As a Windows user, you may be familiar with viruses and malware that attack and smoke your data. Although most of them are removed using the “Windows Defender Antivirus”, a few may remain. One of the widespread attacks is the “Ransomware” attack, in which the attacker encrypts the system with a private key on which data recovery is dependent and the money is demanded. To free your system from virus/malware/ransomware attacks, you must perform a complete wipe/reinstallation of Windows.

Today’s guide teaches about the complete wipe and reinstallation of “Windows 10 Pro 20H2”.

How to Completely “Wipe and Reinstall Windows 10 Pro 20H2”?

Following these steps, you can completely “wipe and reinstall Windows 10 Pro 20H2”.

Let’s start with the wiping process first.

Step 1: Open the “Recovery” Settings

In the “Recovery” settings, the Windows OS can be reset to its original settings. To “reset the Windows 10 Pro 20H2” via these settings, press the “Windows” key, enter “Recovery”, and “Open” it:

From the “Recovery” options, click the “if you’re having problems… try resetting it” link:

Step 2: Reset the Windows

From the “Recovery” settings, trigger the “Get started” button:

It will now open a new window from where you must select the “Remove everything” option:

Since the default (remove settings and apps) is selected, it is insufficient. Therefore, click on “Change settings” and trigger “Next”:

In the following window, enable the “Data erasure” option to clean the drive and hit “Confirm”:

The wizard will now ask if you are ready to reset the system. Trigger the “Reset” button to continue:

It will now start resetting the “Windows 10 Pro 20H2”, and your OS will be good as new.

Now, let’s move to the steps of reinstalling “Windows 10 Pro 20H2”.

Step 1: Boot From Windows Installation Media

First, insert the media (USB or DVD) from which you want to install the Windows, and reboot the system. Upon the message “Press any key to boot from CD/DVD/USB”, press a key to start the installation process.

Step 2: Select Language and Other Preferences

Now, you must select the language, time and currency, and keyboard format from the first screen, respectively. Click the “Next” button once you have chosen:

Step 3: Begin the Installation Process

The installation process will start once you hit the “Install now” button:

After that, “Accept” the license terms by marking the highlighted checkbox and hit the “Next” button to proceed to the next step:

In the next screen, you will be prompted to choose the installation type. Since you are installing Windows on a new disk, you must select “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)”:

Step 4: Choose the Disk

From here, choose the disk where you want to install Windows and trigger the “Next” button:

This marks the beginning of the installation process, as indicated below:

Conclusion

The complete wiping of all the files and settings on “Windows 10 Pro 20H2” is done from the “Recovery” settings by selecting “Remove Everything” and performing a complete system reset. The reinstallation process, however, has a few comprehensive steps, as explained above. This guide enabled the users to completely wipe and reinstall “Windows 10 Pro 20H2”.