Windows 10 May 2019 Update: The Missing Manual

Appendix A. Installing & Upgrading to Windows 10

When Windows 10 debuted in 2015, learning how to upgrade a Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC was critically important. These days, though, the chances that your pre-2015 PC is still running Windows 7 or 8—or still running at all—are fairly small. If that’s your intention, see the free PDF appendix called “Upgrading from Windows 7 or 8.1.” It’s on this book’s “Missing CD” at missingmanuals.com.

This appendix, then, covers all other aspects of Windows 10 May 2019 Update installation, like how to install a fresh copy, how to make a bootable flash drive, and how to navigate the Setup Assistant that everyone encounters after a clean install—or when turning on a new PC for the first time.

The Upgrade to the May 2019 Update

If you’re running some flavor of Windows 10, then getting the May 2019 Update described in this book is no big deal: It happens automatically. You’ll see a notification that it’s available to install, and it will require a restart. But the point is that you have nothing to go out and download. The Windows Update feature described on “The Action Center” takes care of it.

The Clean Install

Upgrading—moving from an older version of Windows to a newer one—retains all your existing settings and data files. Sounds great, right? Who wouldn’t want to avoid having to redo all those settings?

Well, there are two situations when you might want to perform a clean install:

• When you’re working with an empty PC or hard drive—one that ...