Why does Microsoft make it so freaking hard to make a reinstall disk for Windows 10?

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
I have been trying to figure out what to do to make a reinstall disk for Windows 10?

What if you want to upgrade your hard drive or the hard drive goes bad and the OS needs to be reinstalled? Or the OS just gets totally hosed that it needs to be reinstalled?

Best I could find is these instructions which don't make much sense to me.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...rom-your/07590098-90a9-4c7e-b6fe-5ce1632daf4b

What on earth was MS thinking? You would think this would be a simple click to create a reinstall disk.
 

eetech00

Joined Jun 8, 2013
3,858
There is this

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

But how does it know you had Windows 7 and got the free upgrade? Just using the product key?
It knows by checking the existing OS activation before the upgrade. It actually "marks" the disk drive to identify that it is upgradeable.
Once it does this, it then displays the "upgrade to windows 10" flag on the task bar notifying you that the system qualifies for the upgrade.

If you create a DVD using the media creator tool, the installation process will look for a qualified OS installation and if it is not found, it will prompt for a product key. The product key can be win 7, 8, or 10.
 

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
It knows by checking the existing OS activation before the upgrade. It actually "marks" the disk drive to identify that it is upgradeable.
Once it does this, it then displays the "upgrade to windows 10" flag on the task bar notifying you that the system qualifies for the upgrade.

If you create a DVD using the media creator tool, the installation process will look for a qualified OS installation and if it is not found, it will prompt for a product key. The product key can be win 7, 8, or 10.
That doesn't make any sense. What if your hard drive is trashed after Windows 10 upgrade?
 

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
eetech00, that wouldn't work for me today. Took me about 8 hrs. to resolve.

This might help , spinnaker.

http://www.techradar.com/us/how-to/...-to-create-a-windows-10-recovery-disk-1302377

That is basically the link I posted. I am trying it now. What I did was to upgrade to Windows 10 on my "old" hard drive. I created a DVD. I then disconnected the "old" drive and booted the DVD and started the install procedure. My theroy is that the product code is stored on line with the version of Windows 10 you are running. Install will check the product code and install the right version of Windows 10.. We will know soon if I am right.
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
I wouldn't try to install that way. I was just recommending a repair disk procedure. Win 10 can be finicky with it's upgrade steps, as I found out after calling ms.

I saw your other post and asked some questions, maybe I can save you some time.
 

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
I wouldn't try to install that way. I was just recommending a repair disk procedure. Win 10 can be finicky with it's upgrade steps, as I found out after calling ms.

I saw your other post and asked some questions, maybe I can save you some time.
Install what way?? You should be able to install Windows 10 to a new drive.

My first attempt failed. Some error about corrupted files. I tried reformatting the partition this time.
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
Does clone mean the same as mirror? I backup a mirror each day on an external drive.

And if spinnaker can connect multiple drives, and has the room on the drives, He can easily mirror the win10 upgrade from his old drive. As suggested. We don't need speed, just some temporary drive space. He might have enough room on that new ssd.
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
You can install windows 10 on a new drive IF you have a NEW($119.00) windows 10 key, OR if you have previously did an UPGRADE, on you OLD operating system.

MS told me today, there is no other way!
 
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Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
They are wrong. I just did it. The second time was the charm. The link you provided / I provided works. You just create a boot disk.

I am installing a 3rd time because I did not have my partitions laid out correctly for dual boot of Ubuntu.
 

eetech00

Joined Jun 8, 2013
3,858
That doesn't make any sense. What if your hard drive is trashed after Windows 10 upgrade?
What doesn't make sense? That's how that works.

Maybe...what you really need to ask is how to make an image backup of an existing windows installation.

Is that what you meant to ask?
 

Thread Starter

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
What doesn't make sense? That's how that works.

Maybe...what you really need to ask is how to make an image backup of an existing windows installation.

Is that what you meant to ask?
No that is not what I meant to ask. The first post was perfectly understandable. And I got it to work using the link I found in post #6.

The problem is there is a whole lot of misinformation out there on reinstalling Windows 10.
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
I just found this on ms support, look at the date.

Note

Starting with the November update, Windows 10 (Version 1511) can be activated using some Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 product keys. For more info, see the section Activating Windows 10 (Version 1511 or higher) using a Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 product key in this topic.


I just got 1511 yesterday.

And that's far different from what they told me on the phone yesterday.
 
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