Does resetting a laptop remove everything?

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Asked by: Prof. Raegan Nienow V
Score: 4.2/5 (4 votes)

During the factory resetting process, your PC's hard drive is completely erased and you lose any business, financial and personal files that may be present on the computer. Once the resetting process starts, you cannot interrupt it.

Will factory reset remove all data from laptop?

Simply restoring the operating system to factory settings does not delete all data and neither does formatting the hard drive before reinstalling the OS. To really wipe a drive clean, users will need to run secure-erase software.

Does a factory reset delete everything permanently?

When you do a factory reset on your Android device, it erases all the data on your device. It is similar to the concept of formatting a computer hard drive, which deletes all the pointers to your data, so the computer no longer knows where the data is stored.

Is factory reset good for laptop?

Windows itself recommends that going through a reset might be a good way of improving the performance of a computer that isn't running well. ... Don't assume that Windows will know where all your personal files are kept. In other words, make sure they're still backed up, just in case.

How do I permanently delete everything off my laptop?

If you have a laptop that's still functioning, though, consider recycling or donating it....

Android

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap System and expand the Advanced drop-down.
  3. Tap Reset options.
  4. Tap Erase all data.
  5. Tap Reset Phone, enter your PIN, and select Erase Everything.

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Simply go to the Start Menu and click on Settings. Navigate to Update & Security, and look for the recovery menu. From there you just select Reset this PC and follow the instructions from there. It may ask you to erase data either “quickly” or “thoroughly” — we suggest taking the time to do the latter.

But if we reset our device because we noticed that its snappiness has slowed down, the biggest drawback is the loss of data, so it is essential to backup all your data, contacts, photos, videos, files, music, before resetting.

Resetting to Factory Settings

During the factory resetting process, your PC's hard drive is completely erased and you lose any business, financial and personal files that may be present on the computer. Once the resetting process starts, you cannot interrupt it.

To begin, in the Start menu, click Settings, and then click Update & Security. In the resulting Update & Security window, click Recovery in the left pane. Under Reset this PC in the right pane click Get Started. In the following screen, choose either Keep my Files, Remove Everything, or Restore Factory Settings.

It will not remove the device's operating system (iOS, Android, Windows Phone) but will go back to its original set of apps and settings. Also, resetting it doesn't harm your phone, even if you end up doing it multiple times.

Yes! It's absolutely possible to recover data after factory reset Android. ... Because whenever you delete a file from your Android phone or your factory reset your Android phone, the data stored on your phone never gets permanently wiped out. The data remains hidden in the storage space of your Android phone.

To reset your PC to its factory default settings on Windows 10, just open the Settings app and head to Update & Security > Recovery. ... If you select “Remove everything”, Windows will erase everything, including your personal files.

No it will not.... hard reset is simply hold down power button 30 seconds with no power supply attached. It is not the same as a cell phone reset.

When you restore to factory defaults, this information is not deleted; instead it's used to reinstall all necessary software for your device. The only data removed during a factory reset is data you add: apps, contacts, stored messages and multimedia files like photos.

Factory resets aren't perfect. They don't delete everything on the computer. The data will still exist on the hard drive. Such is the nature of hard drives that this type of erasure doesn't mean getting rid of the data written to them, it just means the data can no longer be accessed by your system.

Click the Start menu and select the gear icon in the lower left to open up the Settings window. You can also select the Settings app from the app list. Under Settings, click Update & Security > Recovery, then select Get started under Reset this PC.

A factory data reset erases your data from the phone. While data stored in your Google Account can be restored, all apps and their data will be uninstalled. To be ready to restore your data, make sure that it's in your Google Account. Learn how to back up your data.

How to wipe a Windows hard drive

  1. Click the Start button and then click "Settings."
  2. In the Settings window, click "Update & Security."
  3. In the pane on the left, click "Recovery."
  4. In the Reset this PC section of the window, click "Get started."
  5. In the Reset this PC window, click "Remove everything."

A factory reset relates to the rebooting of the entire system, while hard resets relates to the resetting of any hardware in the system. Factory Reset: Factory resets are generally done to remove the data entirely from a device, the device is to be started again and requires the need of re installation of the software.

A hard reset, also known as a factory reset or master reset, is the restoration of a device to the state it was in when it left the factory. All settings, applications and data added by the user are removed.

Advantages of Factory Reset Protection

Restoring your Factory settings, your phone will perform better. Your Android device becomes faster. Free up space on your device. It can be done remotely.

For Windows 10, go to the Start Menu and click on Settings. Then navigate to Update & Security, and find the Recovery menu. Next, select Reset this PC and choose Get Started. Follow the instructions to revert your computer back to when it was first unboxed.

Before donating or recycling your computer, you need to completely wipe or remove the hard drives. By doing so, you will ensure that the data on the hard drives will be completely erased and untraceable by data thieves.

  1. You're not as safe as you think.
  2. Step 1 – Backup your device.
  3. Step 2: destroy your hard drive or wipe it.
  4. Step 3: securely dispose of your laptop and its parts.
  5. Step 4: Congratulations, you have disposed of your laptop securely.

