Performed formatting and a full reinstall of Windows 10.
Performed formatting and a full reinstall of Windows 10.
My laptop has been acting up lately (I mostly rely on my desktop). I attempted to reinstall Windows using the format tools, deleting all files and reinstalling from the computer without using the USB drive. After the installation started, the screen displayed a message saying it was installing Windows 10. Later, I thought the laptop stopped working and whenever I tried to boot, it would crash with an error about unexpected restart or failure. It ended up saying it couldn't proceed and asked me to restart the installation. The computer seems to have stopped working completely. Should I consider replacing the hard drive and starting fresh with a new Windows 10 install? I have the USB version from my PC build, but I'm unsure if I should use that on another machine.
You can run an installer on multiple machines using the Windows key. A possible approach Microsoft took was linking the product key to a Microsoft account, allowing smoother transfers between devices. I recommend inserting the disk or USB drive, opening the custom installation screen, fully formatting the HDD, and then starting the setup process. Ensure the charger is connected to prevent interruptions.
PC previously had Windows 10 installed, either through a free upgrade or included with the product. You can reinstall it using a USB drive. There appears to be a problem with the restore partition you used earlier, but the USB installation should resolve that. It doesn't seem like there are hardware issues involved.
The final drive wasn't allowing me to format properly. I wasn't able to reinstall Windows 10, as I thought clearing everything would force a full reinstall. Eventually, I said goodbye to the HDD and had to order a new one from HP since it wasn't a standard HDD cable. I tried an SSD instead but it didn't work.