When a device starts displaying symptoms of exhaustion, the first thing we should do before we get rid of it is check what the possible causes may be of the performance drop that the device is experiencing, be it a smartphone, tablet or computer, devices managed by an operating system.
In this article we are going to show you how to reset Windows 10 from scratch, that is, leave the computer as if we had just installed a clean copy of Windows 10. During this process each and every application that we have installed on the computer is deleted, so it is also an excellent option to clean up the team.
Tips to keep in mind before resetting Windows 10
Backup of documents
Although during this process, Windows allows us to keep a copy of all the documents that we have on our device, that does not mean that we should not make a backup as a precautionary measure. Although this process almost never fails, you can always touch the 1% of the people who fail the process.
Make a backup in Windows 10 It is a very simple and fast process as long as we have a file structure established where we store all the documents we create, since we only have to select it to back up files to restore it later when we have restored our copy of Windows 10.
If you don't have a file structure established yet, and you have the files spread across the desktop, the best you can do is copy all documents and folders to the My Documents folder and make a backup copy on an external drive or following the process that we detail in this tutorial.
Check what applications we have installed
Before carrying out this process and to avoid wasting time once we have reset our equipment, it is create a list with all the applications we have installed and that we use regularly. All those applications that are installed before restoring but that we do not use, it is not necessary to reinstall them, since they will not be necessary and all they do is affect, in the long run, the performance of our team.
If the applications that we have installed we have bought / downloaded from the Microsoft Store, we don't have to look for the corresponding license number in our email account or in our notes. If not, together with the list of applications that we have created, we must extract the serial number directly from the application to avoid wasting time looking for it.
Another aspect that you should take into account among the applications you use regularly are the templates that you have been able to download from Office, macros, Photoshop brushes or plugins, browser extensions that you use regularly ... Also, if your computer has a graphics card that is not integrated into the board, you should be careful to keep the configuration values we have, either by capturing or exporting them to an external file if you offer that option.
Windows settings are also removed
One of the negative aspects of this option that Windows offers us is found in that configuration is not saved that we have established in our team. This is because the reason why our equipment may be malfunctioning is in the configuration of a driver, the graphics card, the bluetooth connection ...
Steps to Reset Windows 10
Once we have taken into account all the sections that I have shown you in the previous sections, the time has come to start taking the necessary steps to restore Windows 10. The first thing we must do is access the Windows configuration options through the shortcut Windows key + i.
Next, we access the options Update and security. Within this section, in the left column, click on Recovery.
Now we go to the right column and in the Reset this PC section we click on the button Contac us.
Then the two recovery options that Windows 10 offers us:
- Keep my files: Delete settings and applications but keep personal files.
- Remove all: Delete all personal files, applications and settings.
In our case, although we have made a backup copy of all our files, we are going to select the first option: Keep personal files, that is, the documents, images and videos that we have stored on our computer.
If you want to remove any trace of your computer, both installed applications and configuration options and files, and we want to leave it as if we installed Windows 10 from scratch, we must select the second option: Remove all.
Next, a new window will be displayed where we are informed of the process that we are going to carry out:
- Remove apps and programs
- Configuration options will be removed restoring default values.
- The personal data related to our account, including the license number, will be kept.
If we want to check which applications are to be removed, we must press the List of applications to be removed. If you look closely, in this list The applications that we have installed from the Windows Store are not displayed, if not those that we have installed manually, that is, that we have downloaded from a web page. We click on next.
REMINDER: If you have not made this list that I have recommended, you can take a screenshot by sending it to you by mail before starting the process.
To start the restoration process, click on Resetting. There is no going back, so keep in mind that if we have skipped any of the steps that we have indicated in this article, you should go back and do it since the process cannot be interrupted.
Once the process starts, a process that will last more or less time depending on the number of applications that we have installed and the power of our equipment, we will not be able to use the equipment. Once the process is finished, the Windows start screen will be displayed, where we will have to write the password for our account.
When accessing, we will check how all the applications that we had installed have been removed from our computer and this is shown as new, as if we had just installed Windows 10 on our computer, but with the advantage of having available all the personal files that we had created or stored on the computer so far.