Windows and macOS Installation in Rosebank, Johannesburg

When a Reinstall Is the Right Answer

An operating system collects damage over the years. Half removed programs, failed updates, drivers layered on top of older drivers, startup entries from software you stopped using in 2019. Windows does not clean any of that up on its own, and eventually the machine spends more time managing itself than working for you. A clean install strips all of it away and puts the machine back to the state it was in on day one.

People bring machines to us for this for four broad reasons. The machine has become slow and unpredictable and nothing they try makes a difference. The machine will not boot at all, and stops at a recovery screen or a spinning cursor. The machine is stuck on an old version of Windows and they want to move to Windows 11. Or a new drive has just gone in and the drive needs an operating system on it.

All four are the same job in the workshop, but they are not the same conversation. A machine that will not boot needs a cause established first, because a reinstall onto a failing drive will fail again within weeks. That is what the assessment is for. We diagnose before we format, not after.

Asetos is an independent repair shop, not a manufacturer's authorised service centre. We have been doing this from Rosebank since 2008.

The Jobs We Handle

• Windows 11 clean installation on compatible hardware, with the compatibility check done first
• Windows 10 installation and reinstallation, including machines that cannot run Windows 11
• Unbootable machines: recovery loops, missing boot manager, corrupt system files, failed feature updates
• Slow machines that need a clean start rather than another round of cleanup tools
• OS installation onto a new SSD, done as part of the upgrade job
• macOS reinstallation on Intel and Apple Silicon MacBooks, including recovery mode installs
• Dual boot setups and Windows on machines that shipped with something else
• Driver installation and Windows Update catch up after the install
• Data backup before the format and restore afterwards, done as standard
• Machines that arrived with something removed by a previous shop and never put back

What Happens to Your Files

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is that it depends on the drive. If the drive is healthy, we copy your data to workshop storage before we format, and copy it back once the new install is running. That covers documents, pictures, downloads, the desktop, browser bookmarks and saved passwords, and mail data where the client stores it locally. That backup and restore is part of the reinstall price, not an extra.

What a reinstall cannot restore is your installed programs. Windows keeps files, not applications, so Office, Adobe software, accounting packages, games and anything else you installed yourself has to go back on afterwards. Bring your licence keys or know which email address the licence is attached to. We reinstall the common ones for you while the machine is with us.

If the drive is already failing, backup stops being routine and becomes recovery work. A dying drive has to be read slowly and carefully, and sometimes it cannot be read at all through normal means. When we find that during assessment we stop and call you, because at that point the choice is between a data recovery job and accepting the loss. We never format a drive we have not managed to back up without telling you first.

If you have a recent backup of your own on an external drive or in the cloud, say so when you book the machine in. It shortens the job and lowers the risk.

Pricing

Service	Price	Turnaround
Assessment or diagnosis	R345	Waived if the repair proceeds
OS reinstall (Windows or macOS)	R460 to R1,380	Same day on most jobs
SSD 256GB upgrade	R1,150 plus R920 for OS install	Same day
8GB DDR4 memory	R1,150 plus R150 install	Same day
Virus and malware removal	R920 to R2,300	Same day
Data recovery from a failing drive	R2,500 to R15,000	Quoted after assessment

Why the Reinstall Price Is a Range

R460 is a straightforward job: a healthy machine, a modest amount of data, a licence that activates itself, and standard drivers that Windows finds on its own. That is a large share of what comes through the door.

The price climbs towards R1,380 when there is more work in the job. A large volume of data to back up and restore. A machine that has to be booted from external media because it will not start. An older laptop whose manufacturer drivers have to be fetched and installed by hand because Windows Update does not carry them. Multiple applications to reinstall and configure. A mail profile to rebuild.

We quote the number after the assessment, before any work starts, and the R345 assessment fee falls away once you approve the repair. Where a machine needs board-level attention before software will help, we do not quote a fixed price for that part; it is diagnosed first and quoted separately. Board-level work runs two to three days.

All prices are estimates. Final pricing follows assessment in the workshop.

How the Job Runs

Licences, Activation and Drivers

Almost every branded laptop and desktop made in the last decade carries a digital Windows licence written into the motherboard firmware. The machine activates itself the moment the fresh install reaches the internet, and no key needs to be typed. That covers the majority of what we reinstall.

