How To Make Dell Computers Revert To Factory Settings
However reliable your Dell laptop or desktop computer is, the operating system that runs the computer can sometimes fail. Power outages, faulty computer peripherals and computer viruses can all damage a computer beyond repair. If you've tried reinstalling software and hardware to no avail, you might decide that the easiest solution is to restore the computer to its factory settings. This procedure returns the Dell computer to its out-of-the-box state. Back up your personal files first so that you don't lose them during the reset.
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Instructions
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Click the Start menu button, then "Computer." Click on "Libraries" in the left-hand pane of Windows Explorer. Drag and drop any documents, music, pictures and videos that you want to back up to an external hard drive or other removable media. Back up any other data files that you want to save.
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Disconnect all external devices, including printers, scanners, network cables and routers, from the computer. Restart the computer. As the computer boots up, press and hold the "F8" key to access the boot menu.
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Navigate to "Advanced Boot Options," then to "Repair Your Computer" using the arrow keys and the "Enter" key. Choose your preferred language settings and click "Next." If prompted, enter your user name and password and click "OK."
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Select "Dell Factory Image Restore," then "Next." Select "Yes" when asked if you want to reformat the hard drive and restore the system to factory settings. Select "Next" to restore the Dell computer to its default factory settings. Select "Finish" when the process completes to restart the computer.
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Tips & Warnings
Different Dell models may have different restore procedures; check your user manual.
References
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