How to Find Your Windows Installation Date: A Simple Guide.

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Why Would You Want to Know the Installation Date of Your Windows?

One of the main reasons I put together this tutorial comes from a personal experience that I’m sure many of you can relate to. Picture this: you take your computer to a repair shop, trusting the technicians to fix your issue, only to later discover that something’s off. You suspect something’s not quite right, and that’s when you realize—some dishonest technicians might swap out your hard disk for an older, used one.

It was during one such visit to a repair shop that I had an "Aha!" moment. I quickly started brainstorming ways to catch them in the act. One of the most effective methods I came up with was determining the Windows installation date. It’s a simple yet powerful way to verify whether your hard drive has been tampered with.

While this situation gave me the inspiration, there are several other reasons why you might want to know the exact date when your Windows was installed, and that’s what I’m here to help you discover today!Beyond this specific scenario, there are several other reasons why you might want to determine your Windows installation date, including:

•  Troubleshooting or diagnosing system issues.
• Verifying the age of a system before purchasing a used computer especially if you're dealing in second-hand device.
• Auditing system records for maintenance or upgrades.
• Checking hardware replacement or repair dates to detect tampering.

Methods to Determine Your Windows Installation Date

There are multiple methods to find out when your Windows operating system was installed. In this guide, we’ll cover the following approaches:

Method 1: Checking the Windows Folder Creation Date

1.   Open File Explorer and double left click on the C: Drive (Figure 1).

        2. Look for the Windows folder (Figure 2).

       3. Right-click on the Windows folder and select properties (Figure 3).

       4. Look for the Create date of the folder (Figure 4).

Method 2: Using the Command Prompt 

1. Press the Windows logo + Q key on the keyboard.
2. In the search box, type: CMD
3. Click the Command Prompt or cmd option in the list. 
4. In the Command Prompt window, type: systeminfo
5. Look for Original Install Date (Figure 5).
6. This is the date when the operating system was installed on your PC.

Method 3: Using Windows Settings

1.  Click on the Windows “Start” button.
2. Click on “Settings” > “System” > “About”. 
3. In the “Settings” window under “Windows specifications”, look for the “Installed on” value.

Method 4: Using Windows PowerShell

1. Click on the Windows “Start” button.
2. Browse to “Windows PowerShell”.
3.  Click on “Windows PowerShell”.
4. Use the following command example

PS C:\> ([WMI]'').ConvertToDateTime((Get-WmiObject Win32_OperatingSystem).InstallDate)

Thursday, August 13, 2020 9:31:58 PM

Which of the above works for you? feel free to let us know in the comments section. If you know of any alternative methods, we’d love to hear about them!