One of the most frustrating things when dealing with a computer is when something goes so wrong with it that there is nothing else that can be done to preserve the computer other than to do a complete factory restore. What this means is that the computer is sent back to a time when it was first shipped out of the factory. While the hardware has still been worn down, there is nothing on it other than the basic programs that came with the computer installation.

It should be noted that there are different ways to restore a computer back to the factory settings. Some computers come with it built on the hard drive while others require a CD. Depending on what your computer requires will determine the type of steps that need to be taken. However, fundamentally, the process is all the same. Once you’ve gotten to the repair screen, the rest takes only a moment.

Going Back to Factory Settings

Before doing any sort of a factory restore, make sure you’ve copied and pasted the documents you want to save onto a memory stick of some sort. A factory restore will result in all of your files being erased. Therefore, having them saved on a flash drive will give you access to them once the factory settings have been put into place.

Depending on the computer, you will either need to put a CD into the drive or restart the computer. If it is the former, once the CD has loaded, a screen will pop up asking what you want to do. Click: “repair your computer” or “restore.” If you have to reset the computer, allow it to reset and once the logo of the computer pops up–Dell, Sony, Toshiba for example–hit f8 or f2 or f5. Different computers have different buttons to push. What you’re looking for is a screen that gives the option to repair your computer.

Once you’ve gotten into the repair area of the computer, look for something that says “Factory Image Restore.” What your hard drive has is an image of what the computer “looked” like when it was shipped. It is going to install that image so that the computer goes back to its old way. Therefore, you want to click that. If you are using a CD, it might be named something different, but will have some sort of a mention of a factory.

Click the factory restore button and then allow it to run its course. Sometimes, it can take up to 45 minutes to do a factory restore. Other times, it can be done in a matter of minutes. Either way, once the restore is done, all files and programs will be gone. That’s why, once again, it is important to have the files saved on a disk drive.