Reset windows 10 step by step guide

If you are interested in restoring Windows 10 on the computer you are currently using, you can choose between two different systems to succeed “in the enterprise”. Depending on what are your preferences and needs, you can choose whether to restore Windows 10 using the appropriate functionality Reset the PC available “standard” on Windows or whether to do this using the tool Media Creation Tool offered by Microsoft. The choice is yours. In both cases, do not worry, you will not have to do anything particularly complicated.

If you prefer to restore Windows 10 using the Reset the PC attached to the operating system the first step you need to take is to access the Windows Update and Security section. To do this, type in the search field attached to the taskbar the term settings, click on the first result attached to the list that is shown in the Start menu and then click on the item Update and security in the new window that went to open on the desktop.

At this point, click on the Restore item located in the sidebar on the left and then click on the button To start you find the section Reset your PC.

With regard to what is now shown on the desktop, choose the option Keep my files, if it is your intention to restore Windows 10 going to remove the apps and settings while still maintaining your personal files (photos, text documents, etc.), or choose the Remove all option if you want to remove all your personal files, apps and settings.

On some computers, typically laptops, you can also find the Restore default settings option to restore your computer to the factory state, that is, with the same programs, services, etc. that you had found on the same at the time of purchase.

At this point, if you have selected the option Keep my files related to the appropriate wizard visible on screen by always clicking the button Next and waiting for the recovery of the operating system to be started and completed. In case of change of mind, click the Cancel button.

On the other hand, if you have chosen the Remove all option,  in the window that is then shown to you on the screen indicates whether you want to remove only your personal files or if you want to clean the unit. In the first case press on Remove only my personal files while in the second case click on Remove files and clean the unit and then click on the button Reset.

Please note that the first option allows you to restore Windows 10 faster but it is less secure while the second may take up to a few hours but will make it extremely difficult to recover files from third parties. In both cases, stick to the appropriate wizard that is shown on the screen. Should you have any change, press the Cancel button.

The computer will then reboot and the initial configuration procedure of Windows 10 will start, during which you can adjust various operating system settings. If you prefer to speed it up, you can click Use Quick Settings to use the default settings. You can also associate your Microsoft account with Windows (as in Windows 8 / 8.1) or create a local account in order to immediately start using your PC with Windows 10 installed.

Once you have completed the procedure by which to restore Windows 10, do not forget – if you were asked – to activate your copy of the OS by providing the product key of the same in your possession. To do this, simply access the Settings section of the operating system, click Activate and press the Change product key button.

Restore Windows 10 using the Media Creation Tool

If for any reason you can not access the Reset the PC embedded in the operating system you can restore Windows 10 using  Media Creation Tool. It is a small free program from Microsoft that allows you to download any version of Windows 10, install it on your PC, copy it on a stick or save it as an ISO image.

To download the Media Creation Tool,  click here to connect to the appropriate section of the Microsoft website where you can download Windows 10 and presses the button Download now the tool (32-bit version) or the button Download now the tool (version 64-bit) depending on the version of the operating system you need.

When the download is complete, double click on the Media Creation Tool and choose whether to restore Windows 10 by acting on the  PC in use or if you restore Windows 10 by acting on another PC by creating a special installation media.

In the first case, all the files necessary for the installation of the operating system will be downloaded from the Internet and the procedure to restore Windows 10 will start automatically.

If you choose to create an installation medium for another PC, you can create a USB stick with Windows 10 installation files or you can download the ISO image of the operating system to burn to DVD.

If you intend to restore Windows 10 on the computer you are currently using, once you open the Media Creation Tool window choose to upgrade your PC now and then click on the Next button located at the bottom right, wait for the complete download of all the components needed to install the operating system and follow the appropriate wizard that is shown on the screen.

Then choose whether to download the latest updates available for the new OS before restoring Windows 10 on your computer, click Accept  to accept the conditions of use of the product and indicate if you want to reinstall the operating system keeping personal files, apps and settings, if you do it keeping only your personal files or if you do not store anything, then perform a real formatting. then click on Next and confirm the selection made by clicking on Yes.

Wait now that the procedure by which to restore Windows 10 is started and then choose the language and layout of the keyboard and then presses the Install button.

Then click on Ignore in response to the request for entering the product key (you will enter it once the procedure to restore Windows 10 has been completed), indicates the edition of Windows 10 to be installed on the PC, accepts the conditions of use of the software and choose whether to upgrade the copy of Windows already present on the computer or perform a custom installation.

The computer will then be restarted and then you have to pay attention to the simple initial configuration procedure of the operating system. To be able to complete it and to start using your PC again, follow the instructions that I have already provided in the previous lines, when I explained how to restore Windows 10 through the appropriate feature attached to the OS.

If instead it is your intention to restore Windows 10 going to act on a PC different from the one in use, once opened the Media Creation Tool window select the option to create a Windows 10 installation media, press the Next button, choose which version of Windows 10 you want to download, the language of the OS and the architecture of the same using the appropriate drop-down menus. Next, click on the Next button again.

At this point, check the USB Flash Drive option,  to create a USB flash drive for Windows 10 installation, or next to the ISO File option, to download an ISO file of the operating system, and go Go ahead to indicate the Windows 10 device or folder and to start the download.

Once the download procedure is complete, the Media Creation Tool will automatically copy the Windows 10 files to the key indicated by you or to the ISO file you have decided to save to your PC.

Please note that if you have chosen to restore Windows 10 using a USB stick, the pendrive in question must have a capacity of at least 8 GB.

I suggest also to use an empty key or in any case a pendrive on which are saved files that you have already done to store elsewhere as the device will be formatted and as a result of this operation the previously stored content will be unrecoverable. If instead of the USB stick you chose to restore Windows 10 through ISO files, I suggest you read my guide on how to burn ISO files to find out how to create a DVD installation of the operating system.

Then, eject the Windows 10 stick or DVD and connect the media to the computer on which you want to restore the operating system, making sure that it is off and then turn on the PC by pressing the appropriate button on the case. By doing so, the procedure should automatically start by which you can restore Windows 10 from USB or DVD.

If the procedure to restore Windows 10 from USB or DVD does not start automatically and if the copy of the operating system already installed on the PC should normally start, enter the BIOS and change the boot order by setting as the first device USB port or DVD support by following the instructions in my guide on how to set up the BIOS .

Started the procedure to restore the operating system, follow the instructions that I have already provided in the previous lines to configure and be able to communicate to use the computer “refurbished”. The steps that you need to perform at this point are practically identical.