Reinstalling Windows 11

Reinstalling Windows 11 is fairly easy. Find the process broken down into steps below. Please ensure you read over the whole process as the next step may help to fully understand the prior step, etc. Fair warning, these steps are somewhat generalised to suit all customers, so it may not 100% apply to your circumstances, but you should still be able to follow along and get value from them, so be sure to give it a chance.

Preparation

• Backup any user-generated content that cannot be replaced by re-downloading/the cloud (common examples: documents, digital photos, etc) if possible.
• If you can locate your Windows 11 USB (inside the Windows 11 retail box) that would have shipped with your PC if you purchased Windows 11 provided from us (will not be provided if you opted for the BYO license option of course), then skip to the next dot point instead of the sub-dot point.
  • If you cannot locate the above USB, you will need a 16GB or larger USB that you are happy to format (wipe all data).
    • Download the Windows 11 Creation Tool
    • Install and follow the steps to create a Windows 11 installation USB
    • Once the installation of Windows 11 is completed, you can of course format the USB again to use it as normal.
  • Confirm you have your product key
    • On a small card within the Windows 11 retail box (if you purchased Windows from us).
    • If you cannot locate the key card and you still have functional access to your PC's Windows installation, go to your Start Menu, type "regedit" and right click on the Registry Editor result to Run as administrator. Navigate to or copy & paste the following text into the top bar:
      Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform
      Hit Enter to go to that folder.
      Double-click on the BackupProductKeyDefault result to show the value data - that's your Windows product key!
      
      • Windows installation may not ask you for your product key during installation. If it doesn't, it has automatically detected the key based on your motherboard. No need to worry!
  • To make things slightly easier, it is possible to unplug the SATA data cables from all drives apart from the intended primary storage drive you plan to install Windows 11 onto. Ensure the PC is turned off and disconnected from power before doing this, of course. This way, there should only be one clear option when it comes to selecting which drive to install Windows 11 to (covered below).
    Also unplug any unnecessary USB flash drives or external storage drives for this process.
  • In the event that your network adapter isn't detected without drivers being installed (annoyingly it happens sometimes), you may want to consider downloading the system's drivers (network at least so you can be connected!) and put them onto a USB that you can install them off once Windows installation is complete.

Installing Windows

Ensure the Windows 11 installation USB is connected to the PC for this part.

Note: If you do not want to link your Windows installation to a Microsoft Account, you will need to disconnect your PC from the internet during installation, but you will need an active internet connection to install it at all. Once you are prompted to log in to your Microsoft Account, you will need to disconnect from your internet and press the back button on the top left of the window, then you can proceed with a local account.

• Restart the computer and boot off the Windows installation USB - most systems should automatically boot into the installation process, but if it doesn't:
  • Repeatedly press the Delete key as the system is turning on to enter BIOS
  • If BIOS is in the "Easy Mode" (normally says in one of the corners of the screen eg: top right/left) then enter classic or advanced mode. Normally it will tell you what key to press (eg: F2).
  • Enter the Settings menu, then go to Save & Exit.
  • On this screen there should be a Boot Override section. On this list you should be able to see and select the bootable Windows 11 installation USB. If the USB is not visible then try connecting the USB at the rear of the system in a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port and restarting and repeating this process.
• Once on the Windows installation screen:
  • We want the language to be English (Australia). Keyboard to be US.
  • Then select the "Custom Installation"
  • Please take care here. Identify which drive is your primary storage device (usually an SSD). If you unplugged all other drives, then you should only have one drive in the list. Otherwise, you can go based on the drive's total space. Once you are confident you have identified which drive is the target drive, continue to the next dot point.
    * The next step will delete all the data on this drive, hence why being careful not to select the wrong drive is important. *
  • To delete everything, select each partition of that drive and click delete. Once done that drive should have no partitions and just say unallocated space. You should then be able to select the unallocated space and click next.
  • Windows should then start installing and may restart a few times.
  • Windows 11 will require you to connect to the internet to download some updates/drivers, this is a required step or setup cannot continue.
• The computer will reboot a few times and ask you questions. Best just to step though the wizard, we usually just click next, next, next.
• If you want to use Windows without a Microsoft Account, it will be at this point that you can attempt to do so. When installation is prompting you to log in to your Microsoft Account, you should then disconnect from the internet (if possible) and press the back icon on the top left of the screen, then you can setup a local account.
  If you're unable to disconnect the internet (or turn it off temporarily) or avoid the Microsoft Account prompt, you'll have no choice but to log in or create a Microsoft Account. You can remove the Microsoft Account once you're into Windows.

Installing Drivers

• Once you are on the desktop, now you can reconnect the internet if previously disconnected.
• In order of our preference & convenience, the best way to get all drivers for your system:
  1. Get your manufacturer's software tool which will help you to find all the drivers automatically:
     • MSI motherboard - Open the Microsoft Store and search for MSI Center. Download and run it, then from the Support tab select Live Update, then Scan, and install all of the driver options, ensuring third-party utility options you aren't interested in are unticked.
     • Asus motherboard - Download and install Armoury Crate, then from the Tools tab select Drivers and install the driver options, ensuring the optional software items are unticked if you aren't interested.
     • Gigabyte motherboard - Download and install Gigabyte Control Center, then from the Update Center check all the driver options, ensuring you untick software options you aren't interested in, and install when ready.
  2. Run Windows updates. This is designed to get drivers for your devices automatically. It will take a while and will involve lots of restarting as it may also be installing Windows updates. But overall, it requires not much effort. This isn't always comprehensive though, so be sure to check Device Manager to see if anything is missing.
  3. Lastly, you can get the drivers directly from the source, both motherboard & graphics drivers (if you have a graphics card) manually. This will afford you the latest versions of drivers (which should be the same as using the manufacturer's software tool) but does take more effort.

If you need to take control of your system's RGB lighting, we've got you covered!

After all that you are basically done and can resume life as normal (including formatting your USB if you need to), customising your PC's theme/background, installing whatever you wish, etc.