Clean-Install Windows on 2020 MateBook X Pro

Installing a clean copy of Windows on the 2020 Huawei MateBook X Pro is more complicated than on previous generations. Follow these steps set up a clean Windows installation of your preferred language and edition. English speakers who are getting your 2020 MateBook from China will need this.

Preparation

1. Back up any needed files from your current installation. We will be wiping the disk.
2. If you need Windows in a different language than the one it came with, you must buy your own copy of Windows. If you’re in university, check if your school provides Windows 10 Education (feature-equivalent to Enterprise).
   1. Reason: the OEM license is single-language only.
3. Use Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool to create a bootable installation USB drive.
   1. Within the install drive, delete \Sources\ei.cfg to enable the prompt to choose a different Windows 10 edition such as Pro or Education. Otherwise, it will default to the current edition (Home).
4. [1909 only] Copy Intel’s WiFi driver to the USB drive.

Installing Windows

1. Shut down.
2. Press the power button and quickly press F12 repeatedly to enter the Boot Menu.
3. Use the Up/Down arrow and Enter keys to select the USB boot device. The Windows installer should launch.
4. [1909 only] The touchscreen and trackpad do not work without your installing their drivers. We can do that after the installation. For now, use a USB mouse, or use the Tab key to move down, Shift-Tab to move up, and Space to select.
5. Go through the steps until “Which type of installation do you want?”. Choose “Custom: Install Windows only“.
6. Delete each of the current partitions until only Unallocated Space remains.
   1. Reason: By default, Huawei gives you separate Windows and Data partitions. This is dumb because it creates an unnecessary divider and decreases practical disk space. Windows and all your programs default to storing everything in C:\, so it will fill up in no time. You also won’t need the recovery partition because that is used for restoring the system to the preloaded Windows version.
7. Select “Drive 0 Unallocated Space” and click Next. The installer will automatically create the necessary partitions and install Windows.
8. Go through the steps until “Let’s connect you to a network”. Click “I don’t have internet“.

Installing Drivers

1. [1909 only] Install the WiFi driver that we copied to the USB drive earlier.
2. Connect to the internet.
3. Go to Settings\Update & Security and Check for updates to get Windows updates.
4. Download PC Manager from Huawei’s support page.
5. Use PC Manager to install all the drivers. Reboot.
6. If your fingerprint reader still doesn’t work, download its driver from Huawei’s support page and install it again.

Optimizing the System

Follow my laptop tweak guide, featuring settings like Intel Speed Shift, to get the most speed and battery life from your MateBook X Pro.

Changelog

April 28, 2020

• Initial publication.

July 6, 2020

• Now linking to Huawei English website because they finally uploaded PC Manager etc to it.

July 7, 2020

• Trackpad and touchscreen now work in the version 2004 installer.
• The Wi-Fi driver is also included in 2004.