Here Are Top 3 Ways for You to Easily Factory Reset Windows 7

Why Need to Factory Reset Windows 7?

Factory reset is a feature restoring electronic devices to its original system state by deleting all information stored on the devices. Obviously, computer also has the feature – Factory Reset.

And there are many reasons for factory reset Windows 7.

• Firstly, you want to give or sell your computer to another, you can choose to factory reset Windows 7 so as to avoid privacy leaks.
• Secondly, restore your computer to undo system changes you have made.
• Thirdly, the computer has been used for a long time and you can choose to factory reset Windows 7 to delete files stored on it to get better performance.

Of course, there are some other reasons for restoring Windows 7 to factory setting. For example, if your computer comes across some small problems due to your mistaken operation, you can choose to factory reset Windows 7 to solve it.

However, do you know how to factory reset Windows 7? How to restore Windows 7 to factory setting with ease?

This is the right place for you. This post will list top 3 ways to factory reset Windows 7.

Related article: How to Factory Reset Laptop Easily in Windows 10/8/7 (3 Ways)

What to Do Before Factory Reset Windows 7?

As is well known, factory reset computer will delete information on Windows 7 or delete everything on the system partition of Windows.

Thus, before factory reset Windows 7, you need to back up all important files to an external hard drive to keep data safe.

To back up files, the professional backup software – MiniTool ShadowMaker is strongly recommended.

MiniTool ShadowMaker is a backup tool which can help back up files, folders, partitions, disks and the operating system. It is also a USB clone tool to help to clone the USB drive to keep data safe.

Therefore, to keep data safe before factory reset Windows 7, try MiniTool ShadowMaker Trial from the following button or choose an advanced edition.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Now, we will show you how to back up files with step-by-step guide before factory reset Windows 7.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker

1. Install MiniTool ShadowMaker and launch it.
2. Click Keep Trail.
3. Click Connect in This Computer to enter its main interface.

Step 2: Select backup source

1. Go to Backup page and click Source module. 
2. Choose Folders and Files.
3. Select the files you want to back up and click OK to continue.

Step 3: Select the target disk

1. Click Destination module to choose a target disk.
2. Here are five paths available. You should choose an external hard drive as the destination.
3. Click OK to continue.

Step 4: Start to back up files

After you have selected backup source and destination, click Back up Now to perform the task immediately.

After backing up all files, it is time to factory reset Windows 7. And we will show you how to factory reset Windows 7 with step-by-step guide.

How to Factory Reset Windows 7

In this part, we will show you how to factory reset Windows 7 with 3 different ways. You can refer to them one by one.

Factory Reset Windows 7 Through Windows Installation Disc

Windows 7 does not have the built-in refresh and reset options which are provided in a newer Windows version. But you can still perform factory reset Windows 7 through reinstalling Windows 7 from the disc which is the original and factory-provided installation media.

And now, we will show you how to factory reset Windows 7 with step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Open Recovery

1. Click Start button of Windows 7.
2. Choose Control Panel in the pop-up window.
3. Next, choose Recovery to continue.

Step 2: Choose advanced recovery method

1. In the pop-up window, choose Advanced recovery methods under System Restore section to continue.
2. Next, you are required to choose the Reinstall Windows (requires Windows installation disc) to continue. Please note the windows installation disc is original and factory-provided. However, if there is a recovery partition on your computer, you will see the option Return your computer to the Factory Condition. Thus, just choose it to continue.

Step 3: Back up files

In this step, Windows requires you to back up files because factory reset Windows 7 will delete everything on the system partitions of Windows 7. So you need to back up them to an external hard drive. However, if you have backed up files before, you need to skip them.

Step 4: Start to factory reset Windows 7

1. After you have backed up all files, you can start to restore Windows 7 to factory settings.
2. Click Restart to continue.

After all steps are finished, the factory reset Windows 7 process will begin and it will help you to restore Windows 7 to factory setting.

Factory Reset Windows 7 Through Recovery Option

Now, we will show you the second way to factory restore Windows 7. As a matter of fact, a brand computer comes with a piece of built-in feature to help you to factory reset Windows 7. For example, the Dell Factory Image Restore in Dell laptop, Completely Restore System to Factory Default in Acer laptop, etc.

