A complete reinstallation of the operating system is a radical, but often the only way to restore performance to your ASUS, getting rid of accumulated errors, viruses and slow work. The process requires care, as any errors at the disk partitioning stage can lead to the loss of important data stored on the hard drive or SSD.
Brand equipment owners ASUS faced with firmware features BIOS (UEFI), which can cause difficulties when choosing bootable media if you do not know the correct sequence of actions. This article will analyze in detail each step, from downloading the image to the final setup, so that you can restore the device to working order yourself without contacting a service center.
Preparing the workplace and necessary tools
Before you begin technical manipulations, you need to make sure that you have all the required resources. The most important condition is to have a stable Internet connection and a flash drive of at least 8 GB, which will become your bootable media.
You will also need a clean image of the operating system, which is best downloaded from the official Microsoft website to avoid driver compatibility issues for ASUS. Do not try to use cracked versions or builds from dubious sources, as this often leads to unstable operation systems.
If you are planning a reinstallation on an old device, be sure to check the availability of drivers for the network card, since after formatting the partition, Internet access may be lost until they are installed.
Pay special attention to the laptop's battery charge: the installation process takes time, and a sudden power outage can damage the file structure.
☑️ Preparation for installation
Creating a bootable USB flash drive using official utilities
To create bootable media, the most reliable method is to use Microsoft's Media Creation Tool. This tool automatically downloads the current version of Windows and writes it to a flash drive in the correct format, eliminating manual creation errors.
Run the downloaded file, accept the license terms and select “Create installation media for another computer.” In the next window you will be asked to select the language, edition and system architecture; for modern laptops ASUS The x64 version is almost always suitable.
Select the “USB Flash Memory Device” option, insert your drive and wait until the writing process completes. After this, the flash drive will become bootable, and you can use it to start the installation on any UEFI-enabled computer.
It is important to understand that all data on the flash drive will be permanently deleted during the recording process, so first copy the necessary files from it, if they are there.
If you don't have a flash drive handy, you can create an ISO image and burn it to a DVD, but installation speed will be significantly slower than using USB 3.0.
Setting up the BIOS and selecting a boot device
The most critical stage is entering BIOS (UEFI) and changing the boot order. On laptops ASUS To enter the settings menu, the key is usually used F2 or Del immediately after pressing the power button. You need to press it quickly and repeatedly until a blue or gray settings screen appears.
In the UEFI interface you need to find the section Boot or Advanced Mode. Here you should disable the option Secure Boot, if the system does not see your flash drive, or change the boot priority, putting the USB drive in first place.
On modern models the function is often used Boot Override, which allows you to instantly select a device to boot once without changing permanent BIOS settings. This is the fastest way to start the installation.
If you cannot find the settings you need, switch the BIOS interface from “Easy Mode” to “Advanced Mode” by pressing the key F7. This will open advanced menus where boot and disk configuration options are hidden.
What to do if Secure Boot blocks booting?
The Secure Boot option is designed to protect against loading unsigned software. If you create a flash drive through the official Microsoft tool, it should work with Secure Boot enabled. If you use third-party utilities, you will have to disable it in the Security or Boot section.
After changing the settings, be sure to save the changes and exit the BIOS by pressing F10 and confirming the action with the button Yes. The laptop will reboot and start booting from the flash drive if everything was done correctly.
Windows installation process and disk partitioning
After booting from the USB flash drive, the Windows installation window will appear. Select your language and keyboard layout, then click the Install button. On the activation screen, select "I don't have a product key" if you don't have a license, and the system will later activate automatically if you have a digital license linked to your Microsoft account.
The choice of installation type is critical. You need to select "Custom: Windows Installation Only (Advanced Users)". The "Update" option will not work for a clean installation and will transfer old errors to the new disk.
Before clicking “Next”, carefully review the list of drives. If you want to completely clean out your laptop, delete all partitions on the drive until you are left with just one line of "Unallocated disk space." Deleting all partitions will result in permanent loss of all data on the hard drive.
The system itself will create the necessary system partitions when you click the “Next” button, but if you want to create partitions manually, use the “Create” button and specify the desired size in megabytes.
- HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
- SSD (Solid State Drive)
- M.2 NVMe SSD
- Hybrid disk (SSHD)
Installing drivers and configuring the system after installation
After the installation is complete and you log in for the first time, the laptop will work with a basic set of drivers. The graphics card may be running in basic mode, and the touchpad may have limited functionality. First of all, you need to install drivers for network cardto access the Internet.
The best way to get all the necessary drivers is to use a proprietary utility MyASUS or Armoury Crate (for gaming models). These programs automatically scan the hardware and download the appropriate versions of firmware and drivers, which eliminates version conflicts.
Also, don't forget to check for updates through Windows Update. Microsoft often publishes specific patches to support laptop hardware features. ASUSsuch as power management or Fn keys.
Install the necessary programs for work and settings, such as an archiver, browser and office suite. It is also recommended to set up backup of important data to a cloud service or external drive.
ASUS proprietary utilities (MyASUS) provide more accurate drivers and power management settings than the standard Windows Update.
Compatibility table and hardware recommendations
When choosing components for an upgrade or when installing an OS, it is important to consider interface compatibility. Below is a table with the main types of drives used in laptops ASUS, and recommendations for their use.
| Interface type | Reading speed (approx.) | Laptop years | Installation Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SATA III | up to 600 MB/s | 2010–2018 | Suitable for budget builds and replacing old HDDs |
| M.2 SATA | up to 550 MB/s | 2015–2019 | Compact format, requires BIOS support check |
| M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 | up to 3500 MB/s | 2017–2020 | The optimal choice for most modern models |
| M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 | up to 7000 MB/s | 2021 and newer | Requires a powerful processor and corresponding slot |
⚠️ Attention: Before purchasing an SSD, check the specifications of your laptop on the official ASUS website, as some models have only one M.2 slot, while others support installing two drives at the same time.
Choosing the right drive type directly affects the operating system boot speed and application response. Installing Windows on an old HDD can turn the process into agony, while even a budget NVMe SSD will provide a significant performance increase.
Solving common installation problems
Sometimes the installation process may be interrupted or give an error. One of the common problems is the lack of visibility of the hard drive in the partition selection window. This is due to the fact that modern disk controllers require drivers VMD (Volume Management Device) for operation in AHCI or RAID mode.
To solve this problem, you need to download the Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology) driver from the support site for your laptop model, unpack it onto the same flash drive and download it through the “Download” button in the installation window. This will allow the system to see your drive.
Another problem is a blue screen during installation. This may indicate a faulty RAM or overheating of the processor. Try running a memory diagnostic or cleaning the laptop from dust before trying again.
If your keyboard stops working during the installation process, check your USB keyboard connection or try using the on-screen keyboard available in the lower left corner of the installation window.
⚠️ Warning: If you see the error “Windows cannot be installed on disk 0,” try completely deleting all partitions on that disk before starting the installation to reset the GPT or MBR partition table.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions from users
How to enter BIOS on an ASUS laptop if F2 cannot be pressed?
If the keyboard doesn't have time to work due to fast loading, try holding down the key F2 (do not press, but hold) until it turns on, or hold it down and press the power button, continuing to hold. You can also go to Windows Settings → Update & Security → Recovery → Custom Boot Options → Restart Now, then select Troubleshooting → Advanced Options → UEFI Firmware Settings.
Do I need to disable Secure Boot to install Windows 11?
No, for official installation of Windows 11 option Secure Boot must be enabled. It is one of the mandatory security requirements for this version of the operating system. It should only be disabled when installing older versions of Windows or specific Linux distributions.
How to save data if the system does not boot?
You can connect the laptop’s hard drive to another computer via a USB-SATA/M.2 adapter, or boot from a bootable USB flash drive, select “Fix your computer”, then “Diagnostics” and “Command line” to copy files to external media using the utility robocopy.
Why does my ASUS laptop take a long time to boot after installing Windows?
This may be due to missing power management drivers or chipset drivers. Install the utility MyASUS and update all components. Also check your power settings, making sure that the "High Performance" or "Balanced" mode is selected and not the "Power Saver" mode.