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Winwise 1.6.1

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@Heliakon Heliakon released this 29 Oct 21:42
v1.6.1
41984d6

Winwise 1.6.1 corrects the backup page after a review against Microsoft's documentation. The clean install now has Microsoft's safety steps, the Recovery Drive warning is back, and several instructions now match Microsoft's wording more closely.

Open it at https://heliakon.github.io/winwise/ or download winwise.html below. It works offline.

What's fixed in 1.6.1

A safer clean install

Before you start, the guide now asks you to check that your PC's digital license is linked to your Microsoft account, or to have your product key. Microsoft says not to continue without one of them. It then tells you to choose the edition that matches your license and to delete partitions only on Disk 0. A separate warning says not to change partitions on any other disk, because on a PC with more than one drive that can erase a data drive. The clean install now has its own full-width card, so these steps are easier to read.

The Recovery Drive is back as a real option

The Recovery Drive has short creation steps again, with the warning that creating a Recovery Drive erases existing data on the selected USB drive. Microsoft recommends making one while your PC works, so the practical checklist now suggests an installation USB or a Recovery Drive. It also mentions that your PC's manufacturer may offer recovery media with its own drivers.

Instructions that match Microsoft's

  • Reinstall and keep everything: select Change what to keep, then Keep personal files and apps, and use media for the same edition as your installed Windows.
  • System Image Recovery: the guide no longer gives an exact menu path. It may appear only after See more recovery options, and Microsoft's own pages disagree on whether the tool is available outside Windows Server, so check that you can find it before you rely on an image.
  • Reset this PC: don't restart the PC during a reset, even if the screen stays black for more than 15 minutes. Turn on Clean data before giving a PC away.
  • Fix problems using Windows Update: needs Windows 11, version 22H2 or later with the February 2024 optional update or a later update.
  • Windows on Arm: links to Microsoft's Windows 11 Arm64 download, which may need drivers from your PC's manufacturer.
  • Startup Repair is no longer described as keeping your files and apps. Microsoft says that about Uninstall Updates only.
  • BitLocker recovery key: check now that you can open it from another device, and keep any copy private and secure.

Easier to compare and navigate

  • Option summaries show what each option protects, where it's stored and when it's useful, where those apply.
  • Sections under Back up my files and Recover Windows now sit one heading level below them, so screen readers show the page's structure correctly.
  • The personal-files table has explicit table roles, so it stays a table for screen readers in the phone layout.

Upgrading from 1.6

  • Your scripts and backups keep working. The script template only changes its version label to v1.6.1; the preview, apply and restore code is identical. Restore with -RestoreFrom using the script that created the backup, as before.
  • Script choices are unchanged: 28 choices in 12 groups, and the conservative preset still contains Remote Registry, Fax and Retail Demo.
  • Links to #backup and its sections keep working.

Download and verify

  1. Download winwise.html below and open it in your browser. No install, server or internet connection needed.
  2. To check the download, run this in PowerShell in the folder where you saved it. It prints True when the file matches this release:
(Get-FileHash .\winwise.html -Algorithm SHA256).Hash -eq 'efc64d31844e33dd37b70ec0e9444e974b2e414a390b805032500ad466de4054'

The same checksum is attached as winwise.html.sha256.

Under the hood

  • Sources: the corrected sections were checked on October 29, 2026 against Microsoft's pages on Reset this PC, installation media, reinstalling with installation media, the Windows 11 download pages, the Recovery Drive, recovery options and Device Encryption. The System Image Recovery note is based on Microsoft's support and technical pages plus Windows 11 user reports, because Microsoft doesn't document the exact menu path.
  • Directory: still 157 entries. Service entries were not changed in this release.
  • Checks: tools/test-data.mjs passed for all 157 entries, the 28 script choices and the 129 services excluded from scripts. tools/test-script-dependencies.ps1 passed all 12 scenarios under both PowerShell 7.6.9 and Windows PowerShell 5.1 in GitHub Actions. The build check confirms that index.html matches src/.
  • Browser: checks passed in dark and light mode at phone and desktop widths, covering all 10 in-page links, keyboard focus on the new heading levels, the expandable sections and the table roles.
  • Windows: the steps follow Microsoft's documentation. They were not tested on a Windows PC for this release.
  • Site: the footer shows v1.6.1, and the guide's update date is October 29, 2026.

Full changelog: v1.6.0...v1.6.1

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