How can I restore my computer to the factory settings and completely wipe out everything?

Question

Hey alright I have a Dell Deminsion it is extremely messed up. . I want to completely restore it to factory settings if possible. I would like to reset the computer back to the settings it came with? Losing all of the files and downloads on the computer is not a problem. So if anyone thinks they can help me with this, please let me know thanks!

Answer 1

Yup, I had to do this once too.

I used the system disk that came with the computer. You have to place the disk in the CD drive and when you reboot, make sure you reboot with the cd first. To do this you have to press some special key (usually it tells you at start up) and just go from there.

The directions on the cd are pretty straight forward. Make sure everything you want to keep is saved though. It all gets whiped clean.

If you have Windows then you have to re-activate it after and you will also maybe need to add some drivers before it starts to look normal again. When you re-activate you get to talk to a fun little Indian guy! My cousin is Indian so I can say that. :P

Answer 2

There are a few ways you can do this.
I suggest use your System Restore Discs that came with your Dell Dimension. Another alternative is using an F-DISK, an F-DISK is a floppy with a set of information required to reformat your HD, this will cause eveything to be erased and you can start afresh like your computer was new again by installing the Factory Discs, if you dont have those Dell will send you those for free (you might have to pay for shipping depending on the models).

Answer 3

Very easy, there should be a system restore disk that came with it. Boot to that and tell it to restore everything to factory settings.

Answer 4

Find the restore discs that came with your computer.
Put disc one in and then turn your computer off.
When you turn it back on, it should prompt you with what to do next.

Answer 5

The website Lifehacker.com has an excellent article on how to format and reinstall Windows XP. Read:

"Geek to Live: How to format your hard drive and install Windows XP from scratch" -- written by Gina Trapani, lifehacker.com (http://www.lifehacker.com/software/windows/geek-to-live-how-to-format-your-hard-drive-and-install-windows-xp-from-scratch-157578.php)


Hey, Windows XP users: The blue screen of death got you down? Missing dll errors making you frown? Frequent software crashes leave you yearning for that fresh, new PC you unpacked with glee three years ago? If you've scrubbed for spyware and viruses, defragged, chkdsked and done the requisite rain dance but things are STILL wonky on your computer, it may be time for extreme action.

Today we're going to go over how to format your hard drive and reinstall Windows XP from scratch to get back that shiny new operating system feeling untainted by years of wear, tear and added and removed programs.

Note for the tremulous: I cannot tell a lie; reinstalling an operating system is NOT a trivial task. There are several junctures where lots of things can go wrong that can affect the way your PC functions FOREVER. Further, this isn't a task one can complete in just a few hours. There are lots of ways to fix PC problems before reinstalling Windows, a fresh install should be an absolute last resort. It took me three years - one which involved installing and uninstalling programs almost daily - to get to the point of reinstalling Windows. You have been warned.

Still with me? Good.

What you'll need:

1. A Windows XP machine in dire need of a fresh start
(Without any crucial, un-backedup data on it)
2. A Windows XP installation CD with a valid Product Key
(Preferably the disc that shipped with the computer originally, in which case the Product Key won't be obviously listed)
3. The CDs and serial numbers of all the software you need to install on your fresh "new" machine
4. Hardware driver discs that shipped with the PC and any components you added on
(Optional, but VERY strongly recommended)
5. Another 'net-connected computer of any OS persuasion with a CD burner, thumb drive, or other removable disk
(Optional, but strongly recommended, for looking up stuff and downloading drivers in case of emergency)
6. One full day to get your PC fully functioning again.

Got all that? Good.

Let's get started.
Step 1. Back up your data.

First, make sure absolutely NOTHING you cannot afford to lose is on the drive you're going to install Windows on (let's say the C: drive.) Move all your documents and settings off the machine. Back up your Firefox settings with MozBackup, export your Quicken file, SyncBack profiles, Apache configuration and absolutely anything else that you want restored after you're done. Just make sure it's off the machine that's going under the knife.
Step 2. Audit your current PC setup.

Once upon a time, I did tech support for Windows 95 PCs, when "Plug and Play" was a fairly new concept that was rightly referred to as "Plug and Pray" amongst my disgruntled technician co-workers. Today, Windows XP is eons ahead of 95 in terms of its amazing ability to detect all the hardware in your computer and install the right drivers for it. HOWEVER, it's still not perfect. PC's come with a whole wide range of video cards and network adaptors and Bluetooth thingamajiggers, and it's very possible you'll install XP and it won't know exactly what brand of TV tuner card you've got and how to find the driver for it.

So, before we do anything, we're going to take an inventory of all the hardware you've currently got installed. I used to print a report from Device Manager for this purpose (Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager, Action, Print) but a handy little utility called Belarc Advisor [via Nicholas Roussos] does a nicer job than Device Manager. Belarc will create a report detailing your system, its installed hardware components, software applications and serial numbers. Download the free Belarc, run a report and print it out. Keep it nearby for reference later.

Note: for those of you who do not have the driver discs for all your hardware - go ahead and print out the report from Device Manager in addition to the Belarc report. You'll need all the help you can get, you brave souls.
Step 3. Take a deep breath, and say goodbye to everything on your C: drive.

Seriously. It's all going away now. Nervous? Revisit steps 1 & 2.
Step 4. Insert the Windows installation disk into your CD drive. Shut down your PC. Then, boot from CD.

This part is important: do NOT run the Windows installation from Windows itself. Shut down first, and then boot up the machine from CD. My Dell has a little message as it's booting up that says "Press F12 to boot from CD," so that's what I did. If you're not sure how to boot from CD, check your PC's user guide for more info.

The reason why booting from CD is important is because we're going to delete the C: drive partition where Windows is installed and re-format it. You can't do this if Windows booted from C:, because it can't delete the partition from which it is running.

You CAN install Windows without deleting the partition and formatting, but that means all your program files and other riff-raff that's collected on your C: drive will still be there when you're done, just taking up unnecessary space. That's not the point of all this. Be sure to boot from CD.
Step 5. Step through the Windows installation.

You'll be greeted by WordPerfect 5.1-like blue screens with white text on them, which seem scary, but aren't. All the directions are clearly spelled out on each of them. Still, we'll go over what to do.

At the Welcome to Setup page, press Enter. Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement. You'll be asked if you want to repair your existing Windows XP installation. Press ESC to bypass the repair and install a fresh copy. All your existing disk partitions will be listed, like this. [read the entire article]