Windows 10 includes a “Reset your PC” option that quickly restores Windows to its factory default configuration. It’s faster and more convenient than reinstalling Windows from scratch or using your manufacturer’s recovery partition.

Windows 8 had separate “Refresh your PC” and “Reset your PC” options. Refresh kept all your files and personalization settings, but set your PC settings to the default and uninstalled your desktop apps. Reset removed everything, including your files–like doing a complete Windows resintall from scratch.

On Windows 10, things are a bit simpler. The only option is “Reset your PC”, but during the process, you’ll get to choose whether to keep your personal files or not.

How Resetting Your PC Works

When you use the “Reset this PC” feature in Windows, Windows resets itself to its factory default state. If you purchased a PC and it came with Windows 10 installed, your PC will be in the same state you received it in. All the manufacturer installed software and drivers that came with the PC will be reinstalled. If you installed Windows 10 yourself, it will be a fresh Windows 10 system without any additional software.

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You can choose whether you want to keep your personal files or erase them. However, all your installed programs and settings will be erased. This ensures you have a fresh system. Any problems caused by third-party software, system file corruption, system settings changes, or malware should be fixed by resetting your PC.

If your computer came with Windows pre-installed, you may also see a third option, “Restore Factory Settings”. This will restore the original version that came with your PC–so if your computer came with Windows 8, and you upgraded to Windows 10, it will reset back to Windows 8.

This process is very similar to reinstalling Windows from scratch or using a manufacturer-supplied recovery partition, but is more convenient.

Under the Hood

Microsoft has explained what’s actually going on under the hood here. When you reset your PC and remove everything:

    1. The PC boots into Windows RE, the Windows Recovery Environment
    2. Windows RE erases and formats the Windows partitions before installing a fresh copy of Windows.
    3. The PC restarts into the new copy of Windows.

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When you choose to keep your files, the same steps occur. However, before erasing your Windows partition, Windows RE scans the hard drive for your files and personal settings. It places them aside, installs a fresh copy of Windows, and puts them back where they were found.

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Whether you choose to keep your personal files or not, this process involves a completely fresh Windows system. That’s why your desktop programs are erased.

How to Reset Your PC From Within Windows

To reset your PC to its factory default settings on Windows 10, just open the Settings app and head to Update & Security > Recovery. Click or tap the “Get Started” button under “Reset this PC”.

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On Windows 8, head to Change PC Settings > Update & Recovery > Recovery to find the equivalent “Refresh your PC” and “Reset this PC” options.

You can choose to either “Keep my files” or “Remove everything”. If you select “Keep my files”, Windows will reset Windows to its default state, removing your installed applications and settings but keeping your personal files. If you select “Remove everything”, Windows will erase everything, including your personal files.

If you just want a fresh Windows system, select “Keep my files” to reset Windows without deleting your personal files. You should use the “Remove everything” option when selling a computer or giving it to someone else, as this will erase your personal data and set the machine to its factory default state. Either way, it’s a good idea to have backups of your important files before using this feature.

In Windows 8, the “Keep my files” option was named “Refresh your PC” and the “Remove everything” option was named “Reset your PC”. Windows 10 simplifies things by calling this process “Reset your PC” and asking what you want to do with your files.

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If you choose to remove everything, Windows will ask if you want to “clean the drives, too”. Select “Remove files and clean the drive” and Windows will copy data over the drive to ensure your deleted files can’t be recovered. This is the ideal option to use when you’re selling or giving away the PC (or its hard drive).

How to Reset Your PC From the Boot Menu

RELATED: Three Ways to Access the Windows 8 or 10 Boot Options Menu

If your Windows PC isn’t booting properly, you can reset it from the boot options menu. We’ve covered several ways to access this menu. However, this menu will also appear automatically if Windows can’t boot.

Select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC to reset your PC from the menu.

How to Get a Fresh Windows 10 System Without the Bloatware

RELATED: How to Easily Reinstall Windows 10 Without the Bloatware

The “Reset this PC” option is convenient, but there’s one big problem with it: if your PC manufacturer installed a lot of junk software you don’t want at the factory, resetting your PC will bring all that junk back.

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Thankfully, with Windows 10’s Anniversary Update, there’s now an easy way to get a fresh-from-Microsoft Windows 10 system.  Just click the “Learn how to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows” link on the Settings > Update & Security > Recovery screen.

The new “Give your PC a fresh start” tool will download a Windows 10 image straight from Microsoft and install it on your system, giving you a fresh-from-Microsoft system with none of that factory software installed. The hardware drivers you need should be automatically downloaded from Windows Update after you’re done. If you need a hardware driver or utility that isn’t automatically installed from Windows Update, you’ll find them on your PC manufacturer’s download site.

Windows 8 allowed you to create a custom refresh image. Whenever you refreshed or reset your PC, it would use your custom image instead of the default one. For example, you could uninstall bloatware that came with your PC, install important software, or change system settings and then create a refresh image with the current system state. However, this option is no longer present in Windows 10–but the bloatware-less option is at least a nice consolation prize.