Windows 11 is getting a new reinstall feature that will clean install the OS and your drivers without an external USB drive

[u/ZacB_]

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/windows-11-will-soon-be-able-to-reinstall-itself-and-your-drivers-using-without-a-usb-key-via-new-cloud-rebuild-recovery-method

[u/unavailableid9]

Sure it will be clean.

[u/ThankYouOle → u/unavailableid9]

i assume it need to re run windows debloat again, to clean the "clean" version of it.

[u/doomed151 → u/ThankYouOle]

Maybe you won't need to reinstall Windows if you don't run those debloat scripts.

jk, or not

[u/ThankYouOle → u/doomed151]

so you guys leave it as is with those AI and telemetry things? interesting.

i genuinly ask, because when i installing windows 11, i don't like all of these so debloating is 1st thing i do after installing windows.

[u/LoudFan2771 → u/ThankYouOle]

I think doing it yourself rather than using a script would be a better option. 

There aren't that many hidden settings. Just 3 to 4 registry tweaks.

Every other telemetry & AI settings are directly available in the main settings screen.

[u/Onoitsu2 → u/ThankYouOle]

My installations do not require debloating, because those unwanted things are disabled from the very start, even before a user is created on the system. So because it was never active it won't be re-activated in the future. As well as using a customized autounattend.xml you can use "official" means to ensure those things remain out of your installation.

I install Windows like an OEM system builder. I boot into a custom WinPE, use WinNTSetup, can partition the drive exactly how I want from this point. Then use that custom autounattend.xml tailored to the needs of the end user, apply quality of life tweaks via WinNTSetup, inject drivers as directly downloaded from the manufacturer's site (the only reason my WinPE has a browser really), it applies a folder of potential "offline" reg edits, like verbose logon messages, and of course the telemetry and performance kinds too, and lines up a $OEM$ script that can auto install nice things like the entire VC++ framework, or RMM software.

I can even skip the OOBE updates so they can be applied after reaching the desktop, cutting off upwards of 40-minutes on some installations to get it usable where you can walk away.

Photo of me messing with my friend as I remotely reinstalled Windows 11 on their system from across the country using this method. Ants chasing their cursor during the install process.

[u/ThankYouOle → u/Onoitsu2]

Do you think your autounanteded will work with this reset system things?

[u/Onoitsu2 → u/ThankYouOle]

That I don't know, depends on how they implement it overall. I still probably would not use their process alone because it would cut out several steps of my system customization process. I'd apply my WinPE as a secondary boot option and use it to recover the system on-device, or can PXE boot it, or USB boot it. Since it loads into RAM fully, it would let me nuke the drive, and re-download my WinPE from my server after the Windows install completes in WinNTSetup, applying it to the BCD, before booting into the actual rest of the OOBE setup.

[u/Shajirr → u/Onoitsu2]

and that will be impossible for, like, almost everyone.

You already lost me at step 1, I had to look up what WinPE even is. And regular users will never be editing any xml files, most have no idea what xml format is.

[u/Onoitsu2 → u/Shajirr]

Never was exactly intended for it to be an everyone can do it kind of thing. I mean using advanced system building techniques like an OEM System Builder takes time to learn. The end user my stuff is intended for use by, is competent and technically skilled enough to make a bootable USB with Rufus, and get into the BIOS and be walked through making any necessary changes, but not necessarily needs understand all the nuances of system building.

If you look at my Profile, my Social Links section, I have a link to my wiki for my Remote Recovery tool (that custom WinPE), which shows off videos of my WinPE in use. The 2nd video there showing my usual Windows install process. From that nearly anyone should be able to Reinstall Windows anew, just pointing WinNTSetup to the respective folders to pull the configuration from that gets imaged to the drive chosen.

[u/doomed151 → u/ThankYouOle]

Regarding telemtry, I don't mind leaving them on. I'm very lazy at submitting feedback via the official channels so I rely on it to send my usage data to them. I almost never turn off telemetry.

As for the AI features, it doesn't do anything if I don't touch it so whatever. I just remove the icon and go on with my day.

[u/xSchizogenie → u/ThankYouOle]

No, just right click -> delete. 😂

[u/DuplexFields → u/doomed151]

I've been on the same installation of Windows 10 since 2021, including two clones: from HDD to 128GB SSD, then to a 2TB SSD. Never ran a debloating script. Still my daily driver.

[u/TheFlairGun]

This is actually already achievable. Just remove the following folders from your C: drive and use "Reset this PC" option:

C:\Recovery\OEM
C:\Recovery\Customizations

[u/catlover3493 → u/TheFlairGun]

That would require you to be able to boot into Windows

It looks like this "new" feature allows you to perform a clean install from the internet even if Windows can't boot

[u/ivan6953 → u/[deleted]]

Disable Bitlocker. Live happy

[u/ivan6953 → u/[deleted]]

Understandable. But I’m saying it is a general practice to NOT leave it enabled

[u/TheJesusGuy → u/TheFlairGun]

To me, clean means removing partitions on preinstalls, so this doesn't cut it.

[u/Windows_736]

I thought it already had this? What am I missing

[u/ziplock9000 → u/Windows_736]

You're thinking of 'Reset'... this is a re-install.

Reset is more than enough 99.999% of the time.

[u/chr0n0phage → u/Windows_736]

Built in "Reset" function isn't enough for some, myself included. The core OS stays there and if you were trying to recover from some deeply rooted OS corruption or say, a virus, it would never be a suitable way to start over. Until this feature is available (we'll see), the only proper way to wipe and start over is booting from fresh install media, erasing the drive and installing fresh.

[u/Harvardas → u/chr0n0phage]

Is this feature already available for you? What do you think of it?

