Resetting to Factory Settings?

Discussion in 'Laptop General Discussion' started by Dame6089, Jun 22, 2016.

  1. Dame6089

    Dame6089

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2016
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    2
    I have always wondered about resetting laptops and computers to factory settings when they get old. We have all experienced that moment when all of the things we have on our computers cause them to slow down. Would it help at all to reset and start with a clean slate or is it a lost cause by the time slow down starts to happen?
     
    Dame6089, Jun 22, 2016
    #1
    IcyBC likes this.
  2. Dame6089

    something back

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2011
    Messages:
    1,639
    Likes Received:
    392
    Location:
    North of the Watford Gap ,UK
    If you think of your machine like a filing cabinet,some redundant files may still
    be in it, taking up space,others may be misfiled slowing things down, then this is very similar situation
    to what's been happening over time with your machine.

    A fresh install will tidy things up make the whole thing run better, age is not a factor
     
    something back, Jun 23, 2016
    #2
    IcyBC likes this.
  3. Dame6089

    vinaya

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2016
    Messages:
    327
    Likes Received:
    44
    I once reset my computer to factory reset. I did not do this because my computer was old or was getting slow. I had to do this because virus corrupted my C drive. My antivirus had expired and I was dillydallying to renew, in the mean time virus infected my C driver. After factory reset, my computer was as good as new one. Factory reset indeed helps.
     
    vinaya, Jun 25, 2016
    #3
  4. Dame6089

    IcyBC

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2015
    Messages:
    756
    Likes Received:
    116
    I did this on my old HP laptop once and it did making a different! I don't remember what happened to it, but I just plunged right in and re-install Window.
     
    IcyBC, Jun 25, 2016
    #4
  5. Dame6089

    sparkster

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2015
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    26
    I agree with the poster above who said that age is not always a factor. Wiping the hard drive entirely and reinstalling Windows can often leave a machine running like it's brand new, that is unless there does happen to be hardware problems but usually even when there are hardware problems it's usually quite straightforward to sort them out. I think the problem with most computers is that most people don't know how to look after them properly; scan for malware, clean out temporary files/cookies, perform cleanup, disc check, defragmentation, etc. I think if most people did that properly, their computers would last a lot longer.
     
    sparkster, Jun 25, 2016
    #5
  6. Dame6089

    rz3300

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    224
    Likes Received:
    21
    I was in the same situation as @vinaya and I was really forced to set it back, and for what I remember it did solve the issues for about ten minutes and I thought that I was okay and everything was back to normal, only to get the same screen and realize that it was something far worse than that. That was the point when I just gave up, so I would say that just prepare for the worst if you try and know what you are getting yourself into.
     
    rz3300, Jun 25, 2016
    #6
  7. Dame6089

    Jaydon A.

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2016
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    1
    Usually if you can boot the PC in Safe Mode you will be able to access factory reset from the Windows Control Panel. Make sure that you have administrative privileges and that you back up any important data like pictures and documents, etc. prior to resetting!
     
    Jaydon A., Jun 29, 2016
    #7
  8. Dame6089

    Vash

    Joined:
    May 14, 2016
    Messages:
    172
    Likes Received:
    25
    From what I understand, you can't just "reset" a laptop to factory setting. There is no such button... unlike some router, modem, etc. kind of simpler devices.

    What you can do is to use "restore" it back to a certain date if you have restore point from back then. I usually create some restore points when I first installed a fresh OS and after installed some important programs. So if there is a problem later, I get to go back to when everything was still fine.

    Correct me if I am wrong. Maybe I am unaware of Windows 10 having such feature.
     
    Vash, Jun 29, 2016
    #8
  9. Dame6089

    Jaydon A.

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2016
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    1
    Yes you have to start the PC in safe mode. I can list the steps here for doing it if you would like.
     
    Jaydon A., Jun 29, 2016
    #9
  10. Dame6089

    obliviousme

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2016
    Messages:
    106
    Likes Received:
    5
    I've always wanted to reset my laptop to it's default factory settings whenever it lags for no reason, but i always chicken out the last minute because really, what if i just mess up the whole thing and it won't start up again, then I'd be left without a laptop and that's just not acceptable. But i think i can do it if i really put time to research how it's done properly.
     
    obliviousme, Jul 4, 2016
    #10
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.