New W10 users!

Hi! thought I would create this thread about W10 restore to factory without losing any thing except MS up dates.
Nice feature from MS IMHO. I have this in another thread, but it gets lost and I think this is a great feature and long over due from MS. Not sure how many W10 members we have on CHF.
I hope this helps someone on CHF! Here's a link that will guild you how to do a repair install of windows 10
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums

If you're having problems with Windows 10 on your PC, you could use push-button reset to refresh or reset Windows.

Refresh your PC Fixes software problems by reinstalling the OS while preserving the user data, user accounts, and important settings. All other preinstalled customizations are restored to their factory state. In Windows 10, this feature no longer preserves user-acquired Windows apps.

Reset your PC prepares the PC for recycling or for transfer of ownership by reinstalling the OS, removing all user accounts and contents (e.g. data, Classic Windows applications, and Universal Windows apps), and restoring preinstalled customizations to their factory state.

The options above are great for what they are intended for, but you could also do a repair install of Windows 10 by performing an in-place upgrade without losing anything other than all installed Windows Updates.

This tutorial will show you how to do a repair install of Windows 10 by performing an in-place upgrade without losing anything.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do a repair install of Windows 10.

 

Yuppers! One great tutorial by one of the best in the business IMHO (Shawn Brink)
Thanks Cindy!

 

I have one more important recommendation if you can't boot into windows. You may need a recovery drive.
Here's how to create a recovery drive for W10. This will get you to the recovery media when W10 won't boot!
This should help recover your OS even if your PC won't boot. That is if you don't have a hardware problem.
Create a recovery drive
Applies to Windows 10

A recovery drive can help you troubleshoot and fix problems with your PC, even if it won’t start. To create one, all you need is a USB drive.

1. From the taskbar, search for Create a recovery drive and then select it. You might be asked to enter an admin password or confirm your choice.
   
   
2. When the tool opens, make sure Back up system files to the recovery drive is selected and then select Next.
   
   
3. Connect a USB drive to your PC, select it, and then select Next > Create. A lot of files need to be copied to the recovery drive, so this might take a while.
   
   
4. When it’s done, you might see a Delete the recovery partition from your PC link on the final screen. If you want to free up drive space on your PC, select the link and then select Delete. If not, select Finish.

 

I agree nice post! Informative as well.

 

Thanks William! I need to add just a little more to this for those users that don't have the option to boot to a flash.
You can create a repair CD that should help you get to the recovery mode. The flash is a better option. Here's link for creating a Repair CD/DVD http://www.howtogeek.com/131907/how...ery-drive-or-system-repair-disc-in-windows-8/
Creating a System Repair Disc (CD/DVD)
The ability to create a USB recovery drive is new in Windows 8 and 10. In Windows 7, only system repair discs were supported. This option is also present in Windows 8.

To open the disc creation tool, press the Windows key, type recdisc, and press Enter.



The disc creator will open on the desktop. Select the disc-burner drive with a writable CD or DVD in it and click the Create disc button to create a recovery disc.


A recovery drive will normally not be necessary. If your computer fails to boot several times, Windows 8 or 10 will automatically bring up the advanced startup options, which allows you to troubleshoot and fix it.

If Windows can’t even bring up these tools, you’ll need the recovery drive, system repair disc, or a Windows 8 or 10 installation disc. Insert the recovery media into your computer and restart. Your computer should boot from the recovery media automatically. (If it doesn’t, you may need to change its boot order.)