If your PC is experiencing frequent freezing, glitching, or random shutdowns, reinstalling Windows 11 can often resolve these persistent issues. This guide will walk you through the process of downloading Windows 11 to a USB drive and reinstalling it on your laptop or desktop. 

What You'll Need

• Minimum of 8 GB available on the computer
• Flash Drive (8 GB or higher--preferably without data)

⚠️Warning⚠️

This process involves wiping your drives (or at least your OS) ENTIRELY. Please make sure you back up any important data (i.e. documents, photos, files, etc.) BEFORE continuing this process!

Contents

• Step 1: Downloading Windows 11
• Step 2: Making the Installation Media
• Step 3: Boot into the Installer
• Step 4: Install Windows 11
• Step 4.5: Alternative Version of Setup (OPTIONAL)
• Step 5: Set up Windows 11

Step 1: Downloading Windows 11

Windows 11 is available to download here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11 

If the page you get to looks like the one below, you're on the right page. 

You'll want to select the middle option, "Create Windows 11 Installation Media". This will specifically allow you to set up a flash drive or DVD that will be usable to install Windows 11.

Download the tool, and then run the application. You may get a message from the User Account Control, that will ask if you want that application to make changes to your Device. Press YES on that prompt. 

NOTE: While this guide is specifically for Windows 11, Windows 10's install process is practically identical. Windows 10 is available to download here.

Step 2: Making the Installation Media

1. The first thing the Installation tool will present you with is the Applicable notices and license terms. Read the terms, and then press Accept. 

2. You'll then be asked to select the language and edition of Windows 11 you want to create a tool of. We'd recommend leaving the "Use the recommended options for this PC" checkbox UNCHECKED. It makes things easier in the long run. 

3. You'll be asked to select which media you want to use to create the media tool. In most cases, you'll choose the USB Flash drive, so select that and press NEXT. 
   1. There are cases in which you could create the ISO and then either use an application like Rufus to make the install tool OR to do an in-place upgrade. This guide will not focus on that, but it is an option.

4. It'll then ask you to select the USB flash you want to install Windows onto. If you haven't plugged in your USB flash drive in to the system yet, do that now. 
   1. Once the installation tool sees the flash drive, select the flash drive you want to use, and press NEXT. 

5. The tool will download the necessary files and create a bootable USB drive with the Windows 11 installation media. This may take some time depending on your internet speed and the performance of your computer.
   1. The actual set-up process is in three stages: Downloading Windows 11, Verifying the Download, and Creating the Windows 11 Media. Once it's done, you'll see a notification that you're ready to go!

If you see this message below, you're all set!

🛜Networking Note🛜

Depending on the motherboard you have, going through the fresh install process can wipe all drivers, including the network drivers (i.e. ethernet and Wi-Fi), which means you can potentially run into issues once you get to the desktop. It is highly recommended that you at least have the drivers for the LAN (ethernet) and Wi-Fi downloaded and loaded onto the USB in its own folder BEFORE you proceed with a fresh install.

You can look up the specific board you have using CORSAIR's Windows Reporter Utility and then download the drivers directly from the manufacturer's website. 

Using an ORIGIN PC Laptop? You can find most of our laptop drivers here, and you can reach our to our Support Team for further assistance.

Step 3: Boot into the Installer

1. With the installation tool made, power down the system you want to install Windows 11 onto and plug the system into an available USB 3.0 port.
   1. For those reinstalling Windows 11 on a desktop, we advise using an available USB 3.0 port on the back of the motherboard over using the front USBs.

2. Turn on the system and press the Boot Menu Key to access the Boot Menu

   1. The exact key you'll be pressing will depend on your PC. 
      1. For MSI/ASRock, press F11
      2. For ASUS, press F8
      3. For OPC Laptops, press F7

   

   If you enter a menu that looks like the above (ASUS's Boot Menu for reference), you're in the right place.

3. Once the boot menu opens, select the USB and press ENTER. You should automatically enter the Windows Installation drive.

If you are having issues with getting into this menu, you can also change the boot order so that the USB is the first thing the system boots into.

Step 4: Install Windows 11

Note: This guide reflects Microsoft's recent update to the Installation Tool (as of October 31st, 2024).

1. Your first stop will be a page that will ask you to select which language to install and what time and currency format you want Windows to use. Make your selections and click NEXT.

2. Your next prompt will ask you to select your Keyboard or input method. Select your option and press NEXT.

3. Your next screen will ask you how you'd like to set up Windows 11. You can choose to either install Windows 11 OR Repair your PC.
   1. Selecting Repair will take you to the Advanced Recovery Menu
   2. For the clean install, make sure "I would like to Install Windows 11" is selected, and the checkbox saying "I agree everything will be deleted including files, apps, and settings" is selected, then press NEXT.

There is also a Previous Versions of Set-Up prompt at the bottom left of the window. Selecting this will send you to a separate set of prompts. Those will presented further down in this article. There's no difference in how it handles the process.

