HOW TO INSTALL
WINDOWS 10
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Read the original article
By Ionut-Alexandru Popa
https://binaryfork.com
REQUIREMENTS
•A computer with at least a storage drive,
preferably unformatted. Minimum
hardware requirements are listed here.
•A bootable USB disk 8 GB or larger.
•A working computer with an Internet
connection so you can download Windows
and create a bootable disk.
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HOW LONG DOES
IT TAKE TO
INSTALL
WINDOWS 10?
The time it takes to install Windows 10 will
depend on how fast your PC is, but on
modern hardware it shouldn’t take more than
10 – 15 minutes.
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GOOD TO KNOW
If you already have a Windows install medium (DVD or USB
key) you don’t need a working computer to create the
installer disk.
Recommended read: How to download Windows 10, How
to create a USB bootable disk
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STEP 1:
Insert the bootable DVD into the optical bay or the USB
disk into your computer.
Note: if using a tower case insert the USB drive into one of
the rear ports. Front-panel USB connectors can cause a lot
of issues during the install process.
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STEP 2:
Press the F8 key multiple times while the computer starts
to open the Boot Manager menu.
STEP 3:
Select the drive unit that contains the Windows 10
installer. Some drives could show up twice. If that’s the
case, I recommend you chose the version that uses EFI or
UEFI. This is the modern way to install Windows 10 and it’s
not possible to change without reinstalling Windows.
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STEP 4:
A message to Press any key to boot from the CD or DVD…
appears. Pressing any key will start the Windows 10 install
process and the Windows 10 logo will appear.
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STEP 5:
The first step is to choose to Install now. There’s also an option
to Repair your computer. We won’t be doing that now.
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STEP 6:
Next, we’ll need to choose the language of the interface,
the time and currency format, and the keyboard layout.
You can mix and match these to your liking and don’t have
to reflect the actual location where you’ll be using the PC
or the actual keyboard layout. You can change them later
after the install if needed.
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STEP 7:
Next step is to enter the Windows 10 product key. You can
skip this step if you want to activate Windows later on.
I’ve explored already what happens if you don’t activate
your copy of Windows and keep using it.
If not, make sure you enter the correct code. It’s made up
of 25 characters ( 5 groups of 5 letters and numbers)
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STEP 8:
Select the Windows edition you want to install. It must
match the product key entered earlier or else Windows
won’t activate. If you’re interested in Windows 10 editions
and differences, we have an article detailing them.
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STEP 9:
To proceed you need to agree to licensing terms (EULA).
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STEP 10:
Select the installation type: Upgrade an existing
installation of Windows (version 7, 8, or 10) or Custom.
Since it’s a new computer we’ll be choosing the latter
option.
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STEP 11:
Now it’s time to let the installer know the disk where
Windows files will be copied. At this step, you can
partition the existing disk into smaller virtual disks
(recommended for bigger disks). If you only have one
unformatted disk just select it and hit Next. The installer
will create all needed partitions.
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STEP 12:
The setup will now start to copy files from the install disk
to their destination.
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STEP 13:
At this step you’ll be asked to select the geographical
region, and keyboard layout again. They can differ and will
override the settings from step 6. Optionally, you can add
more keyboard layouts (use WIN + Shift to switch between
them while using Windows).
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STEP 14:
Now it’s time to select the type of predefined set-up:
for Personal use or Organization, in which case a system
administrator will enforce some settings for you. We’ll be
using Personal for our guide.
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STEP 15:
Now we’ll create the first user account which will also act
as the administrator for this computer. Microsoft will push
you towards using a Microsoft online account, but you can
also set up an offline account. For privacy reasons, I
suggest you set up the latter.
You can read about the difference here.
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STEP 16:
I didn’t remember this step, but it seems you now must
select 3 security questions that will help you recover your
account in case you forget the password.
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STEP 17:
Privacy settings and Cortana are next. I personally disable
everything that’s possible at this step. Some telemetry
data will still be sent to Microsoft servers, but I’m planning
an article on how you can disable almost everything that’s
affecting privacy in Windows 10, so stay tuned.
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STEP 18:
After a few moments and a couple of different screens
you’ll be greeted with the familiar Windows 10 desktop for
the first time.
That’s it. You’ve successfully installed Windows 10 on your
new computer!
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THANK YOU
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