I know this post will probably make me look dumb but I need some help here. I recently got a new laptop so I wanted to give my old one to my mother as a gift so I decided to run a factory reset so that way none of my files would get in her way since she needs it for work. Part of the way through the reset I noticed it got stuck at 36 percent. Rather than waiting for it to finish like any smart person would I decided to hold the power button and turn it off. Now each time I turn it on it goes on a loop of saying its restarting and then the screen going black. Now with that backstory out of the way, my questions are:
A. How do I fix this?
B. If I choose local reinstall, if any unrelated files somehow got into the system file folders, would those files be saved during that reinstall after the reset?
Any advice is greatly appreciated :)
The Factory Reset feature in Windows 10 and 11 is very very flawed and is not recommended by /r/techsupport. Do not use this feature.
It often breaks with “user profile” errors or being stuck on a blue loading screen. This is because PCs load software differently than phones or tablets. Instead of a reset, Windows on a PC can be reinstalled with a Windows install USB drive. You can make this yourself.
You will need:
Use the Media Creation Tool to create a Windows install USB drive. Disconnect all other USB drives from the computer first, and be very careful which drive letter you select (use File Explorer to confirm) then follow the prompts in the app.
You will need to start or “boot” your computer from the USB drive. The menu may show a message with the button to press, otherwise try the F2, F10, F11, or Del keys. The USB drive should be listed.
We have a full guide for reinstall Windows on our wiki here.
This is an automated reply. Some sections may not be relevant to your specific issue.
This.
A. You can fix this by CLEAN INSTALLING Windows. Your installation is toast. The clean install guide is written in the automated reply above.
B. Depends on whether or not you choose to fully wipe or keep your files. But it is strongly recommended to clean install instead.
I chose for it to completely delete everything. Also I’m going to have a family friend look at it who is a professional with this sort of thing as I don’t want to accidentally cause any mote damage but your advice is still very much appreciated.