奇怪的是，最近很多人问我如何将计算机恢复到“出厂设置(factory settings)”。根据您对它的看法和您正在运行的Windows版本，出厂设置可能意味着几件事。
对我来说，出厂设置意味着将计算机恢复到您第一次购买时的状态。这包括带有他们喜欢安装的所有第三方软件的操作系统。然而，这可能不是最理想的选择。
考虑它的另一种方法是执行操作系统(operating system)的全新安装，以便您使用操作系统的基本版本。全新安装和恢复出厂设置的区别在于前者不包含任何垃圾(junk third) 第三方软件(party software)。
或者，执行系统还原(system restore)会将操作系统恢复到以前的状态，这与全新安装不同，但可以帮助您使系统正常工作。
最后，有一个修复安装(repair install)，它基本上替换了所有Windows 系统(Windows system)文件，但保持您的数据完整。如果您的系统感染了无法删除的病毒或恶意软件，但您的数据是干净的，这是一个不错的选择。(virus or malware)Windows 和所有应用程序将被擦除，但您的数据将被保留。我将在下面的文章中尝试解释如何执行这些方法中的每一种。
在大多数情况下，如果您处于这个阶段，您的计算机一定是状况不佳。我的建议是执行全新安装，这比恢复您在DVD上或位于硬盘驱动器隐藏分区上的出厂映像要好。(factory image)如果您害怕全新安装会丢失一些数据，请进行修复安装(repair install)。系统还原(System Restore)是最安全的，但通常无法修复主要的恶意软件感染。
恢复出厂设置——系统恢复(Factory Settings – System Restore)
系统还原是(System Restore)Windows中的内置工具，可让您将系统回滚到以前的状态。请注意，它仅“恢复”(restores)注册表和 Windows 系统文件(registry and Windows system files)中的先前设置。它还将卸载您在创建还原点(restore point)后可能已安装的所有应用程序。
您可以使用系统还原来(system restore)摆脱间谍软件，但如果系统还原(system restore)不能解决您的问题，您将不得不求助于操作系统的全新安装或恢复DVD/partition。
您可以阅读我之前关于如何使用系统还原功能(System Restore feature)还原计算机的文章。如果系统还原(system restore)被禁用，您可以阅读我关于如何再次启用系统还原(system restore)的帖子。
恢复Factory Settings – Recovery CD/DVDs
大多数计算机都带有恢复CD/DVD或隐藏在计算机上的恢复分区。(recovery partition)这适用于当今大多数宏碁(Acer)、华硕(Asus)、 惠普(HP)、戴尔(Dell)和联想(Lenovo)机器。
如果您有其中之一，则可以从Windows中或在启动期间访问恢复分区。(recovery partition)只需按照上面的链接获取详细说明。
我不推荐此选项的唯一原因是所有PC 供应商恢复(PC vendor recovery)映像都包含额外的第三方软件，这会显着降低您的计算机速度。
恢复Factory Settings – Clean/Repair Install Windows
将Windows(Windows)恢复到出厂设置的最后也是最后一个选择 是执行全新安装或修复安装(install or repair install)。根据您的Windows版本，该过程会有所不同。
视窗
对于Windows XP，您实际上只能使用CD/DVD执行此操作。全新安装基本上包括从原始XP CD启动、删除所有分区、重新创建新分区，然后从 CD安装Windows XP 。
这是一个相当简单的过程，您可以阅读这个出色的教程(excellent tutorial)以获取分步说明。同样(Again)，重要的是要注意，您将在此过程中丢失所有数据。
如果您需要修复损坏或丢失的Windows 系统(Windows system)文件而不丢失任何数据，建议您尝试修复安装(repair install)XP（向下滚动到文章底部）。
Windows 7的
如果您运行的是Windows 7，则需要拥有操作系统的DVD或创建自己的可引导USB 设备(USB device) 来执行全新安装。如果您有原始DVD，那么我们可以在Windows中启动该过程。
转到控制面板(Control Panel)并单击恢复(Recovery)。如果您没有看到(t see)图标，请单击右上角的小下拉菜单，然后从小图标或大图标中进行选择，而不是Category。
接下来单击底部的高级恢复方法(Advanced Recovery Methods)链接。
现在单击重新安装 Windows（需要 Windows 安装光盘）(Reinstall Windows (require Windows installation disc))选项。
继续并放入光盘，重新安装过程(reinstall process)将开始。首先(First)，如果需要，系统会要求您备份数据，然后您必须重新启动。重新启动后，会弹出一个恢复选项对话框，然后系统会要求您确认是否真的要重新安装(Recovery Options)Windows。
一旦它检测到DVD，您就可以开始安装(installation process)了。请注意，执行此操作时，它会将旧版本的Windows移动到Windows.old 目录(Windows.old directory)中，这最终会占用大量空间。只需(Just)运行磁盘清理(Disk Cleanup)并确保单击清理系统文件(Clean up system files)按钮。
如果您想执行Windows 7的(Windows 7)修复安装(repair install)，这是一个相当复杂的过程。我建议只复制您的数据并执行全新安装，但如果您真的想尝试进行修复安装(repair install)，请查看此分步指南(step by step guide)。如前所述，修复安装不会删除您的个人文件。
最后，如果您没有DVD，则需要创建一个安装了Windows 7的可启动(Windows 7)USB 驱动器(USB drive)。然后，您将从USB 驱动器(USB drive)启动并全新安装Windows 7。
视窗 8.1
这是事情开始变得容易一些的地方。从Windows 8开始，您不再需要DVD或可启动USB 设备(USB device)来修复安装或全新安装您的 PC。
但是，这里有一个小例外需要我提一下。使用Windows 8或 10 创建您自己的可启动(Windows 8)USB 设备(USB device)仍然值得努力，因为许多 PC 供应商将他们自己的映像添加到操作系统，这样当您执行重置或刷新(Reset or Refresh)时，它实际上会加载他们的自定义映像软件而不是Windows的干净版本。
使用Windows 8和Windows 10，您甚至不需要像使用Windows 7那样创建可启动USB 驱动器的(USB drive)产品密钥(product key)，因此如果可以的话，最好这样做。如果没有，您可以从Windows 8.1执行此操作。
