How to Factory Reset Windows 10 and Why You Should - Alphr Factory Reset, Restore, or Reinstall Microsoft Windows on a Dell computer Here is how you can make the network adapter visible: Right-click Start > Device Manager. How to factory reset a laptop | TechRadar Windows itself recommends going through a reset as a possible way to improve the performance of a computer that isn't running well. Unlike a surface format, which leaves bits of your files and data behind, a full format completely wipes out the drive. [Windows 11/10] How to reset the PC and remove all of my - ASUS When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 5. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Resetting your computer will restore Windows 8 if you previously upgraded to Windows 8.1. In the Settings menu, left click the Recovery option toward the bottom of the page. Alternately, insert the Windows installation disc into your computers disc drive, go to Control Panel > Recovery > Advanced Recovery Methods, and select the option to reinstall Windows using the installation disc. When the process is complete, click Done to Reboot. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. The recovery process will be different depending on the file backup method. Read more This brings up the reset screen. Therefore, all PREINSTALLED third-party applications and licenses that came with the device will get reinstalled. Remember that doing this will remove everything currently on the drive where you install Windows. Don't assume that Windows will know where all your personal files are kept. You probably don't need to reset a Chromebook quite as often as its Windows and macOS counterparts, but doing so can still be useful. Are you not ready to do the hard reset today? Are you on the prowl for a brand new laptop? Also, ask about the battery health if it matters to you. This looks like a cog wheel, and it is where you will access all of the major settings on your laptop. How to Reset the Settings App in Windows 10, How to Fix Windows Upgrade Failed Error Code 0x80070005, 2023 LifeSavvy Media. You'll see a Reset this PC header; click the Get started button underneath this to begin. Otherwise, you may be able to boot into the BIOS and directly load the recovery partition on your hard drive, if your PC manufacturer included one. will obliterate everything on the drive to reduce the chance of someone recovering it later. Finally, confirm the operation by clicking Reset, then wait for the process to complete. Confirm that there's no branch called "Other devices," which usually lists missing device drivers. Daniel Horowitz is a contributing writer for HP Tech Takes. Watch how to reset a laptop. However, this requires a fair bit of space, and you'll have to do it before you have a problem. Regardless of which you choose, all of your applications will be deleted and any settings will be returned to their default. You may receive a warning from Windows asking you whether you want to go back to a previous version of your operating system. To find the reset options, open the Windows menu on the task bar and click the "Settings" gear icon. This can include folders, photos, documents, and any other media you dont want to be wiped from your system. This doesn't affect our editorial independence. If you didn't already make one, you're best off making a new Windows install disk, as described in #2. Just remember that most applications wont have license information in Windows Explorer, but you can still search for valuable data. If your Windows 10 PCis running slow or acting abnormally, one of the most surefire ways of fixing the issue is by performing a factory reset. How to Factory Reset an Android Phone or Tablet - How-To Geek Garnik Ovsepyan is a Computer Specialist and the Owner of HeliX PC based in Burbank, California. Whichever operating system you use, its recommended that you first back up your system. Also, Windows 10 stores all old data in the Windows.old folder, so you always have that option to extract data from there if needed. Also, its worth checking to see if they have been done recently before you decide to reset your entire computer so you dont end up losing any data by mistake. Enter your PIN if asked. Click Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. This website is best viewed using Internet Explorer 10+, Chrome, Safari and newer browsers. For example, if you use OneDrive, the files may already be syncing on the computer; however, if they are not, you may need to reconfigure the app again. Choose this option if, after the Reset This PC process is over, you plan on giving the computer away, selling it, or recycling the computer or hard drive. To install updates for Windows 10, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, Windows Update will download and install any missing updates and drivers (if available). All Rights Reserved. If you're using OneDrive to back up your files, the files may already be syncing in the background. How to Factory Reset Laptop Easily in Windows 10/8/7 (3 Ways) Once you have a safe copy of everything, you can proceed with reinstalling Windows. When you're ready to factory reset your Windows 10 PC, open the Windows Settings menu by clicking on the Start button and then selecting the Gear icon. Choose between resetting while saving your files or deleting everything and reinstalling Windows. If you choose to keep the files, itll direct you to your Windows account. Step 1: Reboot the Asus PC and the Aptio Setup Utility window will appear. Yes, Windows 10 preserves personal folders such as My Documents, My Videos, and My contacts when performing a Windows 10 Reset. Everis Laptop | TechSpot Forums If you lack the Windows installation disc, youll be required to reset your computer using its built-in recovery partition. It is important to note that the reset option may use the original OEM license if you upgraded your version of Windows 10, such as from Home to Pro. Local reinstall uses files on your current system to construct a fresh copy of Windows. The 13 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride, The Best Barefoot Shoes for Walking or Running, Power Up Anywhere With Our Favorite Portable Chargers, The Best Fitness Trackers and Watches for Everyone, 11 Tips to Take Your ChatGPT Prompts to the Next Level. Otherwise, the reset will erase everything except OEM/preinstalled software and start from scratch. If your laptop is running slower than usual, a factory reset may be in order. He's currently an API/Software Technical Writer based in Tokyo, Japan, runs VGKAMI andITEnterpriser, and spends what little free time he has learning Japanese. It's easier than ever to restore your Mac, PC, or Chromebook to factory conditionsand you'll be surprised