installing windows 10 clean install

Question

I have a labtop that had windows 7 on it and I put chrome os on it is there any way to do a clean install of windows 10 on it I have the iso file of windows 10 on the labtop but having trouble transferring it to a flash drive when trying to copy paste to the flash drive get error file or directory unusable what can I do

Answer 1

is works like 10 or more

Answer 2

Hi,

To perform a clean install of Windows 10 on your PC, please create a Windows 10 USB setup disk using the Media Creation Tool. Since you're using Chrome OS now, you'll need access to a Windows PC to create the Windows 10 USB setup disk.

First, please check if your system is compatible with Windows 10. Refer: Windows 10 system requirements - Microsoft Support

If your PC specs meet Windows 10 system requirements, from a Windows PC, please visit the following link to download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.

Download Windows 10

Expand the section Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC and follow the instructions to create the installation media.

The clean installation instructions are in this article → [Article] How to: Perform a Clean Install or Reinstall of Windows 10 - Microsoft Q&A

(Note: Windows 10 will reach end of service in October 2026, after which no updates will be released for that OS.)

Answer 3

To do a clean install of Windows 10 and fix the “file or directory is unusable” issue, use a properly prepared USB and the official tools instead of manually copying the ISO.

1. On a working Windows PC with internet access:
   1. Go to the Download Windows 10 site.
   2. Under Create Windows 10 Installation Media, select Download Now to get MediaCreationTool.exe.
   3. Run MediaCreationTool.exe as an administrator.
   4. Accept the license terms.
   5. On What do you want to do?, select Create installation media for another PC, then Next.
   6. Choose language, edition, and architecture (or leave defaults), then Next.
   7. Select USB flash drive, insert a blank USB of at least 8 GB, and let the tool download and create the bootable drive.
   This process will format the USB correctly and avoid the “file or directory is unusable” error that occurs when the drive is damaged or not properly formatted.
2. If only manual creation is possible (for example, using another Windows PC and an existing ISO):
   1. Insert the USB flash drive.
   2. Open Disk Management (right‑click Start > Disk Management).
   3. Right‑click the USB partition > Format.
   4. Choose FAT32 as the file system and complete the format. This erases all data on the USB.
   5. Right‑click the USB partition again and select Mark Partition as Active.
   6. Mount the Windows 10 ISO on that PC, then copy all contents of the ISO to the USB using File Explorer.
3. Boot the laptop from the USB and perform a clean install:
   1. Insert the bootable USB into the laptop.
   2. Power on and press the boot menu key (often Esc/F10/F12) to select the USB drive.
   3. When Windows Setup starts, choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).
   4. Delete existing partitions on the internal drive (this removes Chrome OS and all data), then create a new partition and install Windows 10 on it.

If the USB still shows “file or directory is unusable” even after formatting, the flash drive itself may be faulty and should be replaced.

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References:

• Create installation media for Windows
• Install Windows from a Flash Drive
• Reinstall Windows with the installation media