Welcome to the topic “How long does it take to install windows 10?”
Windows 10, a reliable Microsoft product, is a fan favorite on the market. You will find many operating systems on the market, but the reputation of Windows 10 is the best out there. The most common questions asked by users regarding Windows 10 are related to its installation time and associated problems.
Generally speaking, Windows 10 takes much less time than the previous versions when it comes to installation. However, installation speed and quickness are dependent on various factors, including the processing speed of your PC, your PC hardware configuration, whether you have an SSD or HDD, and other similar factors. Many of these additional features speed up the installation process significantly.
Having said that, in this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything that you need to know about the Windows 10 installation process, including how long it takes to install windows 10. So, stay tuned.
How Long Does it Take to Install Windows 10?
If you are in a hurry and cannot go through the entire post, here is the summarized answer for you.
If you have a normal hard disk drive in your PC, installation of windows 10 will take up to one hour. However, if you are using a solid-state drive, the installation will be much quicker and will take up to 15 to 20 minutes.
As mentioned above, the installation timing of Windows 10 depends on a number of factors. So, keep in mind that timing may vary from case to case.
Generally, installing Windows 10 is not that time-consuming if you have the latest machine. Your machine will be equipped with Windows 10 along with other necessary settings in less than three hours.
Nevertheless, if you have the latest solid-state drive, you will see a significant reduction in the installation timing. According to professionals, the solid-state drive is about ten times faster than the traditional hard disk drives.
Upgrade vs Full Installation
The other thing that you should consider when planning windows 10 installation is whether you want to start a whole new and complete installation or an upgrade of your existing system. The process for updating your existing operating system instead of installing a new version is quite lengthy. This is because Windows will back up all of your data.
Another factor that affects the installation timing and speed is whether you are installing Windows through a USB cable or from a CD. The installation timing and speed of these two installation modes are entirely different.
Why Does it Take too Long to Install Windows 10?
Who told you that? Installation of Windows 10 is not lengthy or time-consuming. But indeed, it is dependent on various factore, and we will discuss those in detail below for your convenience:
Your PC’s age: This one is pretty obvious. When you are installing Windows 10 on an old PC, don’t expect magical speed and response for the obvious reasons.
RAM: The other thing that significantly impacts Windows 10 installation timing is the quantity and speed of the RAM or main memory on the PC. PCs with small amounts of Random Access Memory are slower than the ones with larger RAM, up to a point of diminishing returns. Hence the installation timing can vary greatly, if you have say 4 GB of RAM vs. 8 or 16 GB.
Device Configuration: Depending on your system’s device configuration, installation can take anywhere from fifteen minutes to three hours. If you have a modern solid-state drive (SSD), things become a breeze and very speedy, as compared to a conventional hard disk drive (HDD).
Mystery Solved: How Much Time it Takes to Download Windows 10?
Updating or downloading is completely different from the installation. Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to stop automatic Windows updates. This is because the automatic downloading process runs in the background to update Wndows 10.
However, you can also manually update Windows 10 if needed but, keep in mind that it will take much longer to download those updates. The main reason for this is that Microsoft doesn’t offer full speed for updates, as they have to manage an extensive database of millions of computers and users requesting an upgrade.
How Much Time Does it Take to Install Windows 10 from USB?
Many people think that installing windows 10 through a USB cable or from a DVD are the same in terms of speed. Similarly, people often get confused when deciding which one is better. Let me tell you, the installation timing is very different for these two modes.
USB installation is much faster than DVD. Besides, usage of DVDs has declined greatly compared to the USB.
But there is a twist, USB speed varies depending on whether you have a traditional HDD or an SSD. And also depending on whether you have an older version of USB,, or a modern 3rd generation USB.
Below are the details:
- SSD with USB (old) for up to 50 minutes.
- SSD with USB 2.0 for up to 35 to 40 minutes.
- SSD with USB 3.0 20 to 30 minutes.
- HDD with USB for up to an hour.
- HDD with USB 2.0 for up to 45 – 50 minutes.
