If you are wondering ‘How long does it take to install windows 10‘, you are at the right place. Usually, it isn’t easy to give an exact time for how long it can take. This is because the time entirely depends on the main specifications, the hardware, the internet speed and what type of installation you are looking to perform. Sometimes you may be looking to make an upgrade from an older version to a new one, or it can be that you are planning on a clean install of windows 10.
In this article, we will help and guide you with a clear explanation of how to improve the speed of installing windows 10 on your PC, how long it will take, and all other factors affecting the process.
What Factors Can Affect the Installation Time of Windows 10? Your windows 10 installation can roughly take around two and a half to three hours on average. When installing, having several fragments and requests for many windows updates can lag the server of Microsoft.
Installing windows on your computer isn’t an easy task; you have to consider the following factors before you start installing. How fast your installation is done depends enormously on the following;
The PC’s RAM Capacity
If you have a computer with a high RAM capacity, you are lucky enough to install it faster. Why is because the RAM capacity directly affects the time needed for installation. In case you are stuck with low-capacity RAM, you are more likely to sit longer with your installation.
The Internet Connection
The internet connection is a significant contributor to the time taken to install windows 10. When the internet speed is high, the download is much faster. Or sometimes, when there are many simultaneous downloads taking place in the background, the connection can slow down the update.
Your PC’s Storage
You’re lucky if your PC has an SSD or what you call a solid-state drive. They use an instantly accessible memory chip for data storage. This makes installing your windows 10 faster and takes roughly around 15 to 20 minutes than with an HDD. HDD is much slower in accessing data. The speed of the hard disk can take around 1 hour or more. The speed of the HDD and SSD is a major giveaway in installation time.
Your PC’ Age
A very common factor that can slow down the installation of your windows 10 is an aged PC. If you have an older version or outdated computer, installing windows 10 can be very annoying and frustrating. Make sure you have a PC with the latest version with you if you want to speed things up.
What is the Typical Installation Time for Windows 10?
Typically, the installation takes mostly from 15 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the factors we have mentioned above. The time also differs based on whether it’s a clean install, an upgrade from an older version etc.
For a Clean Install
If you are planning to install windows 10 for the first time, the PC may take around 2 to 3 hours, and it specifically depends on the performance, specs, PC version and storage, as well as internet speed.
Thankfully, Microsoft offers downloads from their website for free of charge, where you have to buy the license for it later.
For an Upgrade to Windows 10
If you happen to have a PC with a reasonably average speed and a stable internet connection; your upgrade from windows 7 or 8 to windows 10 will take around 1 to 1.5 hours. Try using the Microsoft website to make it run faster and complete within a short amount of time.
To Install After a Reset
You may sometimes choose to reset your PC to fix certain issues. When we keep personal and other files without removing them, the time taken will be longer.
Resetting the PC takes around 30 minutes if the disk used is an SSD; otherwise, it can take as long as 4 hours to reset and install windows 10. Mainly based on the device’s configuration and internet speed.
Failed Installation
Sometimes, the installation can fail several times when there are multiple problems and bug fixes. This, unfortunately, can take up pretty much longer hours to reinstall. For example, when there are;
- Incomplete BIOS settings
- Architecture incompatibility
- Faults and damages in the peripherals
- Using a third-party anti-virus
- Other software failures
How Long Does It Take to Upgrade to Windows 10 from an Older Version of Windows?
The time typically depends on the configuration, other specifications and the downloaded file size. Usually, when upgrading windows 8, 7 or vista to windows 10, we recommend using the media creation tool provided by Microsoft.
When we open the tool, it will take only 2 minutes for windows 10 to set up. If you use an ISO file, you will have to burn it to a DVD for later use. Which is definitely going to take you another extra 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Additionally, if you’re using SSD, a quality CPU processor with the internet and high-speed RAM, as well as the latest version of a high-end PC, you can upgrade much faster at a 1-hour maximum.
How Long Does It Take to Perform a Clean Install of Windows 10? We normally download the windows 10 OS before installing it into the PC. You couldn’t know how much time it could take for sure. Because the time entirely depends on the CPU processor speed, the SSD processing speed, the nature and type of storage capacity and the speed of your PC’s RAM and internet connection. Since the clean install depends heavily on your PC hardware components and age, here are some time estimations you need to know, depending on the hardware;
When installing from a USB or DVD drive, the time estimated is;
- If HDD and USB are used – it takes 1 hour
- If HDD and USB 2 are used – it takes 40 to 50 minutes.
- If HDD and USB 3 are used – 30 minutes
- If SDD and USB are used – 50 minutes
- If SDD and USB 2 are used – 35 to 40 minutes
- If SDD and USB 3 are used – 20 to 30 minutes
What Can you Do to Speed Up the Installation Time of Windows 10? Here are some of the tips and tricks you can use if you’re willing to optimize the speed of your windows 10 installation.
- Make sure your PC has all the necessary minimum requirements to update and install windows 10 much faster. For example;
Have at least 1 GB RAM if it is Windows 10 (32-bit) and 2 GB RAM if it is windows 10 (64-bit), with a clock speed of 1 GHz processor and a 32 GB HD. You should also have a compatible graphics card of model WDDM 1.0 and a display resolution of 800 x 600 minimum.
- Sometimes the slow installation can be due to outdated storage media, especially if you happen to use a CD or DVD when booting media. Use a disc with minimum damages and scratches as well as something close to 6 GB or more if it is a windows 10 ISO size file. It will save you 2 hours of delay and a lot of frustration.
- We recommend using a USB flash drive to install your windows 10. We say so because USB 3.2 can transfer data faster impressively at 2.5 GB per second, and when you pair it with an NVMe, you can install it in minutes.
- Another major failure that slows down is the storage capacity. The least amount you will need for a Windows 10 is 16 GB or more free space. Microsoft always recommends that you have 20 GB of free storage for a 64-bit.
- We know that SDD and HDD are the primary storage with non-volatility and a giant impactor on installation speed and quality. We suggest you choose SDD over HDD when installing it for better speed.
- And remember to replace your wi-fi connection with a wired connection for a stable network connection.
- If there are any unwanted start-up programs and installs, remove or close them so they don’t run in the background slowing the process even further.
Conclusion
In simple terms, we can conclude that installation speed and time massively vary depending on your PC performance, memory or storage free space, the speed of your RAM and internet connection, and other hardware specifications of the laptop or desktop computer.
Refer to the information we have provided above and do the needful to have a faster installation within the most diminutive time frame required. Remember, the speed also can depend on whether it will be an upgrade, clean install or setup.
Related Reads: Discover More Content You’ll Love
Leave a Reply