Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2020 June 21

= June 21 =

Three-Part Stupid Question
Well, this was going to be a two-part stupid question. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:03, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

So Robert, I have to ask regarding the XY problem again: why do you want to uninstall Outlook, Office, and Windows 10? Are you having major problems? First we need to determine that reinstalling will buy you something. It may not fix whatever problem you're thinking of. Elizium23 (talk) 20:14, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

Uninstalling and Re-installing Outlook
The way Outlook is set up currently makes it a little hard for me to see my mail cleanly, because of a tweak that was made when I changed my password. My question is whether I can uninstall Outlook and re-install it. Since Outlook isn't listed in the Control Panel as an app, maybe I have to uninstall and re-install Office. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:03, 21 June 2020 (UTC)


 * Try the steps at [ https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_outlook-mso_windows8/how-to-reinstall-outlook/82764efe-f6f2-4ad3-9dbc-ee83972c5219 ]. --Guy Macon (talk) 19:26, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

Uninstalling and Re-installing Office
Is it feasible to uninstall and reinstall Office, perhaps because all of the piecemeal updates get it messy inside? Is it possible to uninstall it and reinstall the whole Office suite without having to pay for it all over? Robert McClenon (talk) 18:03, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I haven't tried this personally (I use Libre Office) but I am told that if you log in to your Microsoft account it should be under services and subscriptions at [ https://account.microsoft.com/services/ ] --Guy Macon (talk) 19:24, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

Reinstalling Windows 10
Is there a way to uninstall and reinstall Windows 10? I don't think that I have the original CD, and don't want to buy a new one. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:03, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15088/windows-10-create-installation-media
 * https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
 * --Guy Macon (talk) 19:21, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Alternative: [ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/how-to-use-reset-this-pc-to-easily-reinstall-windows-10/ ] --Guy Macon (talk) 19:50, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

Reinstalling Windows: a personal view
If you use Windows for any length of time, it can occur that your experience gets worse and worse over time. Update upon update, apps added and deleted (leaving bits behind), ill-considered configuration changes, programs you thought you would use but never did, possible malware infections, and user stupidity all combine to make Windows slowly rot away until one day it just stops working. I recommend a periodic (I do it once a year) clean install. That being said, how you do the clean install makes a big difference.

First, consider whether you want to upgrade your hardware.
 * Is your disk too small or too slow? Can you afford to replace the spinning platters with a solid state drive? This is one of the two things that help an older computer the most.
 * Is your RAM maxed out? It may be that bringing it up to the maximum is dirt cheap. This is one of the two things that help an older computer the most.
 * Do you have a good backup solution and do you use it regularly? You will thank me the first time you lose everything to malware, a hardware failure, or your own stupidity. Got an unused x4 or larger PCIe slot? Get one of these USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) 1-Port Type-C cards and get a USB 3.2 Type C backup device (thumb drive or external disk).

Next, prepare prepare, prepare. Time to pull the trigger --Guy Macon (talk) 23:06, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * On a thumb drive, save install programs for all of your apps, latest versions downloaded from the vendor websites. Run VirusTotal on all of the installers.
 * Also go to your motherboard or PC manufacturer's website and save all the drivers they have for your computer on your thumb drive. Important: make sure you have the latest BIOS.
 * Now save all of your data on two thumb drives. Make a list of all of the programs on your desktop, start menu, and taskbar, and save that list with your data.
 * Get a Windows 10 (if you are still on 7, 8 or 95, stop using them now) install DVD or thumb drive. The URLs are in the section above.
 * The safe way is to buy a new hard disk, remove the old, set it aside, and install to the new. Think this is too expensive? 500GB hard drive, $18.99 & free shipping, 120GB SSD, $25.99.
 * Format the drive, do a fresh install of Windows, install all Windows updates ("check for updates" in the search box), install your apps, bring back your data. Make whatever configuration changes you normally make to Windows. Write down notes as you do this to make it easier to do next year.