单击(Click)“开始”按钮(Start button)以显示“开始”屏幕(Start screen)。现在只需开始输入电脑设置(pc settings)，超级按钮栏就会出现在最右侧。
单击底部的更新和恢复，然后单击( Update and Recovery)恢复(Recovery)。您现在将看到几个选项。
在不影响文件的情况下刷新您的 PC(Refresh your PC without affecting your files)是修复安装选项。它将保留您的个人文件并替换所有系统文件。
删除所有内容并重新安装 Windows(Remove everything and reinstall Windows)会将系统恢复为出厂设置，这正是我在文章开头所描述的。这意味着可以恢复自定义映像，其中包括PC 供应商(PC vendor)最初安装在系统上的任何内容。
Advanced Startup将允许您通过从USB 驱动器(USB drive)启动来执行真正的全新安装，这将是Microsoft的(Microsoft)Windows的全新版本。
如果创建USB 驱动器(USB drive)太复杂或者您根本不在乎(t care)，请继续执行第二个选项，然后简单地卸载恢复后可能已包含的任何第三方软件。
视窗 10
Windows 10的过程与 Windows 8.1 有点不同，但差别不大。在Windows 10中，单击开始按钮(Start button)，然后单击设置(Settings)。
单击更新和安全(Update & Security)，然后单击恢复(Recovery)。
在这里，您只有两个选项：重置此 PC(Reset this PC)和高级启动(Advanced startup)。当您单击重置(Reset)此 PC 时，您将获得在保留文件的同时进行重置或通过删除所有内容进行重置的选项。
在Windows 10中，如果您选择删除所有内容，您还会看到一个新选项，询问您是否要清理驱动器，这意味着它不仅会删除所有内容，还会尝试安全擦除所有内容，以便无法恢复数据.
同样，您还可以创建一个带有Windows 10的(Windows 10)USB 闪存(USB flash)驱动器，从该驱动器启动并以这种方式重新安装。这将确保您安装的是最新版本的Windows，并且它是一个干净的版本。
此外，值得注意的是，一旦您将系统恢复到干净状态，您应该花费少量时间来创建可启动的恢复驱动器(recovery drive)。这将允许您快速将系统恢复到您设置的全新状态。如果您有任何问题，请随时发表评论。享受！
How to Restore Windows to Factory Settings
Oddly enough, I’ve been askеd by many people reсently how thеy can restore their computеrs to “factory settings”. Depending on how you look at it and version of Windows you are running, factory settings can mean several things.
For me, factory settings means getting the computer back to the state when you first bought it. This includes the OS with all the third-party software they like to install with it. However, this may not be the most ideal choice.
Another way to think about it is to perform a clean install of the operating system, so that you are working with a bare bones version of the OS. The difference between a clean install and restoring to factory settings is the fact that the former does not include any junk third party software.
Alternatively, performing a system restore reverts the OS to a previous state, which is not exactly like a clean install, but could help you get your system working properly.
Lastly, there is a repair install, which basically replaces all of the Windows system files, but keeps your data intact. This is a good option if your system has become infected with a virus or malware you can’t remove, but your data is clean. Windows and all apps will be wiped, but your data will be kept. I’ll try to explain how you can perform each one of these methods in the article below.
For the most part, if you’re at this stage, your computer must be really in bad shape. My recommendation is to perform a clean install, which is better than restoring the factory image that you either get on DVD or that is located on a hidden partition in the hard drive. If you’re scared to lose some data with a clean install, go for a repair install. System Restore is the safest, but usually can’t fix major malware infections.
Restore Factory Settings – System Restore
System Restore is a built-in tool in Windows that allows you to roll back the system to a previous state. Note that it only “restores” previous settings in the registry and Windows system files. It will also uninstall any applications that you might have installed after the restore point was created.
