Backup and Restore Windows 10

[Xttract]

Hey!

My PC had a problem installing Windows 10 and seems to have caused a bug that won't allow me to use my start menu (in Windows 10) and other things on my taskbar. After trying many "fixes" I have come to the conclusion that the only thing left for me to do is give my PC a reset and reinstall my operating system. I wish to keep all my files so I figured I should probably back them up.

Please note I have never done this before.

After backing up my current files on to a external hard drive, resetting my PC, reinstalling windows and then restoring the old files fix my problem if it was a problem with the installation or will it bring the installation problem with it?

Any other helpful tips on Backing up and Restoring files would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Slashgeek]

In general, when you reinstall a fresh copy of Windows, none of the software issues that plagued you originally should return. The exceptions are if your hardware is faulty, or if the cause of your problems are the drivers of your components.

Instead of backing up, clearing your current drive, then moving the backups back in place, you may opt to use the Reset this PC function, which will perform a fresh reinstall of Windows 10 onto your hard drive, while preserving your files with no data loss. You will still have to reinstall your applications, however.

Additional tips: place the Documents, Downloads, Music, and Videos folders from C:\Users\*Old Username*\ into your new C:\Users\*New Username\ folder if you want to preserve the original libraries folder structure from your old installation.