How to Restore a Toshiba Satellite to the Factory Settings

Toshiba Satellite laptops can be restored to factory conditions in a couple of ways. The easiest is to purchase recovery discs from Toshiba, if they did not come with your computer. From about mid-2007 and on, Toshiba stopped including a recovery disc with new laptops. A hidden partition on the hard drive containing the same files that can be found on a recovery disc serves the same purpose.

Using the Recovery Partition

Ensure the power adapter is plugged in. Do not switch off or restart your computer during the restore process.

Hold down the power button for 10 seconds to switch off your Toshiba Satellite laptop.

Press and hold the "0" (zero) key on your keyboard at the same time you click on the power button to boot up. When the laptop starts beeping; release the "0" key.

Select "Yes" to continue the system recovery when prompted by the warning screen. Select "Recovery of Factory Default Software;" and click "Next."

Select "Recover to Out-of-Box State" and click "Next." Click "Next" again to start recovery.

Using Recovery Discs

Change the boot sequence of your peripheral hardware -- floppy drive, CD, hard drive, network, USB -- from your BIOS start-up screen. To boot up your laptop from recovery discs, you have to change the boot sequence, which normally powers up the hard drive first.

Boot up your machine. Depending on the model of your Satellite laptop, access your BIOS screen by immediately and repeatedly tapping the "F8," "F5" or "Delete" key on your keyboard.

Use the arrow keys or the "+" and "-" keys on your keyboard to navigate the screen until you highlight the right setting, such as "Boot Devices." Change the order of the devices, putting the CD drive first if you want to boot from CD recovery discs.

Turn off your laptop once your have set the boot process to start with the CD drive.

Boot your computer and follow the prompts from the CD restore discs to return your Satellite laptop to factory conditions.