4. You'll then be presented with the License terms of Windows 11. Read through them, then press ACCEPT. 

5. After searching for Disks, it'll ask you to select a location to install Windows 11. You'll then see a list of all the drives connected to the system (including your USB). 
   1. Identify the drive you want to be the OS drive, and delete all partitions connected to that drive.
      1. You'll typically know which is the OS drive by the amount of partitions you see. Windows typically breaks up the drive into four partitions.
         1. In this specific example (in the screenshots below), Disk 1 has four partitions (plus a small unallocated bit of space). This indicates that Disk 1 is the current OS Drive.
      2. Storage Drives typically have one partition.

6. You'll know when the drive is fully wiped when the drive is listed as Drive X* Unallocated Space, with the total size matching the capacity of the drive, as seen below.

*X being the drive number itself.

7. Once that's done, select which drive you want to be the Windows OS Drive, and press NEXT.

8. Windows will then confirm your choices. Go ahead and press INSTALL, and Windows will start the process of installing the OS onto the drive.

Step 4.5: Alternative Version of Setup

CONTEXT: Version 24H2 completely redid the Windows 11 setup process and the way it worked. However, the previous version of setup was kept in this release. For redundancy, those steps are included in this section of the guide.

1. Our deviation from the new setup process starts on the "Select Setup Option" screen, which will ask you how you'd like to set up Windows 11. You can choose to either install Windows 11 OR Repair your PC.
   1. In this example, we will choose neither option. Instead, click on the "Previous Version of Setup" prompt at the bottom left corner of the window (as seen below).

2. This restarts the whole setup process, and you'll need to reselect what language, time, currency, and keyboard you want Windows to use. Make your selection and click NEXT.

3. Your next prompt will just say "Install Now". Click that to start the setup process.

4. Like before, you'll then be presented with the License terms of Windows 11. Read through them, then click the checkbox confirming that you've accepted the terms, and press NEXT.

5. The next prompt will ask you "Which type of installation do you want?", with the choice of either upgrading Windows or doing a Custom installation. This is the most important step. Select CUSTOM: INSTALL WINDOWS ONLY (ADVANCED), and press NEXT

6. You'll then see a list of all the drives detected on the system. Identify the drive you want to be the OS drive, and delete all partitions connected to that drive.
7. You'll typically know which is the OS drive by the amount of partitions you see. Windows typically breaks up the drive into four partitions. 
   1. In the example here, Disk 1 is our OS drive, which is why you see multiple partitions.
   2. Storage Drives typically have one partition.

8. You'll know when the drive is fully wiped when the drive is listed as Drive X Unallocated Space, with the total size matching the capacity of the drive, as noted below:

9. Once that's done, select which drive you want to be the Windows OS Drive, and press NEXT. Windows will automatically start the installation process.

Step 5: Setup Windows 11

👤Important Info👤

At this point, you'll enter the Out Of Box Experience (OOBE, for short). This is the gateway that is the final part of the process before Windows 11 lets you onto the desktop.

If you're planning to use your Microsoft account with Windows 11, you can power through the entire setup process and click out from this article. 

However, as mentioned earlier, sometimes doing a fresh install can wipe all drivers, including the network drivers (i.e. ethernet and Wi-Fi), which Microsoft wants you to have installed during this process because they want you to have a Microsoft account connected to Windows. 

Thankfully, there's a way around it, and this section will include how to set up a local User Account on Windows 11. If you decide to add a Microsoft account after the process, you'll be able to do it directly through Windows.

If you want to create a local account, and the drivers didn't get wiped, make sure you remove all network cables from the system before proceeding.

1. You'll first see a screen asking you to select a Country or Region. Once you see this, press SHIFT + F10 on your keyboard.

1. This will open up Command Prompt. Make sure you're clicked into it, type in the following command (capitalization doesn't matter), and press ENTER: 

OOBE\BYPASSNRO

OOBE\BYPASSNRO is a command that stands for Out-Of-Box-Experience Network Requirement Bypass, and will remove the network requirement that Microsoft has on this process, and will allow you to set up a local account.

2. The system will reboot when you press ENTER, and you'll find yourself back at the screen asking you to select a Country or Region. This time, follow the prompt, and press YES.

3. Continue through the keyboard prompts, and then you'll enter a prompt that will ask you to connect to a network.
   1. If you've done the OOBE\BYPASSNRO command, you will see a prompt to the left of the NEXT button that says "I don't have internet."
      1. Select this prompt. This will allow you to bypass the network requirement entirely and give you the opportunity to create a local account. 

4. Your next prompts will ask you to name the User Account and put in a password. Type in what you want and press NEXT to continue through both prompts.
   1. Note: local accounts don't need passwords, so if you'd like to not use a password, just press ENTER or NEXT on the password prompt.

5. The last prompt of this process will be for privacy settings. Select (or Deselect) what you're comfortable with, and press NEXT.

6. Once you've done that, Windows will finish the set up process, and then you'll be in! Connect yourself to the internet, and start doing all your driver updates through Windows update.

If you need further assistance, please contact our Support team.