Does your Windows 10 laptop or PC cause you trouble? Whether it’s a long startup time or frequent error messages, you may want to Factory Reset Windows 10 to its default settings. This means erasing all the information on the hard drive and starting from scratch.
Restarting Windows 10 is definitely a good way to fix many drive update issues and registry errors. However, please be patient, as this process can be time-consuming, so this activity will take at least a few hours. This article discusses the various steps for restoring factory settings on a Windows 10 laptop.
Always Make a Backup First
Since a clean restart will erase all your information on the PC, you need to back it up elsewhere. You can create a backup copy to a network drive or copy the files individually to an external hard drive.
Personally, I like to store backups in the cloud. For this reason, I prefer Microsoft OneDrive because it is tightly integrated with Windows. Also, files and folders on OneDrive can be uploaded and downloaded in exactly the same way as a Windows PC.
No matter which method is simple for you, do not forget about the backup phase, because in rare cases, there will be problems when restoring factory settings. Screen freezing and infinite reboot cycles are not unheard of. If you encounter these issues during Factory Reset Windows 10, perform a cold reset by pressing the power button hard.
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Turn on the “Reset this PC” Option
The Factory Reset Windows 10 option can be turned on simply from the Start menu. You can also access it from “Settings.”
Click “Get started” to Factory Reset Windows 10. You can also access this option from an “Advanced startup” menu discussed below.
You will be given two choices for resetting Windows 10. You can either keep your personal file and remove the apps and settings or go nuclear and delete everything.
Before you remove your data, you will be asked one last time whether you want to just remove the files. It also consumes less time than a complete reset. Click “Next” to ignore the advice.
It will take just a few minutes for the reset option to be enabled on your Windows PC.
In the next step your Windows 10 PC will prepare itself to reset everything. The process can take a little time, so be patient.
Once successful, the PC will prepare the restart and proceed further.
The PC will now restart in the background. This is a slow and time-consuming process. Windows will reinstall in the background. All the applications you installed will be removed. Only pre-installed Windows applications will be inserted. Wait for the process to complete on its own, and you will have a similar desktop and upgrade to the factory version of Windows you purchased.
Advanced Startup “Reset” Method
Another option is to reset the Windows PC to safe mode. This is the first choice if you stay indefinitely on the “Ready to reset” option in the previous section. It is mainly a GUI error. The same process is used in the safe mode option, but the steps are slightly different, as shown below.
To reset Windows 10 in safe mode, go to “Advanced startup” in the “Start” menu. Once the blue screen starts, go to “Troubleshooting” and then to “Reset this PC.” Here, you can choose to reset only the drivers installed with Windows or all drives. Choose the latter for a full reboot.
In the next step you get a choice to “fully clean the drive” or just “remove the files.”
The reset stage is ready. Once you click the “Reset” button, the PC will restart. and a Windows 10 reset will occur in the background.
Factory resetting your Windows 10 PC should be considered the last option, because it is not uncommon to encounter problems when doing this. It’s best to fix the problem first, whether it’s a Windows Store bug, a fabric critical damage bug, or a system configuration bug. Just restart the PC if all the solutions don’t work.
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