Restore to factory settings
- Thread starter Gerald
- Start date
Stole this from @Martinr36 but this is a guide on how to do a clean install, you can also format additional drives from the disk management menu to clear any extra storage you may have?
W10
Download a new copy of Windows using the Media Creation Tool to an 8GB (min) USB.
Boot that USB and choose a Custom Install.
Delete all UEFI partitions on the system drive (EFI System, Recovery, MSR Reserved, Primary).
Select the unallocated space that results and click the Next button. The installer will create the correct partitions and install Windows.
Run Windows Update repeatedly, even across reboots, until no more updates are found.
You may need/want to download and install the latest graphics driver from the Nvidia/AMD website (they change so regularly the latest version isn't always in the Windows libraries).
W11
Download a new copy of Windows using the Media Creation Tool (Second option on linked page) to an 8GB (min) USB.
Boot that USB and choose a Custom Install.
Delete all UEFI partitions on the system drive (EFI System, Recovery, MSR Reserved, Primary).
Select the unallocated space that results and click the Next button. The installer will create the correct partitions and install Windows.
Run Windows Update repeatedly, even across reboots, until no more updates are found.
You may need/want to download and install the latest graphics driver from the Nvidia/AMD website (they change so regularly the latest version isn't always in the Windows libraries).
W10
Download a new copy of Windows using the Media Creation Tool to an 8GB (min) USB.
Boot that USB and choose a Custom Install.
Delete all UEFI partitions on the system drive (EFI System, Recovery, MSR Reserved, Primary).
Select the unallocated space that results and click the Next button. The installer will create the correct partitions and install Windows.
Run Windows Update repeatedly, even across reboots, until no more updates are found.
You may need/want to download and install the latest graphics driver from the Nvidia/AMD website (they change so regularly the latest version isn't always in the Windows libraries).
W11
Download a new copy of Windows using the Media Creation Tool (Second option on linked page) to an 8GB (min) USB.
Boot that USB and choose a Custom Install.
Delete all UEFI partitions on the system drive (EFI System, Recovery, MSR Reserved, Primary).
Select the unallocated space that results and click the Next button. The installer will create the correct partitions and install Windows.
Run Windows Update repeatedly, even across reboots, until no more updates are found.
You may need/want to download and install the latest graphics driver from the Nvidia/AMD website (they change so regularly the latest version isn't always in the Windows libraries).
sck451
MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
"Clear the data" is a slightly questionable process. It's actually surprisingly hard to do effectively. If you have sensitive data on your machine, you should think long and hard about how you dispose of it. In some cases, replacing the drives entirely is the best bet.
Thanks very much for this. I will give it a try.
The charity will undertake a more thorough disc clean, but this is "belt and braces". But thanks for the good advice.
B4zookaw
VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
This article was useful for me when I wanted to securely wipe a laptop SSD recently:
https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/secure-erase-ssd-or-hard-drive
https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/secure-erase-ssd-or-hard-drive
Many thanks for the tip.
Reset doesn't actually wipe everything that's why a clean install is so important. If you're having trouble at the driver level a reset wont solve the issue just an FYI mate