at how much zip it'll add. Click Recovery. If you chose Keep my files earlier, you'll have two options under Change settings. How to Factory Reset Windows 10 - How-To Geek While the methods listed above will work for most users, there are a few advanced ways to reset Windows, if you need them. A Windows 10 Reset is designed to reinstall the Windows 10 OS in its original OEM state when you purchased it. It may still be worth taking the time to free up space on your computer and delete unnecessary programs. It doesnt matter if you use it every day for essential work or just the occasional picture viewing. This is also recommended if youre selling your computer. The process is intended to provide a clean Windows OS, but it does offer an option to save some of your data, such as documents, images, etc. By using this hidden area of your hard drive, you can reset your computer exactly back to how it was when you first purchased it. Contact Support Parts & Repair How to Fix a Missing Network Adapter in Windows 10 - MUO I have forgotten the pattern, PIN, or password needed to unlock the If you're not using Windows 10 or 11, want to factory reset Windows 10 or 11 without the Settings menu, or don't want to use the other methods above for some reason, you can always factory reset Windows using installation media. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. How to factory reset your Windows 11 laptop | PCWorld The other appears in Windows 11 and the latest versions of Windows 10: Restore preinstalled apps? You may find your. Have been trying for one year to get the audio back but in vain. The Future Smartphone: More Folds, Less Phone, a Whole Lot of AI. With Cloud download, the process will instead download a fresh copy of Windows from Microsoft over the internet. Select Systemfrom the left menu and select Recovery. Here is a guide to help you easily perform a reset so you can restore your. Under Refresh your PC without affecting your files, tap or click Get started. When the resetting. When the Disk Utility appears, delete any drive volumes with "Data" labelstypically there'll be one Macintosh HD - Data entry that you need to select and delete. Note that if you're on at least Windows 10 version 2004, clicking this link text will open Microsoft's Fresh Start page in your browser instead. Select Erase all data and let the phone do its thing. Remove everything: Reinstalls Windows 10 and deletes all files, apps, drivers, and settings you installed or changed. While it's not ideal, it can work if you have no other options. We include this process for completion, but if you're on a version of Windows 10 that still offers this, you need to install the latest version of Windows 10 as soon as you can to keep your PC secure. Click Reset PC to begin the reset process. These are the telltale signs that they arent what they seem. Click Reset to confirm, and the process will get underway; it might take a while, so be patient. 1. One of these ways is performing a factory reset on your computer so you can remove any malware, increase its speed, or get it ready for a new user. Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. Heres What You Should Know. WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. It is always best to back up any valuable game data before resetting your PC, and this will require research and unique methods based on the game saves and settings you need to preserve. After the reset completes, you'll still need to check for updates to ensure that Windows 10 isn't missing any security, patches, or drivers, and you'll need to reinstall some apps. If you have games from the Microsoft Store, the save data may get retrieved when you reinstall it, but that depends on the games functionality and options. Your Windows 10 PC will now begin to factory reset. Once you click on Start, it will copy all the files and reset the operating system, drivers and applications to the factory defaults. With the data backed up and preparations out of the way, you're ready to reset your laptop and enjoy all the benefits of a clean slate. How to Lucid Dream (Even if You Think You Cant). Dell recommends using the SupportAssist OS Recovery on supported computers. To reset your Mac, you'll need to start up your computer in recovery mode to access Disk Utility. Step 3: For a clean reset of the HP . Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read billions of times. Not only that, but a reset wipes out mostthough not necessarily allmalware and other unwanted programs that may have found their way into your system. Here, select Recovery.. You may want to factory reset your computer if you are experiencing performance issues, viruses or malware, or if you want to set it up for a new user. There's also no way to factory reset your laptop without turning it on; you need power to perform all the above operations. Always back up your files before restoring your computer to its original factory settings. That said, make absolutely sure that you've got everything that you need backed up before you get started. Step 2: In Backup page, by default, you know MiniTool can choose the system drives used to boot the laptop to back up. In case you can't do either of these, try pressing F11 as you boot, which will open Advanced Startup on some systems. Its good practice to factory reset your computer when you sell or dispose of it, regardless of whether its a Mac or Windows PC. If you're factory resetting a laptop, make sure you plug it in to avoid losing power during the operation. How to factory reset a PC using Windows | Asurion Keep my files: Reinstalls Windows 10 while keeping your personal files, but deletes all apps, drivers, and settings you installed or changed. There are additional choices when you pick Remove everything. Independently installed or third-party installed games will not get backed up. Alternatively, search for Settings in the Windows 10 search bar and select the corresponding result. This is also included in Windows 10 and Windows 11, and is the best way to factory reset a Windows computer in most cases. You first need to log out to the main user account screen, then hit Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R. Choose a name to give the disk once it's been reset; "Macintosh HD" will do just fine again, unless you've got a good reason to change it. Performing a factory reset will wipe out all your installed programs, and in some cases, your files. This article has been viewed 100,148 times. Review the apps to reinstall after the reset to factory settings. After the reset is complete, it's a good idea to check for updates to ensure that Windows 11 is not missing any security patches or drivers. Your email address will not be published. Remove everything depending on your needs. Here, select the Update & Security option found at the bottom of the window. Click on Reset PC. 5 1 July 2021. