On newly purchased laptops or pre-assembled PCs, the operating system is often ready for use and with several programs already installed (often customized by the company that sells the laptop and completely useless), to the point of not having to click anywhere: we just have to start using it! After some time it happens to see the laptop slow down even in a conspicuous way (perhaps because of a virus or too many installed programs), thus making a factory reset necessary, a complete recovery of the computer so as to bring it back to the state in which it was when it was bought.
Whatever the reason, in this guide we will show you all the methods we can use to completely restore your laptop or desktop computer to factory settings .
Whatever procedure we decide to follow, at the end we will have a PC as new (even with the predefined programs, which should be uninstalled immediately at this turn) and we can start again with a snappy and fast PC.
If we have a backup of personal data and all the program installers, we can also do this on a regular basis (every 2 years), so as to always have a notebook with Windows in excellent shape.
READ ALSO -> Return the computer to its original state, like new, without reinstalling Windows
On preconfigured computers, we can use different methods to reset the computer and restore it to factory settings, absolutely excluding the possibility of formatting and reinstalling Windows from scratch via USB or DVD disc.
1) Restore Windows 10
If we use Windows 10 as an operating system, restoring to factory settings is a very simple operation and within everyone's reach, as well as customizable according to our needs.
In fact, we can choose whether to restore Windows 10 files and delete all programs but leave personal files intact (documents, music, downloads etc.) or delete everything, so as to restart with a new PC and without any personal file.
To do this, open the Windows 10 Start menu in the lower left corner, click on the gear icon on the left side and select the Update and security -> Restore menu.
Open this menu click on Start present under the section Reset the PC and wait for the recovery of the original Windows files.
After a few minutes the system will ask us if we want to restore Windows and lose the programs but keep the personal files or if we want to reset the whole disk.
We make our choice and wait for the end of the process (on larger disks it can take 2-3 hours).
At the end, the Windows initialization procedure will restart with which to create a new user and customize the system, which will appear as if it had never had any user before.
We have explained in detail, in other articles, how to reset Windows 10 (even without losing personal data) and how to use the internal tool (other than reset) to restore and recover Windows 10 .
2) Restore by image backup
Another very effective method to restore Windows involves the creation (preventive) of system images, to be used if necessary to restore Windows to a previous state or to the original state (if we immediately made the image backup after the purchase).
In this case we will have to clone the disk, make an identical image on another hard disk (also external) and then restore it at the appropriate time.
The best free program we can use for the purpose is EaseUS Todo Backup, which we talked about in depth here -> Free EaseUS Todo Backup Guide for PC .
This method is the fastest both in the backup creation phase and in the recovery phase, but it may need USB sticks or external recovery CDs to be able to act even in the case of a locked or unrecoverable system.
3) Recovery via hidden partition
If the operating system is Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or if you want to sell the computer, you do not need to make a complete copy of the disk, just save the important data on another hard disk and then restore the laptop or desktop PC to the settings. factory, using the recovery partition hidden by the laptop manufacturer.
Let's see together all the steps to be performed to restore the system via hidden partition.
- Save files and folders
The recovery system provided by the manufacturer of the computer used, certainly also allows you to save the backup copy of important files and folders, however, it is better not to rely too much on it.
It should be borne in mind that restoring the factory settings involves a complete reformatting of the hard disk, therefore all personal data will be lost.
Before doing anything it is better to use one of the free programs to make data backups .
- Start the recovery program
Many computer manufacturers, even if they don't provide a copy of the Windows installation CD, insert a recovery partition or recovery disc into your computer or laptop .
Although the names of these recovery programs may vary, roughly speaking, you just need to look for software that has the brand name followed by the word Recovery on your computer.
Depending on the manufacturer, you should find:
Acer - Acer eRecovery
ASUS - ASUS Recovery Partition
Dell - Dell Factory Image Restore
HP - HP PC System Recovery
Sony - Sony Vaio Recovery Wizard
Toshiba - Toshiba HDD Recovery
Lenovo - Lenovo Recovery
This type of computer recovery should work even if Windows no longer starts, starting the computer from the preinstalled hidden partition.
In this case, if you pay attention to the black screen that appears as you turn on the computer, we should note the indication of the key to press to access the recovery console.
precisely the keys should be:
Acer: Alt + F10
Asus: F9
Dell / Alienware: F8
HP: F11
Lenovo: F11
MSI: F3
Samsung: F4
Sony: F10
Toshiba: F10
If you cannot find a recovery partition, you should format Windows with CD or USB media and proceed to create a recovery partition for Windows for future needs.
To completely format Windows using the installation media, we refer you to reading our dedicated guide -> Format and install Windows from scratch, to have a clean and new PC .
- Restore factory settings
Every vendor has their own recovery solution, so there is no way to provide definitive guidance on every vendor.
However, the recovery process almost always works like this: first, the Windows reinstallation program will start with its data loss warning.
After confirming, you can wait by following a progress bar that can last half an hour or several hours depending on the computer.
I recommend, at this stage, not to interrupt the recovery process and, if we are with the laptop, we leave the battery installed and charging, so that we can continue the recovery even in the absence of electricity.
At the end of the process the computer will restart and the system will start as on the first start, with the predefined programs and configurations imposed by the manufacturer.
4) Conclusions
Ideally, all the various recovery procedures seen allow you to recover everything you need or to make your computer fully functional and fast as "just bought".
In some situations, however, it is possible that some drivers have not been installed and you need to go to the manufacturer's website, in the Support or Download Driver sections, specify the model and download the drivers you need; if we have problems recovering some drivers (especially for laptops), please read the guide here -> Update the drivers of a Windows PC automatically .
It is also almost always possible to enter the Windows license key, to confirm that we are the legitimate owners to have started the recovery; if we have license problems, please read our dedicated guide -> Find the Windows Product Key and validate the authentic copy .
READ ALSO -> Clean up your PC of all programs and apps at once