Self built desktops, and machines whose motherboard has been replaced at some point, do not have that entitlement and need a retail licence key. If your machine falls into that group we tell you during the assessment so you can buy one before collection rather than being surprised at the counter. We do not supply activation bypasses or unlicensed copies, and we will not install one on request.

Drivers are the part most home reinstalls get wrong. A machine that boots to a working desktop is not the same as a machine that is correctly driven. Missing chipset drivers cost you battery life, missing graphics drivers cost you smooth video and external display support, and a missing touchpad driver costs you two finger scrolling. We fit the manufacturer's drivers for your exact model rather than leaving Windows on its generic ones, and on older machines that means fetching them individually from the vendor.

If the machine came back from us and something is not right, bring it in. Software work is covered by the 3 month repair warranty.

Areas We Serve

Our workshop is Shop G15 on the ground floor of The Zone @ Rosebank, 177 Oxford Road, below the Museum of Illusions at the end of the passage between Clicks and Hamleys. We are a short walk from Rosebank Gautrain station, which makes us easy to reach from Sandton, Parktown, Melrose, Killarney, Houghton, Randburg, Bryanston and the rest of northern Johannesburg. Walk ins are welcome during trading hours: Monday to Friday 08:30 to 17:30, Saturday 09:00 to 16:00, closed Sunday and public holidays. Call +27 11 057 5709 or message us on WhatsApp before you drive through if you want to check turnaround for the day.

If you are outside Johannesburg, we run a nationwide courier repair service. Machines come to us from Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Gqeberha, Bloemfontein and further afield. Software work travels well because the machine does not need to be with you while the install runs, and we send it back tested and set up. Ask us for courier instructions before you pack it.

Related pages: virus and malware removal, SSD and RAM upgrades, laptop repair, desktop repair, MacBook repair, data recovery. If you have an old machine that is no longer worth reinstalling, our e-waste recycling is free. Note that Asetos does not buy used equipment: no purchase, no trade-in, no consignment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my files if you reinstall Windows?

Not if the drive is healthy. We back your data up to our workshop storage before we format anything, then copy it back once the new installation is running. You get your documents, pictures, downloads, desktop and browser profile back.

What does not survive a reinstall is your installed programs. Windows can only restore files, not applications, so anything you installed yourself needs to be installed again. Bring your licence keys for paid software like Office or accounting packages, or make sure you know the email address the licence sits on.

Do I need to buy a Windows licence?

Usually not. Most laptops and branded desktops sold in the last ten years carry a digital licence embedded in the motherboard firmware, and Windows finds it and activates itself once it is back online. If your machine came with Windows, it almost certainly has one.

Self built desktops and machines whose motherboard has been replaced are the exception. Those need a retail licence key, which you buy separately. We will tell you which situation you are in before we start, and we do not sell or supply activation workarounds.

How long does a reinstall take?

Most reinstalls are done the same day if the machine is booked in during the morning. The install itself runs in under an hour; the time goes into backing up your data first and copying it back afterwards, plus driver and update work.

Jobs slow down when there is a lot of data to move, when the existing drive is failing and has to be read slowly, or when the machine needs a hardware repair before the software will stick. In those cases we tell you the revised timeline before we carry on.

My laptop is very slow. Will a reinstall fix it?

Sometimes, and sometimes not. A reinstall clears out software clutter, broken updates and background programs, and on a machine that has been running for years without a clean start the difference is real. But if the slowness comes from a mechanical hard drive or from having too little memory, a fresh Windows will still be slow.

That is why we assess first. If the honest answer is that you need an SSD or RAM upgrade rather than a reinstall, we will say so, and the two are often done together in one visit.

Can you upgrade me from Windows 10 to Windows 11?

Yes, where the hardware supports it. Windows 11 needs a reasonably recent processor and TPM 2.0 in firmware, and roughly speaking that means a machine from 2018 onwards. We check compatibility as part of the assessment rather than guessing from the model name.

If your machine does not qualify, we will tell you plainly. A supported Windows 10 install with a clean setup and an SSD is a better outcome than forcing an unsupported upgrade onto hardware that cannot carry it.

Do you reinstall macOS as well?

Yes. macOS reinstalls run from Apple recovery over the internet, and the version you can install depends on the age of the Mac. Intel MacBooks and Apple Silicon models are both handled, including cases where the machine will not boot past the recovery screen.

Mac data handling is stricter than on Windows because of FileVault. If your disk is encrypted we need your login password or recovery key to back the data up, and without it the data cannot be moved. More detail is on our MacBook repair page.