How to Restore Windows 7 Computer to Factory Settings

Dell

Backup and save all important data to an external hard drive, USB or cloud storage system. The factory reset process will erase all personal data on the computer.

Turn off the device and disconnect all accessories or peripherals such as printers, scanners, network cables and USB.

Disconnect the laptop from the docking station (if applicable).

Turn on the computer and press F8 repeatedly until the Dell logo appears on the screen. The Advanced Boot Options menu will open.

If the Advanced Boot Options menu does not appear, you will need to restart your computer and try again.

Select 'Repair Your Computer' using the arrow keys then press 'Enter'. The System Recovery Options menu will appear.

Select your keyboard layout then select 'Next'.

Log in to your local user or administrator account and select 'OK '.

Select 'Dell Factory Tools' or 'Dell Factory Image Restore' then click 'Next'. The Confirm Data Deletion menu opens.

Place a check mark next to the option 'Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition' and click 'Next'. Windows 7 will begin restoring factory settings, a process that takes as little as five minutes. Once completed, Windows will notify that the computer has been restored to factory settings.

Click 'Finish'. After the computer restarts, the Windows 7 setup wizard will appear on the screen.

HP (Hewlett-Packard)

Backup and save all important data to an external hard drive, USB or cloud storage system. The factory reset process will erase all personal data on the computer.

Turn off the device and disconnect all accessories or peripherals such as printers, scanners, network cables and USB.

Open your computer and click on the 'Start' menu.

If Windows does not start properly and you cannot access the Start menu, press F11 repeatedly while the computer restarts to open the Recovery Manager window, then continue to step 7.

Click 'All Programs' then select 'Recovery Manager '.

Click 'Recovery Manager' again and enter the administrator password.

Click 'Yes' when the User Account Control window appears asking if you want the program to make changes to your computer. The Recovery Manager window will appear on the screen.

Select 'System Recovery' under 'I need help immediately '.

Select 'Yes', then click 'Next' when the system asks if you want the computer to be restored to factory settings. The computer will restart and the Recovery Manager window will appear.

Select 'System Recovery' then select 'Recover without backing up your files '.

Click 'OK' to confirm that you want to restore factory settings, then select 'Finish'. The computer will restart and display the Windows setup screen.

Acer

Backup and save all important data to an external hard drive, USB or cloud storage system. The factory reset process will erase all personal data on the computer.

Restart the computer and then press the key combination Alt (left) + F10 when the Acer logo appears on the screen. The Acer eRecovery Management application will appear.

Press 'Enter' when the Microsoft Windows start screen appears to continue to the eRecovery Management window.

Select 'Completely Restore System to Factory Defaults' then select 'Next'.

Select 'Next' again to confirm that you want to restore factory settings. The recovery process will begin and last approximately 10 to 60 minutes. Once completed, the Windows 7 installer will appear on the screen.

Toshiba

Backup and save all important data to an external hard drive, USB or cloud storage system. The factory reset process will erase all personal data on the computer.

Turn off the device and disconnect all accessories or peripherals such as printers, scanners, network cables and USB.

Check to make sure the Toshiba computer is plugged in. This is to keep the computer from shutting down while the factory reset takes place.

Restart the computer and then hold down the '0' key on the keyboard. The recovery warning screen will pop up.

If the recovery warning screen doesn't appear, you'll need to restart your computer and try again.

Click 'Yes' to confirm that you want to proceed with system restore. Toshiba Recovery Wizard will open.

Select 'Recovery of Factory Software', then follow the on-screen instructions to restore to factory settings. The computer will reboot several times throughout the process and the Windows 7 welcome screen will appear when completed.

Other brands

Backup and save all important data to an external hard drive, USB or cloud storage system. The factory reset process will erase all personal data on the computer.

Restart your Windows 7 computer, then observe the screen to find the corresponding boot command. In most cases, the startup command will appear at the top or bottom of the screen.

Press the appropriate boot command to access your computer's recovery partition. Boot commands will vary by computer manufacturer:

Asus: Press F9

Lenovo: Press F11

MSI: Press F3

Samsung: Press F4

Sony: Press F10

Select Restore your computer to factory settings. This option has different titles depending on the manufacturer because each unit uses different software for the built-in recovery partition. In most cases, this option will be 'Restore factory settings' or 'Perform factory restore'.

Follow the on-screen instructions to restore factory settings. The computer may restart several times during this approximately hour-long process. Once completed, the Windows setup or welcome screen will appear.