This process is called a clean install, which is ironic as there's nothing particularly clean about it: Microsoft has enshittified Windows Setup.

PCs, for a long time, had a bloatware problem. The major PC manufacturers—Dell, Asus, Acer, and the like—had a bad habit of including "free trials" of software like Norton AntiVirus on new devices.

Windows (by default) has become a privacy nightmare. Microsoft has made it impossible to install Windows without linking it to a Microsoft account first. Not to mention the incredibly invasive ...

Justin Pot is a freelance journalist who helps people get more out of technology. Microsoft keeps adding more and more stuff to Windows and it often seems to get in the way more than it helps. A ...

Above and beyond the benefits of a fresh do-over, clean installing Windows 11 improves security, exposes new features, and more. With the Windows 10 end of support date arriving on October 14, ...

Just like how dust collects in your humble abode during the winter months, your PC can also accumulate superfluous files and folders over a period of time. To make room for new programs and photos, ...

Microsoft has not yet removed a mandatory clean install requirement for a Windows 11-exclusive feature, which is said to ...