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Restore Win 11 from media

Anonymous
2024-08-17T15:24:36+00:00

The hard disk on my other machine is corrupted. It now only boots in safe mode. I downloaded Win 11 onto a USB drive. How can I reinstall it? I would prefer to use the SSD drive on the machine. Previously it was booting off Disk 0 hard disk.

Peter

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Quinn.HP 8,605 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-08-17T17:07:55+00:00

    Hello there, I'm Quinn, and I'm happy to help you.

    To reinstall Windows 11 on your device. Follow this step-by-step guide:

    Note: Make sure to have a USB with at least 8GB of free storage, as any existing data will be deleted during the download process.

    Step 1: Create a Bootable USB Drive

    1. Download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool from Microsoft's official website. https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/win...
    2. Run the tool and select "Create installation media for another PC."
    3. Choose your language, edition, and architecture, 64-bit is recommended.
    4. Select "USB flash drive" and follow the prompts to create the bootable USB.

    Step 2: Boot from the USB Drive

    1. After you have downloaded the Media Creation Tool to your USB. Restart your computer and repeatedly press the designated key, often F2, F10, Delete, or Esc key during startup to enter BIOS/UEFI settings.
    2. In BIOS/UEFI, find the "Boot" or "Boot Order" section. Use the arrow keys to move the USB drive to the top of the boot order list.
    3. Save the changes and exit BIOS/UEFI.

    Step 3: Install Windows 11 on the SSD

    1. Your computer should now start from the USB drive. If not, double-check the boot order settings.
    2. Install Windows 11 on SSD, in Windows setup, click "Install Now."
    3. Select "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
    4. Carefully delete all partitions on both the corrupted hard disk (usually Disk 0) and the SSD to ensure a clean installation.
    5. Select the SSD as the installation location and proceed with the installation.

    Complete installation:

    1. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish installing Windows 11. Your computer will restart several times.
    2. If your computer still tries to boot from the old hard disk, re-enter BIOS/UEFI and ensure the SSD is the first boot device.

    This will reinstall Windows 11 on your SSD, making it the primary boot drive.

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  2. Quinn.HP 8,605 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-08-18T04:28:19+00:00

    Hello there,

    Your SSD actually has enough storage, so you can proceed with the transfer if you want to. The minimum requirement to have Windows 11 OS is 64GB, so you can proceed with the Disk cloning. Let me know if you have encounter any trouble.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-08-18T00:39:09+00:00

    The SSD is 2 TB and the hard disk on which Win11 is installed is 4 TB.

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  4. Quinn.HP 8,605 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-08-18T00:28:42+00:00

    Hello,

    You're welcome! Yes, you can move Windows 11 to a new larger SSD without doing a full reinstall by using a process called disk cloning. Disk cloning copies your entire operating system, settings, applications, and files from your current drive to the new SSD.

    Let me know if you have any other questions or need further assistance with this, I'll be glad to answer it.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-08-17T19:07:37+00:00

    Thanks a lot for the response! I got the computer back (lost all data on the C drive though.) I don't think the SSD was large enough, or in any case could not install onto it, so Win 11 installed on the C hard disk again. I am getting a new larger SSD. Can the OS be moved to it without doing another full install?

    Peter

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