Reset this PC fails. What do I do now.

[Peter333333]

This morning the camera had trouble logging me in.  After an hour it came back.   I decided to shutdown and restart.    It restarted with the bluescreen with message "Bad System Config Info".  I have since tried "continue to windows recovery environment", "system restore" - says there are no restore points",  "startup repair",  "startup settings" (option 5), "Reset this PC" with both keep and remove personal files.   all fail.  I can still open CMD and this allowed me to backup my data tp usb.   I have run all the system diagnostics and they are come back fine.  Right now I would be happy if I could just get the windows 10 reinstalled.   I did not create any kind of recovery drive when I bought the box.  Any ideas?  

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Since you were able to back up your data, and your hardware tests passed, you should be able to clean install W10.

Using another Windows PC, make bootable W10 installation media using the media creation tool at the link below.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

If you are not sure you got all the files you wanted, when you get to the part of the installation that asks 'Where do you want to install Windows, install it over the current Windows installation, and it will create a Windows.old folder.

After W10 installs, you can explore the Windows.old folder, find your old user profile, and copy your user files to the new Windows installation.  After you are sure you have gotten everything you wanted, you can delete the Windows.old folder using the disk cleanup utility, when the program arrives at the window, click on the Cleanup system files button on the lower left side of the window and check all the boxes to delete the files.

If you are sure you had gotten your files, and don't want to install Windows over the old Windows installation, when you get to the part of the installation that asks 'Where do you want to install Windows,' delete every partition on the hard drive, leaving just one partition of unallocated space.

Click Next, and W10 will install.

After W10 has completed installing in either case, you can install the drivers and available software from your PC's support page.

[Peter333333]

Thanks Paul.   Worked like a charm.   I assume if figured out that I had a Windows 10 license from the contents of Windows.old.   

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Actually the W10 key is in the BIOS, not on the hard drive.

So either way you wouldn't need to enter the product key.