“It is,” Leo said, “but that’s the point. A fresh start.”
She selected it and clicked .
The PC booted from the USB, showing a blue Windows Setup screen. Elena clicked through language options, then “Install Now.” She scrolled past the activation key prompt (her key was digital, linked to her Microsoft account) and chose “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).” how to format an ssd windows 10
She plugged the USB into her sluggish PC and restarted it. As soon as the manufacturer’s logo appeared, Leo told her to spam the key—usually F2, F12, DEL, or ESC. For Elena, it was DEL. “It is,” Leo said, “but that’s the point
Leo had her grab an empty 8GB USB flash drive. On a friend’s working computer, she went to the official Microsoft website and searched for “Download Windows 10.” She ran the Media Creation Tool, selected “Create installation media for another PC,” and chose USB flash drive. Within twenty minutes, she had a bootable Windows 10 installer. Elena clicked through language options, then “Install Now
Inside the BIOS (Basic Input Output System), a blue screen of intimidating menus, she navigated to the “Boot Order” section. She moved her USB drive to the top of the list, saved changes, and exited. The PC rebooted.
Elena stared at her computer screen, which was frozen on a spinning wheel of death. Her PC, once a roaring beast, now moved like a slug through peanut butter. She’d tried everything—virus scans, disk cleanups, even whispering sweet nothings to the tower. Nothing worked.