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/windows-10-recovery-options, http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc, http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/restore-windows-to-factory-settings/, http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/laptop/factory-reset-laptop-image-3462995/, https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18869?locale=en_US, Mengembalikan Komputer ke Pengaturan Awal. Factory resets are the nuclear solution for many Windows issues. 6 Easy Ways to Use Shortcut Keys to Shut Down a Windows PC, 4 Easy Ways to Paste Text Using Keyboard Shortcuts, How to Open Windows Task Manager: Menus, Shortcuts, & More, How to Increase the Volume on Your Computer: Windows and Mac. reset your computer from a recovery partition. Without this partition, you cant factory reset a laptop.Though, this partition can be absent as a result of accidentally deleting it during manual reinstallation of Windows, or if you bought a laptop without a pre-installed operating system.Please note: When the operating system is reset, all data from disk C will be erased!In one of the previous videos we showed you how to reset an Android device to make it operable again. Now, as EIC, Ben leads MUO's overall strategy and guides the growing team of writers and editors to new successes. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. This can save you a lot of headaches searching for a disc that you may not have received. EuphoricMilk 3 yr. ago Open the Windows Settings panel via the cog icon on the Start menu, then select Update & Security and Recovery. Review: We Put ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Bard to the Test. You can use the instructions for your specific operating system below to factory reset your Acer computer. To run a Windows factory reset from boot (in case you can't get into Windows normally, for example), you can start a factory reset from the Advanced Startup menu. However, if they're not, you may need to reconfigure the app again. Optimize your home life with our Gear teams best picks, from. From there, choose the "Reset this PC" option once the results have popped up. He worked at Synology, and most recently as CMO and technical staff writer at StorageReview. Once selected, the Reset This PC window will appear. Otherwise, some important data may be irretrievably lost. Just about everything is already stored on the web, which means there are no software programs or data files cluttering up the local disk. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Afterward, Windows will be like it is on a brand-new computer. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Although Windows 10 is a reliable operating system, you can encounter many problems over time. If you prefer, all users of modern Windows can download an image from Microsoft and perform a clean installation that way. This will walk you through the process of loading the Windows 10 installer on a flash drive, booting from it, and erasing your current installation with a fresh copy. If left unattended, the data can be obtained from malware, spyware, and other means. To launch this menu if Windows is working properly, on Windows 10, visit Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards. We recommend that you upgrade to a modern version of Windows; don't download Windows 7 from a random website, as it may contain malware. We designed trials to compare our chatbot overlords from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. Enabling Clean data? The feature even offers an option to use the original image instead of a custom manufacturer recovery image that may contain unwanted bloatware and configurations. Depending on your setup and installed version of Windows, you have a few different ways to factory reset a Windows laptop or desktop. Starting with Windows 10 version 2004, this option was replaced by the process described above, so use that if you're on a modern version. Or. Just ensure you have your important files backed up to a secure place before you start the process. Press and hold the "Command" + "R" keys after your Mac restarts and the gray startup screen appears. The good news when it comes to Chromebooks is that Chrome OS is inherently very cloud-focused. Actions like browsing history, social likes, social shares, news views, search history, seen videos, document auto-saves, temporary backup files, PDF view history, and more get stored on the system and used for specific purposes. You're not going to get a worthwhile (i5/8GB) new laptop for under $800. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Then it would jump up to 75%. However, if you're refreshing the device to start over with a clean installation, you'll still need to check for updates, make sure none of the drivers are missing, reinstall apps, and restore your files from a previous backup. Resetting your PC (like you might do with your Android smartphone) ensures optimum performance and stability on a continual basis. Some third-party backup programs offer independent file picking that allows you to restore installed programs (and licenses in some cases). The only exceptions are Microsoft Store apps that were installed by the manufacturer, which stay. There are other ways to get your computer to a clean state without reinstalling the OS. Confirm that there's no branch called "Other devices," which usually lists devices without drivers. Resetting your laptop is one of the most powerful munitions you've got in your troubleshooting armory. On Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Recovery and click Restart Now next to Advanced Startup. Join 425,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. The steps from here are the same for Windows 11 and Windows 10. Share your experience with resetting Windows 10 below. While it saves you from having to download any files from the internet, it also won't work if your Windows installation is corrupted. Make sure you take the recommended steps after reinstalling Windows 10 if you're sticking with that OS. Disabling it is a good way to avoid Windows bloatware from your hardware manufacturer. If you have a speedy internet connection, though, this option can be faster than the local reinstall. As a writer, his specialties include Windows, Android, Gaming, and iPhone explainers and how-tos. On Windows 11, if you had the same setup for a long time or are experiencing problems with your laptop or desktop computer, the "Reset this PC" feature can help to revert the system to the factory default settings to fix the most common problems and improve overall performance.