Reinstalling windows

[irogos]

I used to be a windows user a long time ago back in the days of XP. Since then, I have been using mac but I have been wanting to get back into using Windows with a surface.

Here is my question.

With the Surface 3 being full Windows, there is a higher risk of getting a virus compared to Surface 2. Is it possible to reinstall windows as a fresh install in the event that I have problems with my Surface 3? Is it hard to do?

 

[leeshor]

Yes, yes and not really all that difficult.

But you should consider creating a recovery image and/or use an image backup program like Macrium Reflect.

 

[sharpuser]

I like both apples and oranges. Some comments:

Generally, yes, a PC running Windows is easier to communicate from and to. That means you have a somewhat higher risk of the more versatile PC system contracting a virus. Windows Defender, part of the operating system, is more of an active protection and gatekeeper than is OS X, which protects mainly in the install step.

And yes, Windows can indeed be installed fresh, or "refreshed", without losing files. Again, part of the versatility.

 

[malberttoo]

I used to be a windows user a long time ago back in the days of XP. Since then, I have been using mac but I have been wanting to get back into using Windows with a surface.

Here is my question.

With the Surface 3 being full Windows, there is a higher risk of getting a virus compared to Surface 2. Is it possible to reinstall windows as a fresh install in the event that I have problems with my Surface 3? Is it hard to do?

Welcome to the forum!

Part of the virus conversation must include at least some talk about surfing habits. I personally have had a virus one time in my whole life, and that even was because I clicked on something I suspected was questionable in my mind. That being said, I highly recommend you find a good paid antivirus (I personally use Nod32).

And then as Leeshor said, if you want to be able to take your machine back in time for recovery purposes, then you can boil it down to two ways- first, use the built-in recovery partition a builder and make a USB recovery drive with it. It will get you back to factory if you need/want to nuke the whole thing back to the beginning. Second, get Macrium Reflect and make your own images from time to time. Maybe you'd pick a certain day of each month to make an image, or just from time to time every couple weeks. But the point is that you can make an image that will get back to that exact same spot if you ever have the need.