If you want to restore your computer to its original factory settings there are many ways this can be done, which we cover below.

Before performing a factory restore lets be clear about what this is going to do.

As the name suggests your computer will be restored to the day it was when it left the factory.

Resetting your computer to its original settings is perhaps the most extreme software fix around as it will not only format your computers hard drive, but will also recreate the disks partition.

This means that any files folders, emails windows updates, everything will be wiped, so make sure you have a backup of anything you need as once you run a factory restore everything previously on the disk is gone, for good.

Advantages
If you are performing a factory reset due to any software issues such as, viruses, spyware, slow computer or crashes this should fix all of these issues.

If you have a second user computer and want to remove any old profiles applications, or anything related to previous users which could be anywhere restoring computer to factory settings will accomplish all of this.

Unlike a system rebuild a restoring to factory settings will build the computer with little or no input from you, plus it will install all of the needed drivers, unlike a rebuild where you might need to download drivers for video or network cards etc.

Disadvantages
Wipes everything so you need to ensure you backup anything you need, for an idea of this (its very easy to forget something) checkout our article for more on what you might need to backup.

As most factory restores delete partitions, they might also create multiple partitions so you will be left with a C & D drive (a common problem with this is the C drive fills up, but the D drive still has lots of space)

If you have had your computer a couple of years, this means the restore image will be at least this old. Once you restore your computer to factory settings it will need to be updated with around 2 years of Microsoft updates.

Invoking a factory restore can be a hit and miss procedure to get running as many manufacturers use different methods of restoring a computer to factory settings.

Common ways to restore a computer to factory settings

• If your computer has a restore partition hitting the F11 key on system start-up should invoke this.
• You can check for a restore partition via Disk Management (Right click on Computer or My Computer – Select Manage – Disk Management)
• If you have a recovery CD or DVD for your computer hitting the F12 key on system start-up will allow you to choose the CD as your boot device.
• If the computer manufacturer did not provide a recovery partition or recovery disks check to see if they provide a way to create a recovery disk, many such as Acer offer this.

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