What’s actually slowing this PC down?
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After booting from a USB drive, choose the next step based on your goal: use a live session to explore an operating system, start its installer to add or replace an OS, or open recovery tools to troubleshoot an existing system. Booting the USB itself does not mean you have installed anything; the choices that follow determine what happens to your computer and its files.
Choose what you want to do
| Choice | What it does | Data and system impact | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu try/live session | Runs Ubuntu Desktop from the USB so you can explore it or use available tools. | Ubuntu describes testing without changing the PC configuration. Do not assume files saved in a live session will persist after shutdown. | You want to test Ubuntu or temporarily access its desktop and tools. Ubuntu: Try Ubuntu Desktop |
| Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) | Opens Windows recovery tools for diagnosis and repair. | The impact depends on the recovery action; some choices can remove files, apps, or settings. | Windows will not start properly and you need a suitable recovery option. Microsoft: Windows recovery environment |
| Install or reinstall an operating system | Adds, replaces, or refreshes an operating system. | Installation choices can erase data. A Windows clean installation removes personal files, apps, manufacturer customizations, and settings. | You intend to install or replace an OS and have checked your backup and destination disk. Microsoft: Reinstall Windows with the installation media |
If you want to try the operating system
Ubuntu: choose “Try Ubuntu”
In Ubuntu Desktop’s documented workflow, select “Try Ubuntu” and wait for the live desktop. It lets you use and test Ubuntu without installing it or changing the PC configuration. If you later decide to keep Ubuntu, start the installer from the live environment and follow the Ubuntu Desktop instructions.
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A live session is temporary: do not treat it as a permanent installation, and do not assume files saved during the session will still be there after you shut down. The live-session details here apply to Ubuntu Desktop; other systems may behave differently.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIf you want to install or replace an operating system
Check the destination and the keep-or-erase choice
Choose the installer only if you intend to install, upgrade, or replace an OS. Before confirming, read each partitioning, destination-disk, and erase prompt carefully. Back up important personal files separately first.
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For Windows, the available choices depend on how Setup is started. Microsoft’s guidance for Setup launched by opening setup.exe from within Windows includes choices about what to keep. A clean installation started from installation media is different: Microsoft says it removes personal files, apps, manufacturer customizations, and settings. Review the version-specific steps in Microsoft’s reinstall guide before proceeding.
If you want to repair an existing system
Windows will not start
- Boot from the Windows installation USB. If prompted, choose your language and other preferences.
- Select “Repair my PC” to enter Windows Recovery Environment.
- Choose the recovery option that matches the problem, beginning with the least disruptive suitable route. The effect depends on the option: some recovery actions can cause data loss or change settings. See Microsoft’s Windows RE guide and its overview of Windows recovery options.
If BitLocker is enabled, Microsoft says the recovery key is needed for most Windows RE recovery options. A Windows recovery drive does not contain your personal files, so keep a separate backup; see Microsoft’s Recovery Drive guidance.
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Ubuntu will not start
Boot Ubuntu media and choose its try environment if available. The Ubuntu Community Help Wiki describes using a live session and Boot-Repair for a particular GRUB boot-loader recovery case, including after installing Windows: Recovering Ubuntu after installing Windows. That article contains legacy instructions; it is not a universal repair procedure for every current Ubuntu startup failure. Match a repair tool to the fault rather than running utilities blindly.
If the computer does not show the USB
If it boots straight into the usual system or the USB is missing from the startup choices, restart and open the device’s one-time boot menu, then select the USB entry. The correct key and exact menu vary by manufacturer. Ubuntu says F12 is common on PC hardware, while Escape, F2, and F10 are also common; Microsoft likewise advises checking the computer manufacturer’s startup instructions. See Ubuntu’s boot guidance or Microsoft’s Windows RE guidance.
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- High-speed USB 3.0 performance of up to 150MB/s(1) [(1) Write to drive up to 15x faster than standard USB 2.0 drives (4MB/s); varies by drive capacity. Up to 150MB/s read speed. USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending on host device, usage conditions, and other factors; 1MB=1,000,000 bytes]
- Transfer a full-length movie in less than 30 seconds(2) [(2) Based on 1.2GB MPEG-4 video transfer with USB 3.0 host device. Results may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors]
- Transfer to drive up to 15 times faster than standard USB 2.0 drives(1)
- Sleek, durable metal casing
- Easy-to-use password protection for your private files(3) [(3)Password protection uses 128-bit AES encryption and is supported by Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Mac OS X v10.9+; Software download required for Mac, visit the SanDisk SecureAccess support page]
Protect your files and the USB contents
- Before making boot media: copy anything you need from the USB drive elsewhere. Creating Ubuntu or Windows installation media overwrites the USB’s existing contents. Ubuntu and Microsoft each specify a blank USB drive of at least 8 GB for the relevant media-creation instructions; see Ubuntu’s USB instructions and Microsoft’s Windows media instructions.
- Before installing, resetting, or reinstalling: make a separate backup of important computer files. Recovery choices vary in how much they change or remove, and a recovery drive does not include your personal files. Microsoft’s Recovery Drive guidance explains that distinction.
- Before confirming any destructive prompt: verify the selected disk and read whether the action keeps or removes files, apps, or settings.
Windows 10 support status
Microsoft’s recovery documentation says Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. If you are repairing or reinstalling Windows 10, check the version-specific instructions and support information in Microsoft’s Windows recovery environment documentation.
Quick Recap
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