- Refresh and Reset: Whats the Difference?
- Refreshing Your Windows 8 Computer
- Resetting Your Computer
- Getting to Refresh and Reset in Times of Trouble
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Refreshing Your Windows 8 Computer
You’ll find the command you need for refreshing your Windows 8 computer in the General Settings of the Control Panel. Start by tapping or clicking the Control Panel tile on the Windows 8 Start screen (see Figure 1).
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Figure 1 Start the process of refreshing your Windows 8 PC by selecting the Control Panel tile.
In the Control Panel, scroll down to the General category on the left and tap or click it. The General settings appear on the right side of your screen. Scroll down to the Refresh Your PC without Affecting Your Files area, and tap or click Get Started (see Figure 2).
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Figure 2 Choose the General category in the Control Panel to access Refresh and Reset tools.
Windows 8 then starts the Windows Recovery Environment, which tells you what will happen as part of the refresh (see Figure 3). Click Next, and Windows RE begins to scan your hard drive for the files, settings, and apps you’ve added to your computer. Windows RE safeguards these items and installed a fresh copy of Windows 8, overwriting any funkiness that may have found its way into your program settings.
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Figure 3 Windows RE lets you know what to expect from the refresh process.
To finish the refresh, Windows 8 restarts Windows 8, and within a few seconds, you’re back in business with a new copy of Windows and the data, settings, and apps you previously added.