I have an old laptop, and I’d like
to reinstall a fresh copy of Windows on the laptop. I don’t have the
installation DVDs that came with the laptop, however. Is there some way to
reset the computer back to its original state without those DVDs?
Most laptops that you can buy these
days come to you without any installation media. So how are you supposed to
refresh the system back to its original state?
Although the question refers to
Windows, the same issues apply to Mac computers. The answer, generally, is to
use the Recovery Partition that the manufacturer includes on the computer’s
hard drive. Usually, the computer manufacturer sets aside a portion of the
computer’s persistent storage (that is, its hard drive or solid state drive) to
store an image of the operating system and all the hardware drivers the
computer needs in order to operate. As your computer boots up, you should see a
prompt indicating how to boot from the Recovery Partition—if not, check your
computer’s documentation.
Beware (please pay attention here):
Restoring from the Recovery Partition will certainly, and permanently, erase
all the content you had on your computer’s hard drive. Therefore, it’s crucial
that you back up your hard drive (and verify that the backup was correct and
intact) before you use the Recovery Partition. In addition, restoring from the
Recovery Partition won’t install any of the applications that you have
installed, so you’ll need to manually re-install any applications that you use.
You cannot simply restore these applications from your backup, as you can your
data—you must find the original installation media, or download the
applications, so you can reinstall them.
Finally, once you restore from the Recovery
Partition, you’ll need to allow Windows Update to install all the latest
updates. Most likely, the current version of your operating system has had a
large number of updates, and the process of updating your copy of Windows could
take some time (a few hours, given a fast connection). Be patient, and allow
your newly refreshed computer to catch up with current software.
If you find that your computer does not include
a Recover Partition, you’ll need to take other steps. Generally, these steps
include purchasing a license for Windows and hiring a professional to perform
the install for you. Before taking that solution, however, look on your
computer to see if it includes a Recovery Partition, and then back everything
up before proceeding
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