Reset computer to factory settings in Windows 8
If you want to sell your computer or make it available to other people, it is advisable to reset it to the factory settings. All data will be overwritten so that they are no longer recoverable for normal users.
Reset Windows 8 PC to factory settings
- Move the mouse to the top or bottom right corner of the screen. The Charm Bar opens.
- Here you select the "Settings" below.
- Now click on "Change PC settings" at the bottom.
- Select "General" from the menu on the left.
- Scroll down to the bottom and you will see the "Remove everything and reinstall Windows" function. Click on the "Let's go" button there.
- Confirm the following query by clicking on the "Next" button.
- If you have a recovery partition on your computer, Windows automatically recognizes it and uses it for resetting. If this is not the case, you will be asked to insert the Windows 8 DVD.
- Now you will be asked which hard drives you want to reset. You can choose between the partition on which Windows is installed or all partitions. To back up your data conveniently, you can, for example, copy it to the hard disk on which Windows is not installed and only reset the Windows partition. Now decide on one of the two options.
- Now you will be asked if you want to clean the drive completely. If you click on "Remove files only", you may be able to restore them later. However, if you click on "Clean drive completely", all contents will be overwritten.
- Finally, you will be asked whether you really want to carry out the process. To do this, click on the "Reset" button. Now your computer will restart. This process can take several minutes.
If you are doing this on a laptop, be sure to plug it in as a precaution, as resetting can also take a little more time in some cases.