Computer restore to factory settings

Shy Ted

Ok, before I get lectured that this has been discussed before.
My laptop will no longer install updates and I think it should be running faster.
I backed everything up on a separate hard drive & was going to do the "repair your computer" during startup, but a friend said this won't speed it up.

He said it'll be the same as it was except the files will be off the laptop.
He believes I should do a complete wipe and perform a fresh installation of the operating system.

What's the opinion of the boardie tech experts?

DaveR1000

A factory restore will leave it back like the first day you got it - assuming it has a recovery partition - double check you have all your personal data backed up

note a "repair" is a different thing than factory restore

connorfleming

A repair will find and repair broken/missing files. If it's running slowly, the best way to fix that is to do a format/reinstall (assuming you have an install disk). A factory restore would probably be the next best option though I'm not sure if it would have any bloatware that came with the laptop when you first bought it.

A complete reinstall of Windows will give you a blank installation with absolutely no unnecessary bloatware but will not come with any drivers, so you need to be careful about network drivers and things like that.

I reckon the best option for you would be a factory reset, though make sure you have all your documents stored on an external drive and make sure to note any serial keys for programs that you may not have access to when you reset.

Shy Ted

Thanks for the responses guys.
I don't have an installation disk, so the factory restore is looking like a safe bet for now.
As for the bloatware, I think I can manually remove them. (well the obvious mc afee crap anyway).

Will the factory restore improve the performance?

How do I access the factory restore?

DaveR1000

Make and model of system? - is there anything in the start menu / programs about a factory restore

Shy Ted

Dell XPS L702X. 64bit

Just the usual in accessories, systems tools, system restore
I've always thought this only restores to saved restore points and doesn't wipe the document files etc...

If I type restore in the search field I get "Restore your computer or reinstall windows"

connorfleming

RPM7 wrote: »

Thanks for the responses guys.
I don't have an installation disk, so the factory restore is looking like a safe bet for now.
As for the bloatware, I think I can manually remove them. (well the obvious mc afee crap anyway).

Will the factory restore improve the performance?

How do I access the factory restore?

The factory reset will improve your performance as it's likely that there's just a buildup of files on you hard drive. A nice fresh(ish, seeing as you will be doing a restore not a fresh install) installation of Windows is always a lot faster than an older installation. I like to reinstall every six-twelve months just to keep my PC nice and snappy, though that's probably a lot more than normal people would do.

DaveR1000

Instructions are here

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/19/KCS/KcsArticles/ArticleView?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&docid=DSN_362066

Best of luck

Shy Ted

Cheers guys, I'll give it a lash and see how it goes.