He clicked “New.” Windows automatically created the necessary partitions: a tiny 100 MB System partition, a 16 MB MSR (reserved), and the main 931 GB partition. He selected the big one and clicked “Next.”
Leo glanced at the memes from 2015. Goodbye, Pepe. Goodbye, dramatic hamster. He clicked “OK.” windows 10 install for usb
He opened Device Manager—all drivers present. He installed the GPU driver from an installer he’d saved on a separate drive. He ran Windows Update, which found 87 updates and the infamous 22H2 feature update. He let them run overnight. He clicked “New
After one final reboot, the screen resolved into the Windows 10 desktop. The default teal-and-blue landscape, the recycling bin in the top left, the taskbar at the bottom. Clean. Crisp. Fast. Goodbye, dramatic hamster
A loading bar spun. Then, a text box for the product key. Leo clicked “I don’t have a product key.” He’d activate later. The next screen showed a list of Windows 10 editions—Home, Pro, Education. He chose Pro. “Next.”
Now, the crucial fork: “Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings, and applications” vs. “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).”