- HDD with USB 3.0 for up to 30 minutes.
We hope that you now understand how long it takes to install Windows 10 via USB.
What is the Resetting Time For Windows 10?
In some cases, you don’t need a new Windows 10 installation; resetting Windows 10 is recommended for all those cases. We know that downloading ISO files via the internet takes more time, but that’s not the case when you are resetting windows 10.
Furthermore, resetting Windows allows you to keep or move your data safely to any other device. If you are thinking about how long does it take to reset Windows 10, well, if you have SSD, the whole process will only take up to 30 minutes.
On the other hand, if you have an old HDD, it will take a bit longer. The timing also depends on your PC’s configuration.
How to Speed Up a Slow Installation and Update of Windows 10?
Next comes the most valuable section of this guide about Windows 10. How to speed up the installation process? Before we proceed, we recommend you check and verify that your hard drive is working adequately. If you’re sure that the slow installation is not because of the hard drive, then follow this guide to install and update Windows 10 on your PC quickly:
Windows Version Matters: If possible, install or upgrade to Windows 10’s 1809 version or newer. Version 1809 is the best out there and comes with the latest technology improvements that reduce the installation time and size of the updates. Plus, this Windows 10 version is the most straightforward and efficient to install.
Hardware optimizations: If possible, install or update Windows 10 on fast SSD drives. Similarly, also ensure that the partition in which you are installing the windows is on the SSD. The traditional hard drives are slower; hence using SSD for installation is highly recommended.
We’ve seen a significant reduction up to 5x in installation time from SSD vs. HDD during our testing.In addition, for PCs that have SSD drives, CPU clock speed is much higher, which also contributes to making the updating of Windows a lot quicker.
Antivirus (or any system file or driver):This matters when you are updating Windows 10. Here we will advise you to ensure that you have only one antivirus on your PC. Windows 10 gets a lot slower when you are using a 3rd party antivirus and Microsoft Defender together, and it will slow down the update process.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more clarity about the subject matter, please go through the below mentioned frequently asked questions:
How long does upgrading to Windows 10 take after performing the reset?
Windows 10 reinstallation process is different from PC to PC. Usually, the process takes between 1 to 5 hours, depending on your PC’s configuration and health. But keep in mind that all these are just estimates.
Furthermore, no one can tell you the exact time for upgrade or installation of Windows because the timing is dependent on so many factors, which we have discussed above.
What will happen if I leave Windows 10 installation overnight?
By default, and unluckily, Windows 10 installation or update process will not complete if you leave it overnight. The installation is not an automatic process.
Can I Switch Off My PC During Windows 10 Update?
In simple words, you cannot shut down your PC while the update is in process. However, there is a forceful shutdown option that you can use, but it is not recommended. To shut down your PC while the update is in the process, just press the power button.
But note that after shutting down the PC, the update will halt, and the process will start over when you turn on your computer. Thus, the whole updating process will begin from scratch.
Does upgrading to Windows 10 remove viruses or malware?
To keep it simple, yes, it will remove the virus. However, if the malware or virus is coming from any program or application and you open that file after installing Windows 10, then the same virus or malware will get reactivated.
Why do Windows 10 updates take more time to complete?
Windows 10 updates take a bit more time to complete than the previous versions. This is because Microsoft is continually adding new and larger files and functions. However, the time and duration also depend on your internet connection speed.
If your connection is public or too many users are using it at the same time, downloading the windows 10 update will take a long time.
Can I reinstall Windows 10 without using any disk?
Yes, you can install Windows 10 again without using any disk on your PC as you were already using Windows 10 on that device.
Thus, it is possible for you to reinstall Windows 10 anytime you want and for free! For this purpose, we recommend you use the media creation tool that will help you form a bootable media and clean installation of Windows 10.
In the End
Knowing how long does it take to install Windows 10 is the most common question that many users ask. In this read, we have included all the necessary info that comprehensively covers how long Windows 10 installation takes, with all the essential details. Plus, you now know how to speed up the process and fix Windows 10 update issues as well.
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