Factory Settings or Factory Defaults usually refers to performing a restore or a reset of your computer to its original configuration as it first was when it was purchased. Show
A restore to factory settings is also known as a reset to factory settings or as a restore to factory defaults. Restoring a computer to its factory settings will delete all personal files: music, movies, pictures and any installed software applications or drivers that were not included in the original configuration of that computer. Contents
Your computer can be restored to its factory settings if any of the following are applicable to you:
If none of the above are applicable to you, you still have these options to restore or repair your computer:
Restore Windows XP to factory settingsIf no tools are available from the PC manufacturer, e.g. recovery disc or recovery partition, use the following tools from Windows XP itself to reset a computer to its factory settings:
Restore with installation CDIf System Restore isn’t available for your Windows XP (turned off), use the original installation disc to perform a repair or reinstall Windows XP again. To perform a Repair Install, follow these steps:
For more information about System Restore on Windows XP systems, read the Windows System Restore: Windows XP guide. If you can’t use the installation CD, you can use Easy Recovery Essentials:
Restore without installation CDIf you don’t have the original Windows XP installation CD, you may be able to use System Restore in Safe Mode if this feature was enabled from the start. To access Safe Mode, follow these steps:
If you can’t boot into Safe Mode, access System Restore from Easy Recovery Essentials:
Other options for restoreMethod #1: Reinstall Windows XP If Fix #1 (Repair Install) explained above doesn’t fix the computer, you can also reinstall the system to have a hard reset of your system. Reinstalling Windows XP will delete all personal files. Use Easy Recovery Essentials to backup your files before you proceed. To do so, follow these steps:
Method #2: Use Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials (or EasyRE) can be used to repair or restore a Windows XP system:
Download Easy Recovery Essentials Restore Windows Vista to factory settingsTo restore a Windows Vista to factory settings, you can use:
If the above aren’t available for you, you can also boot into Safe Mode and attempt to run System Restore and Startup Repair. To perform a hard reset of the computer, you need the installation disc to reinstall Windows Vista. Restore with installation CD/DVDIf you still have the original Windows Vista CD/DVD and the CD has the Startup Repair feature installed, you can use it to either repair your computer or reinstall the system. Fix #1: Run Startup Repair Startup Repair won’t reset a computer to its original factory settings, but it can attempt to fix various errors. To run Startup Repair follow these instructions:
Fix #2: Use Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials can access System Restore snapshots created on a Windows Vista computer. To do so, follow these steps:
Restore without installation CD/DVDFix #1: Run System Restore from Safe Mode System Restore may also be available via Safe Mode without a need for the original Windows Vista installation CD. System Restore will not work if it has been turned off! To access System Restore via Safe Mode, follow these steps:
Fix #2: Run Startup Repair from Safe Mode Startup Repair might also be installed on your hard disk. Startup Repair won’t reset your computer to its factory settings, but it can attempt to fix various errors. To access it, follow these instructions:
Fix #3: Use Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials can access the snapshots created by System Restore on a Windows Vista computer. Follow these steps:
Other options for restoreMethod #1: Run System Restore from Windows Vista Windows Vista systems can be restored to an earlier time if System Restore was enabled and was able to create snapshots correctly. If you can access System Restore on your Windows Vista system, follow these steps:
For more information about System Restore on Windows Vista systems, read the Windows System Restore: Windows Vista guide. Method #2: Reinstall Windows Vista To reinstall Windows Vista and perform a hard reset of your computer, follow these steps: Reinstalling Windows Vista will delete all personal files. Use Easy Recovery Essentials to backup your files before you proceed.
