{"id":17841,"date":"2022-08-24T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocuk-production-blog-alb2-2076709841.eu-central-1.elb.amazonaws.com\/?p=17841"},"modified":"2025-12-12T12:14:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T12:14:23","slug":"how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

After you\u2019ve finished building your dream gaming PC, there\u2019s one last thing to do \u2013 install Windows (or your chosen operating system)! If it\u2019s your first time doing this, the process might not be clear to you. Luckily, it\u2019s not as complex as it first seems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve put together this step-by-step guide to walk you through how you can install an OS on your freshly built PC. From purchasing the right software to watching your machine come to life for the first time, we\u2019ve got you covered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Why Do I Need to Install an Operating System? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The short answer is that you can\u2019t use your computer without an operating system. The slightly longer answer is that an OS is what makes it possible for you to use your PC in all the ways that you want to. The OS will help manage resources such as your CPU, memory, and disk drives. It forms the user interface you need to navigate and run programs, as well as creating a foundation for all kinds of software. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Which Operating System Should I Choose?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First and foremost, you need to decide which operating system you want to run. We\u2019ve broken down the key differences between Windows 10 and 11<\/a> to help you decide. After that, it\u2019s a simple matter of purchasing your OS of choice. We have plenty for you to pick up here at Overlockers UK<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD (KW9-00632)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Buy Now<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
See All OS Products<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Windows<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Installing Your Operating System <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before we start, there is one thing to note. We are outlining the process for installing Windows on a PC without an operating system. If you already have Windows 10 installed and want to upgrade, you can follow our Windows 11 update guide<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step One<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Make sure your system is switched off. Then, insert your installation disk into the DVD drive. If you are restoring a backed-up OS<\/a> using a USB, connect it to your PC while it\u2019s shut down just the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step Two<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Now\u2019s the time to switch on your computer. When you do, your manufacturer\u2019s logo should come on the screen. Depending on the manufacturer, you\u2019ll need to hit F2 or F12 to jump to the boot menu. This is where you can tell your PC to boot from the install disk\/drive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step Three<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

From the boot menu, select either the USB or DVD to boot from (depending on your installation media) and hit enter. You\u2019ll be prompted to select your language settings, keyboard input, and time zone. After that you can select your region and then begin the installation. With one more big hurdle that is… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Step Four<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You will need to enter your product key. This will have been included in your physical purchase, or via email if you got one digitally. You must enter this to validate your installation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step Five<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re on the home stretch! After agreeing to the license terms, you\u2019ll be asked to pick an installation type. Since you are not upgrading, you will want to pick \u201cCustom: Install Windows only (advanced)\u201d<\/strong> to proceed. You can then pick your drive or partition to install the operating system on. Keep in mind this will erase all data on said drive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step Six<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Once you have selected a drive to install on, the process will begin in earnest. How long it takes depends on your hardware. But once it is over, your PC will automatically restart. Be sure to remove the USB or DVD at this point to stop the process from repeating. Then, once you\u2019ve set up Windows, you\u2019re good to go! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Best Drive for the Job <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We recommend installing your operating system on a solid-state drive. SSDs can load data up to five times faster than if it was stored on a standard hard drive. That means if you install your OS on one, it will boot up significantly faster. We\u2019ve picked out a couple models here, but you can explore our full collection if these don\u2019t fit your needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Shop SSDs<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Team<\/div>

Team Group GE PRO 4TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen5 Solid State Drive (Bundled Heatsink)<\/h3>

STO-TMG-02616<\/p>

\u00a3479.99 GBP<\/span><\/p>

(incl. VAT)<\/p>

FREE SHIPPING<\/p>

in stock<\/p>ADD TO BASKET<\/a><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Brush Up on All Things Windows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like to learn more about Windows and how you can get the best performance from it? We\u2019ve got plenty of articles for you to read! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"11<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Your Operating System?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Which is your operating system of choice? Let us know in the comments below. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once you’ve built your dream machine, you will need to install an operating system. Our step-by-step guide will get your PC up and running.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":46839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1344,1334,1368,1371],"tags":[372,2319,2328,1544,1627],"class_list":["post-17841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides-and-tutorials","category-how-to","category-pcs","category-software","tag-how-to","tag-operating-system","tag-windows","tag-windows-10","tag-windows-11"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Once you've built your dream machine, you will need to install an operating system. Our step-by-step guide will get your PC up and running.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Once you've built your dream machine, you will need to install an operating system. Our step-by-step guide will get your PC up and running.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Overclockers UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OverclockersUK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-24T11:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-12T12:14:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/install-windows-facebook.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"788\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jacob Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jacob Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch","description":"Once you've built your dream machine, you will need to install an operating system. Our step-by-step guide will get your PC up and running.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch","og_description":"Once you've built your dream machine, you will need to install an operating system. Our step-by-step guide will get your PC up and running.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/","og_site_name":"Overclockers UK","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OverclockersUK","article_published_time":"2022-08-24T11:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-12T12:14:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":940,"height":788,"url":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/install-windows-facebook.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Jacob Smith","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jacob Smith","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/"},"author":{"name":"Jacob Smith","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1896bfab1980997a84067886beb45380"},"headline":"How to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch","datePublished":"2022-08-24T11:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-12T12:14:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/"},"wordCount":764,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/install-windows-blank.png","keywords":["how to","Operating System","Windows","Windows 10","Windows 11"],"articleSection":["Guides & Tutorials","How To","PCs","Software"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/","url":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/","name":"How to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/install-windows-blank.png","datePublished":"2022-08-24T11:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-12T12:14:23+00:00","description":"Once you've built your dream machine, you will need to install an operating system. Our step-by-step guide will get your PC up and running.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/install-windows-blank.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/install-windows-blank.png","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"How to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-install-a-windows-operating-system-completely-from-scratch\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How To","item":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How to Install Microsoft Windows From Scratch"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"Overclockers UK","description":"Hardware Reviews, Tech Insights & Gaming","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"alternateName":"OcUK","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#organization","name":"Overclockers UK","alternateName":"OcUK","url":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/cropped-327446719_753385363068230_8153189674231811185_n.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/cropped-327446719_753385363068230_8153189674231811185_n.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Overclockers UK"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OverclockersUK","https:\/\/x.com\/OverclockersUK","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/overclockersuk\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCud6FdmA_PnmAxGMdk2GAKQ","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@overclockersuk"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1896bfab1980997a84067886beb45380","name":"Jacob Smith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dd32fb5aa479b9f533d814600555af924cd62c53cac3445cac7ceb51bb0b7750?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dd32fb5aa479b9f533d814600555af924cd62c53cac3445cac7ceb51bb0b7750?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dd32fb5aa479b9f533d814600555af924cd62c53cac3445cac7ceb51bb0b7750?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jacob Smith"},"description":"Jacob is a passionate gamer, plus a noted Pokemon and LEGO nutjob, who emerges only when doing the words here at Overclockers UK. Since starting at the tail end of 2021, Jacob has gone on to write dozens of blogs on everything from the latest games to whimsical Dickens-inspired poetry. Outside of creating content and being the one person in the office daring to champion Nintendo, he is often found fawning over his Pokemon card collection and his trio of lovely doggos.","url":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/author\/jacob-smith\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17841"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60967,"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17841\/revisions\/60967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.overclockers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}