Windows 8 Allows PC Refresh Without Deleting Files, Settings

The phrase "reinstall Windows" is not something the average PC user wants to hear, but with Windows 8, Microsoft is promising a more simple process for refreshing or resetting your PC.

The updated operating system will include the option to reset, which will restore factory settings, as well as refresh, which will clean up your PC without removing installed apps.

With existing versions of Windows, users have a variety of options when it comes to getting their PCs back to what Microsoft refers to as a "good state." That includes accessing your PC's hidden partition to reinstall the OS, using a third-party imaging product, Windows systems image backup, or doing a clean install with the Windows DVD.

"While these tools all provide similar functionalities, they don't provide a consistent experience from one PC or technique to another," Desmond Lee, a program manager on the Windows Fundamentals team, wrote in a Wednesday blog post.

If you're ever tried to help a relative restore their PC or talk someone through a refresh on the phone, you know the feeling.

As a result, the Windows 8 team wanted the refresh/reset process to be as easy as pressing a button. "Our goal was to make the process much more streamlined, less time-consuming, and more accessible to a broad set of customers," Lee wrote.

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