How to do a clean install when the mouse pointer does not appear neither the drives?

Question

I'm attempting a clean install of Windows 11 on my HP Victus 16-d0xxx laptop using a bootable USB drive created with the Windows 11 Installation Media ( Download Windows 11 ).

When I restart my laptop while holding Shift and select the USB drive as the boot device, the mouse cursor doesn't appear. I've tried navigating the installation process using only the keyboard. However, when I reach the screen where I'm supposed to choose a drive for installation, only the USB drive is listed. I have two other drives: a 1TB C: drive and a 300GB D: drive.

EDIT:

Here are some images as reference

Pointer appears only on this part where one has to choose between the Drives and the USB. Then, after choosing USB, the pointer disappears. Next is where I am at when navigating only with the keyboard.

Answer 1

So, there is no difference between doing the clean install booting from the Flash drive and the way I have just did?

Also, I have a second question regarding the installation. I installed it in English (UK), and everything seems fine, except for the Calendar and the screen that appears when one has to enter the PIN. Why is it in Spanish? How can I configure my laptop to be completely in English?

Answer 2

Alfonso,

The main difference between installing Windows through a bootable installation media drive from the [Boot menu] and running the [setup.exe] file is that --- when you boot from the USB drive, the system starts the installation process outside of your current operating system. This allows a fresh, clean installation of your operating system.

The other option running the setup.exe directly from the .ISO files is used to upgrade your system to the latest versions and repair corrupted system files. It doesn't allow you to format the partition like the clean installation does. (Which is why I recommended the Intel RST Drivers for the installation before)

For clean install, we will need to delete all the partitions and install Windows on unallocated space. Windows will automatically create other recovery partitions.

** Since some of the applications are displayed in Spanish, it indicates that the system language settings were not properly configured. This could be due to a previous installation of Spanish, and when the UK English version was applied over it, some settings may not have been fully updated.

To start, consider changing the default Windows display language to Spanish first. After that, switch it back to English (UK) to see if the changes apply to all settings, apps and services.

Note - First, you need to add the desired language and then set it as the Windows display language.

Let me know if you still need more help.

Best regards,

Gunasekar N

Answer 3

What are the advantages of performing a clean Windows installation by booting from a USB flash drive? Does it make sense for me to do it? I've already resolved my primary issue of having a Spanish language installation (that was the reason why I wanted to do a clean installation). The calendar problem was due to an incorrect "Regional format" setting.

Answer 4

Alfonso,

A clean installation will completely remove all previous Windows installation files and overwrite them with a new copy of the operating system on your hard disk. This process will also delete all manufacturer-installed applications and default drivers.. Additionally, a clean installation also helps eliminate incorrectly configured language and regional settings, preventing mixed-language applications.

Since you have already resolved your primary issue with the Spanish language and the calendar issue was related to regional settings, a clean installation may not be necessary in your case.

A clean installation is necessary if you encounter language issues in Microsoft apps or other services, or if you experience unexpected behavior in the operating system. I hope you are good from here!

Let me know if you still need more help.

Best regards,

Gunasekar N

Answer 5

Is there a way to verify, like a troubleshooting software, if my Windows is "healthy"? To evaluate doing a clean install. I recently got this laptop from technical service (they installed an SSD drive and a RAM memory), and it had Windows 11 in Spanish (and a couple of cracked software). That is the reason for me wanting to format it. Is it necessary or it should be fine with how it is working now?