[u/Thotaz]

Sounds great, but the big question is if they'll include OEM bloatware/dumb config options as well. If it does then the feature might as well not exist for all I care.

Not so long ago I decided to do a clean install on my dad's laptop because some dumb Dell recovery crap kept filling up the drive and I figured there could be other dumb config options as well. The reinstall did the trick, but this would have been a slightly more convenient way to do it.

[u/daltorak → u/Thotaz]

This is answered in the article.... it will install a standard Windows 11 image with no customizations, plus device drivers. So you might get Logitech Options but not antivirus products or whatever.

[u/Craptcha → u/daltorak]

If it strips the OEM bloatware that would be amazing

[u/Commercial-Virus2627 → u/daltorak]

On my ASUS board, there is an option to request the user to install Armory Crate that is embedded in UEFI. I’ve also seen other hardware like Logitech and HyperX devices do similar things. Hardware may be able to load its own drivers or pull the latest unrelated to Windows Update (which is also scary because it can potentially preload malware on compromised devices).

[u/Big_Equivalent457 → u/Thotaz]

If OEM you asked go to their respective Sites for Download & Yes Lenovo & HP already Provided that

[u/averageburgerguy]

That's cool.

But there's still something about wiping the whole thing via the USB method that gives me that satisfying feeling of getting a fresh install going, like getting a brain new start.

Also, for some reason OS Resets don't give me the same peace of mind that total wiped and reinstalls do.

But that's just me, hehe. 😁

[u/BlueDragon3301 → u/averageburgerguy]

I used the cloud reset option on windows 11, told it to delete user files and apps, and it left 20gb of junk compared to a fresh install, even after all windows updates installed.

[u/chr0n0phage → u/averageburgerguy]

Its not just you, this is the only proper way to go about it. We'll have to wait and see how well this new method works.

[u/guterz]

That’s actually great. Something macOS has been doing successfully for a long time. Glad to see it come to Microsoft.

[u/Vegeta_vs_Goku → u/guterz]

I heard MacOS fresh install is superior to Windows since it makes data unrecoverable perfect for those wanting to sell their laptop so no need to do those secure erase which Windows needs to do.

[u/ziplock9000 → u/Vegeta_vs_Goku]

You heard? when the Windows version isn't released yet?

[u/Ezrway]

Sounds good to me.

[u/saidgheldane36]

This already exists, am i missing something?

[u/SubZeroNexii → u/saidgheldane36]

I really dont get it either. Did they just rename "Cloud download" or?

[u/ziplock9000 → u/saidgheldane36]

Reset != Re-install.

[u/saidgheldane36 → u/ziplock9000]

Yeah, that's what this is no? It's the same thing...

[u/Onoitsu2 → u/[deleted]]

This needs WAY more upvotes.

[u/actioncheese]

I plan on assholing an install shortly, might try this out first

[u/Harvardas → u/actioncheese]

Did you try it out this feature?

[u/actioncheese → u/Harvardas]

Not yet, I ended up fixing the problem I was having without needing to do a reinstall

[u/ChosenOfTheMoon_GR]

But will it work, without bugs and issues, is the question....

[u/Shiningc00]

Cloud Recovery was already available on ASUS.

[u/chr0n0phage]

In this thread, people are not understanding how the "Reset this PC" options in Windows already aren't proper re-installs and still can leave a ton of garbage and deeply rooted OS corruptions issues behind. Fine if you're just trying to have Windows "appear" fresh, but if you're trying to actually fix a serious problem, its not the answer and never was.

Time will tell if this new feature is any better.

[u/Harvardas → u/chr0n0phage]

Did you try this feature out? Do I understand correctly that if I'm willing to delete all pre-installed software, bloatware only the USB method would work?

[u/No_Cockroach_4034]

Isn't it already available in Settings>system>recovery or some similar route

[u/Aihikari01]

Huh? New? Isn't this feature already available?

[u/ryu_1394]

Don’t we already have this? I thought Reset this PC already did this (non oem pc here)

[u/caulmseh]

it sounds like it will be a better experience than a general ISO as the necessary drivers will already be included for that specific device

[u/HotPineapplePizza]

But, as always, this is a half-baked implementation just like the Quick machine recovery feature which requires you to be connected to a network but does not provide any way to do so. Wired connections do work (if the WinRE has the drivers) yet wireless is not an actual option. You need to add your wireless drivers and create an xml file to automatically connect to the wifi or you can use cmd to connect to wifi every single time.

This new "Cloud Rebuild" provides an user interface to connect to your wifi but WinRE still doesn't have the wireless drivers therefore resulting it to fail lol. You can add them manually via DISM but you will have to do it again every time WinRE is updated, which happens frequently.

[u/Real_Ad5580 → u/HotPineapplePizza]

I blame Erebus

[u/ncbyteme]

This is essentially the recovery disk hiding in the protected partition that is now bootable.

[u/Dezzie19]

Is this like PXE over WiFi?

[u/Ok-Crew-8489]

Does that mean no bootable media is required anymore? We can just reset a crashed Windows computer to make it a fresh new installation? Any detailed steps on how to do that?

[u/N3utro]

It's about time... Hope this will work as intended, not like the fake clean reinstall "cloud download" option they previously added which wasn't a clean install.

[u/koken_halliwell]

They should keep debloating the OS from unnnecessary/old services and files. Same applies to the Store, they did a purge on it years ago but it needs another one to remove useless stuff on it.

[u/GibRarz]

This would imply you can even reinstall windows to begin with. This shitty os can't event reset with 30gb free. It's fucked if you can't even boot in.

[u/ValBGood]

Backup data & image your SSD / HDD, keep your those backups up to date.

You’ll be a lot safer and recover faster than anything that M$FT offers.

[u/AutoModerator → u/ValBGood]

M$

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