How to Install Windows 10 for FREE?

If you're having problems with Windows 10 on your PC or you want a fresh copy of Windows 10 without the clutter of old files or apps, you can reinstall Windows 10 to try and fix your issues and return your PC to a cleaner state.
If your PC isn't performing as expected or it’s working slow, then first try this: Tips to improve PC performance in Windows.
If your PC still not performing as expected, then you should reinstall Windows 10.  
Here I am going to show you, how to Install the original Windows 10 for FREE using installation media (bootable Pendrive).
Looking for Windows 11: How to install Windows 11 for FREE?

Reinstallation guide from Microsoft: Reinstall Windows 10.

Make sure that your PC meets Windows 10 minimum system requirements: 
  • Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster compatible processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
  • Memory: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
  • Storage: 32GB or larger hard disk
  • Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
  • Display: 800x600
Note: reinstalling Windows will remove all your installed Apps and software.  
But you can Preserve your, personal data (e.g.: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, etc.) and, data stored in partitions other than the Windows partition. 
Just copy all personal data to Local Disk D or other (other than Local Disk C).  
After that, note the size of the Local Disk C (Windows Partition).

Step 1: Keep a copy of the Driver's setup. 

Although Windows 10 can detect and install most device drivers automatically. 
But on some PC, Windows may fail to install drivers. So, it is recommended to download essential drivers (such as the network adapter and graphics card drivers). 
You can download the original drivers from your PC manufacturer's website. Here is the list of websites from the most popular computer manufacturers to download the latest device drivers. 
Dell | HP | Lenovo | ASUS | Acer | Samsung
If original drivers are unavailable on your PC manufacturer's website, then backup drivers. Here is the guide to backup drivers: How to backup drivers in windows?

Step 2: Make Installation Media (bootable Pendrive)

To perform a clean installation of Windows 10, you'll need a USB bootable media, which you can easily create using several tools, including the Microsoft Media Creation tool or third-party tools, such as Rufus. I recommended you use Rufus because it is very light and fast.

Step 3: Boot from the USB

  1. Insert the Bootable Pendrive you created.
  2. Restart your computer: click on the Start button (at the bottom-left), then click on Power. And then select Restart.
  3. When the PC brand logo appears, Immediately press the Boot Menu key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Startup Menu opens.
    list of PC brands with their corresponding hot-keys
  4. Use the up or down arrow key to select the USB option, and then press Enter key.
If you can't able to boot from a USB drive using the above method, then check the ultimate guide:

Step 4: Install Windows 10

The installation process of Windows 10 has two main parts: the setup and out-of-box experience (OOBE).

Step 4.1: Windows 10 install process 

  1. When the first Windows screen appears, choose the options that best suit your needs, and then select Next.
  2. Click on "Install now".
  3. On 'Activate Windows', click the "I don't have a product key".
    And on 'Select the operating system you want to install, select an edition according to your needs and click on Next.
  4. On 'Applicable notices and license terms, check the "I accept the license terms" and then select Next.
  5. On 'Which type of installation do you want?', select "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)".
  6. Your device will now display a list of drives and partitions.
    Option 1: if you are doing a clean install (remove everything on the PC), then Highlight each drive/partition in the list and select Delete. When the Windows Setup notification appears, select OK.
    Complete the above step for every drive in the list except the one that says Unallocated Space. When you’re finished, only Drive 0 Unallocated Space should remain.
    Create a new partition for Window installation: highlight the Unallocated Space option, and click on the New button. Specify the amount of space (in megabytes) to allocate for the installation of Windows (minimum 100000 MB recommended). Click the Apply button. Click the OK button. (Alongside the custom partition, Windows 11 will also create additional partitions automatically required to install and run the operating system).
    Create one more partition for data backups: Select the Unallocated Space option. Click the New button to create additional partitions with the remaining space. (You can also create partitions after the installation). Now, select the partition on which you want to install Windows and click on Next.
    --------------------------------
    Option 2: if you want to delete data from the Windows partition only (not want to lose data from other partitions like Local Disk D, to save data stored in Personal Folders like Downloads, then copy all files & folders from Personal Folder to Local Disk D), then you have to delete the Windows partition (You have to identify which is the Windows partition according to the size of the partition), Recovery partition (size ~500 MB) and System Partition (size ~100 MB). Highlight those 3 partitions partition in the list and select Delete. When the Windows Setup notification appears, select OK.
    Select the option that contains "Unallocated Space" and click on Next.
  7. The Windows setup screen will now display Installing Windows. This will take some time. When the installation is complete, your device will restart.
If you plan to decommission the device, you can stop now and let the new owner complete the out-of-box experience.
Or, continue to Windows 10 out-of-box experience.

Step 4.2: Windows 10 out-of-box experience 

Once the installation is complete and your device has restarted, select the preferences and settings you’d like for your device.
Here I am installing Windows 10 November 2021 Update (21H2).
To complete the OOBE on Windows 10, use these steps:
  1. On 'Let's start with region. Is this right?', select your region/country and then click on Yes.
  2. On 'Is this the right keyboard layout?', select the US and click on Yes.
  3. On 'Want to add a second keyboard layout?', click on Skip (unless you need to add a second keyboard layout). 
    Here I do not want to sign in with Microsoft Account. Because it's just annoying. So, I have not connected the computer to the internet.
  4. On 'Let's connect you to a network, click on "I don't have internet". 
  5. On 'There's more to discover when you connect to the internet, click on "Continue with limited setup".
  6. On 'Who's going to use this PC?', enter your name and click on Next.
  7. On 'Create a super memorable password', click on Next.
  8. On 'Choose privacy settings for your device', click on Accept.
  9. On 'Get help from your digital assistant', click on Accept.
After you complete the steps, the new settings will apply to the installation of Windows 10, and you should be able to see the default desktop experience.

Setup 5: Complete setup after installation of Windows 10 

After the installation, check that Windows 10 isn't missing any critical updates or drivers.
Now connect the Internet to your computer.

Step 5.1: Install updates and drivers

  1. Now on computer, open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
  2. Here, click on "Check for updates".
Once you complete the steps, Windows will install the required drivers, cumulative updates, servicing stack updates, virus definition updates and more.
For information about Windows update terminology, see the article about the types of Windows updates and the monthly quality update types. 

Step 5.2: Check missing drivers

Although, Windows Update installs all required drivers when we update Windows. But sometimes it fails to detect devices.
To determine whether drivers are missing, use these steps:
  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for "Device Manager" and click the top result to open the console.
  3. Confirm that none of the devices has a yellow or red mark, and make sure nothing is listed as unknown.
If one or multiple devices have problems, you may need to manually download and install the latest drivers from your computer manufacturer's support website.

Step 6: Reinstall Apps and Software.

It's now time to reinstall your apps and software.

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