Reformatting guides
The places people most often get stuck when reformatting and reinstalling, laid out in order.
What to sort out before reformatting
Some things matter more than files. Two-factor authenticator apps and certificates cannot be recovered once they are gone.
6 min
Making a Windows install USB
Reformatting starts with an install USB. Which of the two tools to use, and which key boots from USB on your machine.
7 min
What to install first after reformatting
Drivers, antivirus, browser and the rest — the order that avoids problems.
7 min
What to install after a format
Only what you genuinely need again: browser, 7-Zip, VLC, Everything and three more. Plus the installs that used to be essential and no longer are.
8 min
Windows settings to change after a reformat
The defaults that cause trouble later — from showing file extensions to turning System Restore on.
6 min
How to restore and recover after a format
The order to put accounts, certificates and files back — and how to tell whether anything is recoverable if you formatted without a backup.
8 min
How to run the installer file
Downloading and running the .bat file, and getting past the browser and Windows warnings along the way.
4 min
Which programs are safe to use on a work PC
Some programs labelled "free" are licensed at a company. Which ones catch people out, and what to use instead.
5 min
Where to start
If you have not reformatted yet, start with what to sort out beforehand — it covers the things that cannot be recovered. If the reformat is done, read the install order first, then the settings guide. If you are at the point of putting your own data back, skip to restoring and recovering — and read that one first if you formatted without a backup. Setting up a machine for work? Read the licensing piece first.
Once the reformat is done
Pick the programs you used and we build the installer files. No hunting through vendor websites one by one.
Choose programs