My laptop's original SSD failed, so I had a repair shop install a replacement drive. They installed an unauthorized copy of Windows 11 along with questionable activation files and Office software, and I now suspect the system is infected with malware. I originally had legitimate Windows 11 Home and Microsoft Office licenses that came with the laptop. What is the safest way to completely wipe the replacement SSD and perform a clean Windows installation?
3 Answers
Treat the current installation as untrusted. Back up only personal documents, photos, and other files you know are safe; avoid copying programs or unknown executables. If possible, change important passwords from a different clean device, especially email, banking, and password-manager accounts. Then boot from the official installer, remove all partitions on the replacement SSD, and install Windows from scratch. Afterward, run Windows Update and download Office only from Microsoft or another legitimate source.
Use another trusted computer to download Microsoft’s official Windows 11 Media Creation Tool and create an installation USB. An 8GB drive may meet the minimum requirement, but a 16GB drive is safer and more reliable. Boot the laptop from the USB, choose the correct edition—Windows 11 Home in your case—and delete the existing partitions during setup before installing. The laptop’s digital license is often stored in firmware or linked to the hardware, so Windows should activate automatically once it goes online.
The shop should not have installed pirated software or unauthorized activators. Ask for a refund for that part of the service and document what happened. Do not let them reinstall the same software. If Windows does not activate automatically, use the original product key or the Microsoft account associated with your license, and contact Microsoft support rather than using another activator.
I saw the technician using suspicious files to activate the Pro edition, even though my original license was for Home. I asked them to remove the files, but I still don’t trust the installation.
I currently only have an 8GB flash drive. Will that be enough, or should I get a larger one?