You can use system restore to get rid of spyware, but if system restore does not fix your problem, you’ll have to resort to either a clean install of the OS or to the recovery DVD/partition.
You can read my previous post on how to restore your computer using the System Restore feature. If system restore is disabled, you can read my post on how to enable system restore again.
Restore Factory Settings – Recovery CD/DVDs
Most computers come with either a recovery CD/DVD or a recovery partition that is hidden on the computer. This is true for most Acer, Asus, HP, Dell and Lenovo machines nowadays.
If you have one of these, you can access the recovery partition from within Windows or during startup. Just follow the links above for detailed instructions.
The only reason I don’t recommend this option is because all of the PC vendor recovery images include additional third-party software, which slows down your computer significantly.
Restore Factory Settings – Clean/Repair Install Windows
Your last and final options for restoring Windows to factory settings is to perform a clean install or repair install. Depending on your version of Windows, the process will be different.
Windows XP
For Windows XP, you can really only do this using a CD/DVD. A clean install basically consists of booting from the original XP CD, deleting all partitions, recreating new partitions, and then installing Windows XP from CD.
It’s a fairly straight-forward process and you can read this excellent tutorial for step by step instructions. Again, it’s important to note that you will lose all your data in this process.
If you need to fix corrupted or missing Windows system files without losing any data, it is recommended you try a repair install of XP (scroll down to the bottom of the article).
Windows 7
If you are running Windows 7 , you’ll need to have the DVD for the OS or create your own bootable USB device to perform a clean install. If you have the original DVD, then we can start the process from within Windows.
Go to the Control Panel and click on Recovery. If you don’t see icons, click on the little drop-down at the top right and choose from small or large icons instead of Category.
Next click on the link at the bottom for Advanced Recovery Methods.
Now click on the Reinstall Windows (require Windows installation disc) option.
Go ahead and put in the disc and the reinstall process will begin. First, you’ll be asked to backup your data if you want and then you’ll have to restart. Once restarted, a Recovery Options dialog pops up and then you’ll be asked to confirm whether you really want to reinstall Windows.
Once it detects the DVD, you’re good to go and the installation process will begin. Note that when you do this, it will move the old version of Windows into the Windows.old directory, which can end up taking up a lot of space. Just run Disk Cleanup and make sure to click the Clean up system files button.
If you want to perform a repair install of Windows 7, it’s a fairly complicated process. I suggest just copying your data off and performing a clean install, but if you really want to try to do a repair install, check out this step by step guide. As mentioned before, a repair install won’t delete your personal files.
Lastly, if you don’t have the DVD, you’ll need to create a bootable USB drive with Windows 7 installed on it. Then you’ll boot from the USB drive and clean install Windows 7.
Windows 8.1
This is where things start to get a little easier. Starting with Windows 8, you no longer need a DVD or bootable USB device to repair install or clean install your PC.
However, there is one little exception here that I should mention. It still might be worth the effort to create your own bootable USB device with Windows 8 or 10 because a lot of PC vendors add their own images to the OS so that when you perform a Reset or Refresh, it actually loads their customized image with extra software rather than a clean version of Windows.
With Windows 8 and Windows 10, you don’t even need a product key to create the bootable USB drive like you do with Windows 7, so it is really preferable to do that way if you can. If not, here’s how you can do it from Windows 8.1.
Click on the Start button to bring up the Start screen. Now just start typing pc settings and the charms bar will appear at the far right.
Click on Update and Recovery at the bottom and then Recovery. You’ll now see a couple of options.
Refresh your PC without affecting your files is the repair install option. It will keep your personal files and replace all the system files.
Remove everything and reinstall Windows will restore the system to factory settings, which is exactly what I described at the very beginning of the article. This means that a customized image might be restored that includes anything the PC vendor originally installed on the system.
Advanced Startup will allow you to perform a true clean install by letting you startup from a USB drive, which will be a clean version of Windows from Microsoft.
If creating the USB drive is too complicated or you just don’t care, go ahead and do the second option and then simply uninstall any third-party software that might already be included after the restore.
Windows 10
The procedure for Windows 10 is a bit different than Windows 8.1, but not by much. In Windows 10, click on the Start button and then click on Settings.
Click on Update & Security and then click on Recovery.
Here you only have two options: Reset this PC and Advanced startup. When you click on Reset this PC, then you’ll get the option to reset while keeping your files or reset by deleting everything.
In Windows 10, if you choose to remove everything, you’ll also see a new option asking if you want to clean the drive, which means it will not only delete everything, but will try to securely erase everything so that data cannot be recovered.
Again, you can also create a USB flash drive with Windows 10 on it, boot from that and reinstall that way. This will ensure you are installing the latest version of Windows and that it’s a clean version.
Also, it’s worth noting that once you restore your system to a clean state, you should invest the small amount of time it takes to create a bootable recovery drive. This will allow you to quickly restore your system to a clean slate that you setup. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!
