You may need to know when Windows was installed on your system. Maybe you need this information at work, or because you want to laugh at the stability of your Windows after years of abuse, or you may not want to go through more than six months after installing it without a reinstallation. For whatever reason, we have some simple ways to find out the right answer with a very good accuracy.
NOTE: This guide is created for Windows 10, Windows 7, and Windows 8.1. All the methods we share are tested and confirmed in all these three versions of Windows.
1. Use the systeminfo command on the Command Line or PowerShell
The first method involves using the Control Line or PowerShell. Open CMD or open PowerShell, depending on which application you prefer. You do not need to open it with administrator rights. Enter the following command and press Enter on the keyboard: systeminfo | find “Original Install Date”.
Within seconds, you’ll see the “Original Install Date” field that shows what you’re looking for.
2. Use File Explorer or Windows Explorer
If you have Windows 10 or Windows 8.1, open File Explorer. In Windows 7, open Windows Explorer. Then, open the C partition: where Windows is installed, right-click the Windows folder and then click Properties.
In the Windows Properties window, look for the Created field in the General tab. It shows you when the Windows folder was created on your device. This folder is created when you install Windows.
You can follow the same procedure using other operating system folders, such as Program Files.
IMPORTANT: We noticed that in Windows 10, the other methods described in this guide return the date that the latest Windows 10 update was installed, not when Windows 10 was first installed. But this method seems to always return the date you installed Windows 10.
3. Use the Settings app to see when Windows 10 was installed
If you are using Windows 10, open the Settings app. Then go to the System and choose About. On the right side of the window, scroll down to the Windows Specifications section. Here is a row called “Installed on”, which shows you the date of Windows 10 installation.
4. Use PowerShell and various commands to see when Windows was installed
In PowerShell, you can execute more complex commands that return the information you want. Open PowerShell, enter the command ([WMI]”).ConvertToDateTime((Get-WmiObject Win32_OperatingSystem).InstallDate) and press Enter.
After a few seconds, you see the installation date in an easy to read and understand format.
Do you know other ways to find out when Windows was installed?
There are other ways to find the date and time of your Windows installation on your system, but they do not produce readable and understandable results. You need to convert your data in a way that you understand the given answer. If you know other methods that return an easy to read and understand answer, do not hesitate to share it with us.