Method 1: Shut down your computer.Start your computer and quickly start tapping F12 to open the boot menu.

Plug in the USB pendrive in a USB-port (by preference USB2.0 with older computers purchased around 2010 - 2012).

Now uncheck Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive in case it is checked.

Know that if your USB flashdrive dies or doesn't work, then you are on your own buying recovery media or finding a way to install Windows (which might be covered in this guide if you read well, but this is for advanced people.)Ĭreating recovery media from current Windows installation

You now have the option to delete the recovery partition.Now check Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive.

Insert a flash USB pendrive of 16GB or greater.In the address bar of the Control Panel window, click the last arrow, and select All control panel items and then click Recovery or search for Recovery in the search bar.Right-click the bottom left corner (start orb).But this is not recommended for the average person in the world, find a geek nearby who can help you with method 4 if you have trouble.Ĭreating recovery media from recovery partition Now in worst case scenario, you can still grab a Windows 8.1 ISO from Microsoft and then install all the drivers yourself afterwards.

If you do not do so, you will end up buying recovery media and paying for it. You must always create recovery media when you start your computer for the first time. Fully cleaning the drive may take several hours to complete, if you are choosing the option to keep your PC, then it will take about 15-45 minutes depending on the performance of your computer. If you chose Remove everything and reinstall Windows, then you will be prompted to either Fully clean the drive which you only use if you are selling the computer or giving it to someone else you do not trust OR you can just use the other method which just deleted the files.If you want to do a complete reinstallation of Windows and also clean your user folder in the process then choose Remove everything and reinstall Windows.

However I still recommend taking a back-up.

If all your documents are safe and sound in your user folder, you can use Refresh your PC without affecting files.

Click Update & Recovery in the menu on the left.

Press the Windows-key + C to open the charms bar or swipe in from the right.

This is usually the way you reset or refresh your Windows installation if you purchase a computer from a brand like Lenovo instead of building one yourself. If not, look at the other recovery methods to see which suits you best. You may want to use this restoring method by default, because it is the easiest way to do so if your recovery partition is still intact. Method 1 Restoring Restoring from recovery partition

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