Method #3: Use Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials (or EasyRE) can be used to repair or restore a Windows Vista system:
Download Easy Recovery Essentials Restore Windows 7 to factory settingsWindows 7 systems can be restored to factory settings (or factory defaults) if you have the installation disc available to perform a reinstall or a complete new installation of Windows 7. If a disc isn’t available, you can use System Restore or Startup Repair to either restore the computer to an earlier working time or to potentially repair errors. You can also use Easy Recovery Essentials. Restore with installation CD/DVDIf you have the Windows 7 installation disc available, you can use it to perform a repair of your computer (and attempt to fix potential issues), a restore if System Restore is enabled, or to reinstall Windows 7. Fix #1: Run Startup Repair or System Restore from the disc The steps are:
System Restore can restore your computer to an earlier date if it has been enabled and ran correctly, while Startup Repair can attempt to fix any found errors that may prevent you from starting Windows 7 Fix #2: Use Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials can access System Restore snapshots:
Restore without installation CD/DVDIf no install CD or DVD is available, you can boot into Safe Mode and run System Restore. Fix #1: Run System Restore from Safe Mode Before you begin, note that you can’t undo a restore if you run it from Safe Mode. The instructions are:
Or, you can run System Restore via the System Recovery Options menu:
Fix #2: Run Startup Repair Startup Repair can be included on your computer. You can run Startup Repair to perform a scan and fix potential issues. Startup Repair doesn’t restore a computer to its factory settings, but it can potentially fix errors that prevent you from booting into the system. The steps to access Startup Repair are:
Fix #3: Use Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials can access the snapshots created by Windows 7 System Restore. Follow these steps to access your computer’s restore snapshots:
Other options for restoreMethod #1: Access System Restore from Windows 7 If you can access and boot into your Windows 7 system, you can use System Restore by following these steps:
For more information about System Restore on Windows 7 system, read the Windows System Restore: Windows 7 guide. Method #2: Install Windows 7 again To perform a hard reset of your computer, you can install Windows 7 again on your computer. This procedure erases everything on your computer. Backup your files before you continue! Use the Browse/Backup Files feature from Easy Recovery Essentials to backup your files. It works even if you can’t boot into Windows. The steps to install Windows 7 are:
Method #3: Use Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials (or EasyRE) can be used to repair or restore a Windows 7 system:
Download Easy Recovery Essentials Restore Windows 8, 8.1 to factory settingsWindows 8 can be restored to factory settings by either performing a “refresh” of your PC (without affecting your files) or by performing a “reset” (this removes personal files). Other options include a system restore if System Restore wasn’t turned off or using Easy Recovery Essentials. Refresh Windows 8Before you perform a “refresh” of your Windows 8, read the following notes:
To refresh Windows 8, follow these steps:
If you can’t boot into Windows 8 to perform a Refresh, use the Automated Repair feature from Easy Recovery Essentials to fix any potential boot errors on your computer:
Reset Windows 8A “reset” of Windows 8 removes all personal files from your computer. Similar to a refresh of the system, if you upgraded from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, the reset will restore Windows 8.0. You will need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 afterwards. The steps are:
If you can’t boot into Windows 8 to perform the Reset, use the Easy Recovery Essentials and run Automated Repair to fix any potential boot errors:
Restore with System RestoreSystem Restore can restore your Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 to a working condition. To access any of System Restore’s created snapshots, you must load the utility by any of these methods:
Method #1: Access System Restore from within Windows 8/8.1
Method #2: Access System Restore at boot using the installation media. Windows Setup CD/DVD Required! To access the snapshots, you need the installation media: original Windows 8 DVD or original Windows 8.1 USB drive. It’s the media you used to install Windows. The steps are:
Method #3: Access the snapshots with Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials can access the snapshots created by System Restore and restore your computer. To do so, follow these steps:
Restore Windows 10 to factory settingsWindows 10 can be restored to factory settings by either performing a “refresh” of your PC (without affecting your files) or by performing a “reset” (this removes personal files). Other options include a system restore if System Restore wasn’t turned off or using Easy Recovery Essentials. Refresh Windows 10To refresh Windows 10, follow these steps:
If you can’t boot into Windows 10 to perform a Refresh, use the Automated Repair feature from Easy Recovery Essentials to fix any potential boot errors on your computer:
Alternatively, you may also try to refresh your PC by booting into the Advanced Startup option, clicking Troubleshoot -> Reset this PC and then following the instructions on the screen. Reset Windows 10A “reset” of Windows 10 removes all personal files from your computer. The steps are:
If you can’t boot into Windows 10 to perform the Reset, use the Easy Recovery Essentials and run Automated Repair to fix any potential boot errors:
Alternatively, you may also try to reset your PC by booting into the Advanced Startup option, clicking Troubleshoot -> Reset this PC and then following the instructions on the screen. Restore with System RestoreSystem Restore can restore your Windows 10 to a working condition. To access any of System Restore’s created snapshots, you must load the utility by any of these methods:
Method #1: Access System Restore from within Windows 10
Method #2: Access System Restore at boot using the installation media. Windows Setup CD/DVD Required! To access the snapshots, you need the original Windows 10 installation media. It’s the media you used to install Windows. The steps are:
Method #3: Access the snapshots with Easy Recovery Essentials Easy Recovery Essentials can access the snapshots created by System Restore and restore your computer. To do so, follow these steps:
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Applicable SystemsThis Windows-related knowledgebase article applies to the following operating systems:
Propose an edit How do you delete everything off your computer Windows 7?Press "Shift" key while you are clicking Power> Restart button so as to boot into WinRE. Navigate to Troubleshoot > Reset this PC. Then, you will see two options: "Keep my files" or "Remove everything".
How do I wipe my computer clean Windows 7 without a disk?Step 1: Click Start, then select Control Panel and click on System and Security.. Restore operation system to factory default.. Restore operating systems and Retain user data (You still have the option to restore your data). How do I completely wipe my computer and delete everything?Open the Start Menu and select Settings.. Click Update & Security.. Go to the left-hand side, scroll down and click on Recovery.. From there, go to Reset this PC. ... . A prompt will appear with two options, Keep My Files or Remove Everything. ... . Click the Change settings option.. Turn the Data Erasure toggle switch to on.. How do I wipe my computer clean to sell?Open Settings and select Windows Update. Click Advanced Options, then scroll down to Recovery. Click Reset PC then Remove everything.
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