

Windows will warn you to keep the PC plugged in during Refresh. On the next screen you will see a list of changes to be made during Refresh. If you booted from a recovery drive or installation media, then you'll skip this step.ĥ. If you got to the Boot Options menu from the "Choose an operating system" screen, then you'll need to choose an Administrator account at this point. On the next screen, choose Refresh your PC.Ĥ. Go to the Boot Options menu using methods 4, 5, or 6 in this tutorial: How to access the Boot Options menu in Windows 8 and 10.ģ. If Windows does not load properly, you need to access the Refresh option at bootġ. Windows will restart and the refresh process will begin. This list of programs will also be available on your Desktop after the Refresh procedure is completed. You will see a list of programs that you will need to re-install after Refresh is complete. On the next screen, Windows will notify you of what will happen during Refresh. Choose Get started under Refresh your PC without affecting your files.Ĥ. If Windows loads normally, log in as an Administrator and do these stepsģ. Note that this tutorial works on both Windows 8 and 10, but it was tested on Windows 10 only. Another option would be to create your own custom refresh image.

If not, you will need a Windows 10 installation or recovery media. If your PC comes with a recovery image from your its manufacturer, then Windows 10 will use that image to refresh your PC. It contains all the files of the previous Windows installation and can be deleted.

A list of these desktop software will be saved on desktop on the newly installed Windows copy.Īfter the refresh is finished, an Windows.old folder will be present on your OS partition. The apps you installed from the Windows Store will be kept, but desktop software won't. Your files and personalization settings won't be changed, but the PC Settings app will be changed to its default settings.

Before you go and do that, you should try the Refresh option included in Windows 8 and 10. After a while, things start to feel a bit sluggish and you might feel the need for a OS re-install. When getting a new PC with Windows 8 or 10, you'll notice that it runs pretty smooth at the beginning.
