The first time I tried 11 I just installed over and got a few errors over time. Having said that, 11 is a downgrade, so I'm back on 10 and used backup to return to 10. But that's the only time I would clean install. Going to a new op. Will clean when I upgrade to 12, when it comes out. If it's as bad as 11, Linux, here I come.

[DKAngel]

windows does a clean install and merges everything over anyways so either way

[Jaybonaut]

On 23/12/2022 at 02:41, DKAngel said:

windows does a clean install and merges everything over anyways so either way

?  Can you clarify this a bit

[DKAngel]

it does a clean install, and then merges all your files and settings back into it anyways

[adrynalyne]

On 11/01/2023 at 05:54, DKAngel said:

it does a clean install, and then merges all your files and settings back into it anyways

Not quite. It’s closer to an in-place upgrade. If it were a clean install and then merging files back in, the registry hives would not get updated. 

[Good Bot, Bad Bot]

This machine is running Windows 10 right now or did you do an update to Windows 11 since your last clean install? Either way I would always suggest a clean install when going to a new version of Windows. Forget what the others are saying... When you are moving to a new version of Windows that would be a good time to do a clean install.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Good Bot, Bad Bot

[sinetheo]

I always clean install. I do so twice a year as part of miniatous since WIndows 98 to prevent winrot.

In this day and age with SSDs you can be back and up within a few hours if you back your data up on other drives or with Onedrive or Drop box for your files. Ni nite has all your free apps

[bikeman25]

Yeah when  22H2 Released, i just did in place upgrade thru WIndows Update,  but yeah in the future gonna probably do one sometime soon here when i got time to tackle that task.     

Perhaps on birthday in February if i get any newer hardware or software--then might go ahead and do the clean install then

 

Machine been running Windows 11 since clean install on October 6th 2021

Inplace upgrade from 21H2 to 22H2 via Windows Update not too long ago, and Moment update later in October

 

boot drive is NvMe SSD

Data is backed up to External and Onedrive

System is imaged with Macrium Reflect Home Edition (but probably will conduct clean install, then make a fresh backup in the future and use that if i ever need to restore in the future i think best, as backup drive ran out of space and lost the original clean install base image from 2021 lol, this time gonna make sure i keep the base image as now i got 2 8TB drives, so backing up Desktop & Laptop and 3rd Desktop should be fine to do to 1 of the drives, and keep base image on 2nd 8TB Drive i think

 

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by bikeman25