How to Factory Reset my Hard Drive on Windows 10 computer?

Fuentesgan After factory reset your hard drive, you’re basically starting from scratch. This means you’ll need to reinstall all your programs and set up your system preferences again. I spent ages re-downloading software, inputting license keys, and customizing settings. It’s not exactly a walk in the park, especially if you have a lot of applications installed. I’ve made a list of my essential programs now, ready for the next time!

How to factory reset hard drive on Windows 10 computer? Once your data is safely backed up, let’s kick off the reset. Click on the Start menu (the Windows logo on the bottom left) and then hit the Settings icon (that little gear). You'll land in the settings menu—this is where all the magic happens.

In the Settings window, look for and click on Update & Security. This is where Microsoft has tucked away the recovery options. You’ll find a tab on the left for Recovery. Click on that, and we’re almost there!

Under the “Reset this PC” section, you’ll see a button that says Get started. Click that, and it’s decision time! You’ll be presented with two options:

• Keep my files – This keeps your personal files but removes apps and settings.
• Remove everything – This gives your PC a total wipe and starts fresh.
• If you’re looking to sell your PC or just want a clean slate, go for Remove everything.

Now, after you choose the removal option, you’ll see a prompt where you can choose between two more options:

• Just remove my files – Quicker, but not as secure.
• Remove files and clean the drive – This is the way to go if you want to make sure your data can’t be recovered. It takes longer, but it’s definitely worth it for peace of mind.
• I learned this the hard way when I didn’t choose the clean option. It’s better to be safe, especially with personal information on your drive.

Once you make your selection, a summary screen will come up to review your choices. When you’re ready, click Reset. Your PC will restart and begin the factory reset process. Go grab a snack or binge-watch something while it’s working—that’s what I did! It can take a while, so just let it do its thing.

If you have multiple drives or partitions, make sure you know which one you’re resetting. I almost reset the wrong one once because I wasn’t paying attention. It’s crucial to ensure you’re wiping the right drive that needs to be reset. Also, if you’re recycling a secondary drive, make sure you’re not accidentally wiping your system drive, unless that's your intention!

After you factory reset hard drive on Windows 10, you might need to reinstall certain drivers, especially if you're using any hardware that doesn't have the default Microsoft drivers installed. I had a situation where my graphics card wouldn’t work right until I manually installed the NVIDIA drivers post-reset. Make sure you have the necessary drivers ready or know how to access them before you reset.