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If it doesn't currently have an SSD drive, that would be the most bang for your buck, IMO.<br><br>Samsung is popular and has various SSD models, e.g. 850, 860 EVO. It also comes with the clone software. Super easy.
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Yes, it does have a ssd. I didn't understand the point you were making.
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There are ways to save the data, but you likely can't back up the software (unless it is portable). &nbsp;You could do an in-place reinstall of Windows, which MIGHT clean up your issues. &nbsp;A clean install may be useful to clean things up, but reinstalling your software will be a necessity.<br />
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If you were to try a clean installation, I&quot;d consider buying a new drive for it. &nbsp;I think that's the direction NVIT was going. &nbsp;You could install Windows on the new drive, confirm that your issues have been resolved, then copy the data over from your old drive. &nbsp;You'd have to reinstall software, which I understand is a problem.<br />
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&quot;I no longer have the disks or authority to use the software&quot;: that's two very different issues. &nbsp;There may be ways to download or to purchase the disks. &nbsp;As far as not having authority to use the software goes, I don't think we're permitted to assist with such things on EE.
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Retired

Paul Sauvé

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<blockquote>I didn't understand the point you were making. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote>Your original post said: "It has gotten slower and slower"<br><br>This is a common symptom of mechanical drives. Changing to an SSD drive speeds things up.
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m-coon

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Could you tell us the software for which you have no installation media or authority? There may be solutions for downloading such software or possible alternative workarounds which someone may be able to suggest.
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If you do not mind lets focus on the best way to get a fresh install of windows 10 and &nbsp;being able to follow that to get all my data and existing software added. I came to this site as I have used it with great results over the last 15 to 20 years - and I trust I will get the best advice of WHAT TO DO and what THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE will help make this happen safely and with best results. My laptop has a restore partition on the drive that I can use OR I can use a windows ISO file I have. I do want to install a new ssd drive as well - but I don't know how that complicates the entire matter. thanks everybody for contributing!!!
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&gt;&gt; &nbsp;the best way to get a fresh install of windows 10 and &nbsp;being able to follow that to get all my data and existing software added. &nbsp; &lt;&lt;&nbsp; everybody wants that; but it's not Always completely possible<br />
i posted your options above - so if you want more bespecific about your needs<br />
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&gt;&gt;&nbsp; My laptop has a restore partition on the drive that I can use OR I can use a windows ISO file I have. &nbsp; &lt;&lt;&nbsp; in most cases these erase all your data<br />
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using an SSD is no problem; &nbsp;what model of laptop do you have?and how much ram, and what is your disk model, and free space on it?<br />
if you give that info, we can help more precisely
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I have not abandoned this question. I was waiting for all potential solutions. I will now go over all of the above and decide for myself which way I will go to resolve this problem. Thanks to everybody who participated. I am open to new suggestions as well.<br />
Thanks,<br />
m-coon
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It was a tough question to tackle..... at least I have a better understanding of my options now. thanks all for contributing.
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and if you have more Q - i'm here<br />
FYI i am doing right now a fresh install for an old lady who has more than 500 GB occupied space on her 1 TB drive, and lots of softwares<br />
it takes time installing all softwares, but then you know it's running 100% ok
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I have a 5+ year old Alienware gamers laptop running windows 10 that I use for personal and business work. I carry it back and forth daily. My life is on this computer. I copied all files from previous computers and put them on this one - and those old computers are now gone.<br />
It has gotten slower and slower...… It has locked up and given various errors more and more often.<br />
I would like to do a complete new reinstall of windows 10 - BUT CANNOT LOSE ANY SOFTWARE OR DATA ON IT - and some software I cannot reinstall because I no longer have the disks or authority to use the software. Is there any solution that would actually help me? I don't want to do all of this only to find no improvement.
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I have a 5+ year old Alienware gamers laptop running windows 10 that I use for personal and business work. I carry it back and forth daily. My life is on this computer. I copied all files from previous computers and put them on this one - and those old computers are now gone.
It has gotten slower and slower...… It has locked up and given various errors more and more often.
I would like to do a complete new reinstall of windows 10 - BUT CANNOT LOSE ANY SOFTWARE OR DATA ON IT - and some software I cannot reinstall because I no longer have the disks or authority to use the software. Is there any solution that would actually help me? I don't want to do all of this only to find no improvement.

Best way to clean a windows 10 install and save all data and software added

Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system featuring the "universal application architecture" (UAP); apps can be designed to run across multiple devices with nearly identical code, including PCs, tablets, smartphones, embedded systems, Xbox One, Surface Hub and HoloLens. Windows 10 also includes a virtual desktop system, a window and desktop management feature called Task View, the Microsoft Edge web browser, support for fingerprint and face recognition login, voice-based search (Cortana), new security features for enterprise environments, and DirectX 12 and WDDM 2.0 to improve the operating system's graphics capabilities for games.

Windows 10

Software is any set of instructions that directs a computer to perform specific tasks or operations. Computer software consists of programs, libraries and related non-executable data (such as documentation). Computer software is non-tangible, contrasted with computer hardware, which is the physical component of computers. Software written in a machine language is known as "machine code". However, in practice, software is usually written in high-level programming languages than machine language. High-level languages are translated into machine language using a compiler or interpreter or a combination of the two.

Software

Installation is the act of making a computer program program ready for execution. Because the process varies programs often come with a specialized program responsible for doing whatever is needed for their installation. Installation may be part of a larger software deployment process. Cross platform installer builders that produce installers for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux include InstallAnywhere, InstallBuilder and Install4J. Installers for Microsoft Windows include Windows Installer, InstallShield, and Wise Installation Studio; free installer-authoring tools include NSIS, IzPack, Clickteam, InnoSetup, InstallSimple and WiX. Mac OS X includes Installer, and also includes a separate software updating application.

Installation

This topic area includes legacy versions of Windows prior to Windows 2000: Windows 3/3.1, Windows 95 and Windows 98, plus any other Windows-related versions including Windows Mobile.