Windows 8 Reset / Refresh Explained

Microsoft just released information on how its upcoming operating system will allow users to 'refresh' and 'reset' their PC. Resetting allows users to completely reformat the computer for resale or reuse. Refreshing allows users to restore the operating system back to factory settings with the applications and files kept intact. These functions will be included with the upcoming beta release of Windows 8.

Refreshing your PC goes like this:

1. The PC boots into Windows RE.
2. Windows RE scans the hard drive for your data, settings, and apps, and puts them aside (on the same drive).
3. Windows RE installs a fresh copy of Windows.
4. Windows RE restores the data, settings, and apps it has set aside into the newly installed copy of Windows.
5. The PC restarts into the newly installed copy of Windows.

Resetting your Windows 8 PC goes like this:

1. The PC boots into the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE).
2. Windows RE erases and formats the hard drive partitions on which Windows and personal data reside.
3. Windows RE installs a fresh copy of Windows.
4. The PC restarts into the newly installed copy of Windows.

This screen allows users to select what they want to do with their files:

​Troubleshooting

If you cannot boot into the PC or are having issues, the new mode of troubleshooting issues are as GUI-friendly as the rest of the OS:

The screens that follow the selections provide comprehensive information on what will happen in the procedure.

​Read more about this below:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/01/04/refresh-and-reset-your-pc.aspx
 

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