RESET WINDOWS
When to do it: Windows is getting steadily slower; too many installed programs; numerous settings changed Time taken: Over an hour
If refreshing and restoring Windows don’t produce the results you’re after, it may be time to give Windows a more serious overhaul with a reset. We’re not talking a complete reinstall just yet, but it’s the next best thing to guarantee a performance boost.
Exactly how you do this depends on the version of Windows you’re running. And as we’ll explain in the box below, Microsoft does its best to bamboozle you by juggling its terminology.
What is a Windows reset?
Resetting Windows essentially installs a fresh version of Windows but keeps your personal files and settings. Everything else will go, and that includes all the programs you’ve spent countless hours installing.
The beauty of resetting is that, once you’ve done the prep work, there’s very little for you to do. Just click the Reset button and let Windows get on with it. Make no mistake, though, it is a major change and you need to do a bit of groundwork first.
Check your hardware
Before diving into a Windows reset, it’s worth making sure your hardware isn’t part of the problem. If you’ve got a dodgy hard drive or messed-up memory, your reinstall revolution will be over before it’s begun.
You can use the Scandisk tool in Windows to perform a quick check on your hard drive. In Windows 8.1 and 10, Scandisk is run periodically in the background, whereas in Windows 7 it’s up to you to run the tool. Whatever version of Windows you’re using, it’s worth running a scan yourself to get an up-to-date health check.
Load Scandisk by opening a new File Explorer window (Windows key+e is a quick shortcut), right-clicking the hard drive Windows is installed on in the left pane, then selecting Properties.
In the window that appears, select the Tools tab and, in the ‘Error checking’ section, click the Check button. In Windows 8.1 and 10, click ‘Scan drive’ to start the process; in Windows 7, select the ‘Automatically fix file system errors’ option. You can then continue using your computer while Scandisk inspects your hard drive and attempts to fix any errors it finds. You’ll be notified if any can’t be fixed. If so, it could be time to buy a new hard drive.
To check your memory, use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool – launch it by clicking Start, typing mdsched.exe and pressing Enter. The scan needs to take place before Windows loads, so you’ll have to restart. You can select to do this immediately or schedule it for the next time you restart. To run the scan immediately, click ‘Restart now…’ (see screenshot above).the tool will then scan your memory and report back any problems (the process takes about 15 minutes).
Note down your favourite programs
As mentioned, after you reset you’ll only have programs that come preinstalled with Windows. All your other programs will be removed. However, you won’t lose any personal files created by them.
Consequently, one of your first tasks after the reset will be to reinstall those programs you use frequently. While many programs can be downloaded online, there will always be some that will require the original installation disc, so it’s worth hunting these down before you start resetting.
Ccleaner shows you a list of all your installed programs. Open Ccleaner, click the Tools icon down the left side and leave the Uninstall option selected. Wait for the program list to display, then click the blue ‘Save to text file…’ button in the bottom-right corner. For easier viewing, we recommend opening the resulting file in a spreadsheet program such as Excel. Go through the list, making a note of those you want to reinstall.
Record your product keys
Reinstalling free programs won’t cause problems, but any you’ve purchased will probably require you to activate them with a product key after you reinstall. Online purchases will usually allow you to request a product key reminder, but older programs installed via CD or DVD will print the product key on the program’s CD/DVD case or within the instructions.
Thankfully, all is not lost if you no longer have the original packaging. Free program Belarc Advisor ( www. snipca.com/27397) scans your hard drive for product keys (as well as every system detail imaginable). It takes a good few minutes to scan your system. When complete, the results will be displayed in your default browser. Scroll down to the Software Licenses section and you’ll see a list of installed programs (including your Windows installation) and their associated product keys (see screenshot below). It’s worth printing this information for future reference.
Resetting Windows 7
If you run Windows 7, your reset options are somewhat limited. You can access the Startup Repair tool by starting your computer with the Windows installation disc in the drive, but it’s designed to fix problems rather than make Windows run faster. Instead, you’ll need to skip straight to the reinstall section on page 56.
Resetting Windows 8.1
Windows 8.1 introduced two new tools: one to refresh your PC without affecting your files; the other to ‘remove everything and reinstall Windows’. It’s the former we’re interested in here because it leaves your personal files intact.
From the Start menu, type refresh, then select ‘Refresh your PC without affecting your files’. Next, click the Get Started button. You’ll see a warning about what’s going to be deleted (and what’s not). If you’ve made a note of all programs you need to reinstall (including product keys) and backed up your personal data in case things go wrong, click the Refresh button to start the process. It can take an hour to complete.
Resetting Windows 10
Things get a little more complicated with Windows 10, which provides both Reset and Fresh Start tools. Microsoft does little to explain the difference (see box on page 53) but they act as two completely separate tools. Both methods aim to reinstall Windows while keeping your personal files. There are, however, some important differences between the two.
The Reset option will hunt down Windows files stored on your computer’s recovery partition, which means an internet connection isn’t required. The Fresh Start tool hooks up with Microsoft’s servers to download Windows 10, so you’ll get the latest version (currently the April 2018 Update).
To use the Reset option, click Start, type reset this PC, then press Enter. On the left side of the window, click the Get Started button. Next, choose the ‘Keep my files’ option. You’ll see a list of the programs that will be removed – scan through to make sure you’re happy for all to be deleted. Click Next and the process will begin. Your computer will restart a couple of times throughout.
The Fresh Start method follows a similar process. To access it, click Start, type device performance, then click Enter. Half way down the right side of the window, you’ll see a Fresh Start heading. Click the ‘Additional info’ link below this, then the Get Started button. You’ll be told which programs will be removed (see screenshot above). To press on with Fresh Start, click Next, then Start. As with the reset method, expect the process to last around one hour.