So if you are running a brand computer, you can try to find the built-in feature to restore Windows 7 to factory setting. And now, we will take Windows 7 factory reset Dell as an example. Please note instruction for factory reset Windows 7 may vary depending on different manufacturers.

Step 1: Enter Advanced Boot Options

Restart your computer and Press F8 continuously until you see the Advanced Boot Options. (The key may vary depending on different manufactures.)

Step 2: Choose Repair Your Computer

1. In the Advanced Boot Options menu, please press the Down arrow on your keyboard to select the Repair Your Computer.
2. Hit Enter to continue.
3. Select the language settings and click Next to continue.
4. Log in as an administrative user and click OK.

Step 3: Start to factory reset Windows 7

1. In the pop-up window, choose Dell Factory Image Restore to continue.

2. Then you can follow the instruction to continue.
3. Check the option Yes, reformat the hard drive and restore system software to factory conditions. Then Next.

When the procedure is finished, you have successfully performed factory restore Windows 7. If you are not a Dell user, but other users like HP, Toshiba, Acer, etc, you can search online or visit its official site look for the detailed procedure to factory reset Windows 7.

Factory Reset Windows 7 Through System Image

At here, we will show you an available way to factory reset Windows 7. You can use the system image to restore your computer to the factory setting as long as you have created a system image when the computer is in its pure state.

Thus, in the following part, we will demonstrate how to factory reset Windows 7 without CD. There are two different way to do that.

1. Factory Reset Windows 7 with System Image Recovery

If you have created the system image with Backup and Restore, a Windows built-in tool, you can factory reset Windows 7 in WinRE. And we will show you the detailed procedure in the following part.

Step 1: Enter WinRE

1. Restart your computer and press F8 key together to enter Advanced Boot Options
2. Click Repair your computer to continue.

Step 2: Choose System Image Recovery

1. In the popup window, you need to choose the System Image Recovery.

2. Next, you can follow the wizard to restore your computer to factory setting.

When all steps are finished, you can successfully restore Windows 7 to factory setting.

2. Factory Reset Window 7 with MiniTool ShadowMaker

If you have created a system image with MiniTool ShadowMaker when the computer is in the pure state, you can also restore Windows 7 to factory setting with it.

In addition, to factory restore Windows 7 with MiniTool ShadowMaker, the MiniTool bootable media is required. So you need to create one first. And we will demonstrate the detailed procedure.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Create bootable media and boot computer from it

1. Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker and go to Tools page.
2. Choose Media Builder features to create bootable media.
3. Boot the computer from it.

Perhaps you are looking for:

1. How to Build Boot CD/DVD Discs and Boot Flash Drive with Bootable Media Builder?
2. How to Boot from Burned MiniTool Bootable CD/DVD Discs or USB Flash Drive?

Step 2: Restore Windows to factory setting

1. After entering its main interface, you will see the backup image is listed here. Click Restore to continue.

2. Choose backup version and click Next.

3. Check the partitions to be restored from the backup images. Please note the MBR and Track 0 must be checked for a successful boot.

4. Choose a target disk to restore. Since you need to factory restore Windows 7, you need to choose the original system disk and read the warning message carefully.

5. Then you can restore the computer. As the system image is created when the operating system is in a pure status, you can restore Windows 7 to factory setting.

Related article: How to Restore Computer to Earlier Date in Windows 10/8/7 (2 Ways)

All in all, you can take these methods to factory reset Windows 7. However, as factory reset computer will delete all your personal files on the system partitions, please back up them in advanced if the files are important.

I want to factory reset Windows 7 but I don’t’ know how to do. Thanks to this post, it gives me some reliable way to factory restore Windows 7.Click to Tweet

Bottom Line

In conclusion, this article has demonstrated three reliable solutions to factory reset Windows 7. If you need to do that, try these ways.

And if you have any better solution to factory reset computer, you can share it on the comment zone. Or if you have any problem with MiniTool ShadowMaker, please contact us via the email support@minitool.com and we will reply to you as soon as possible.