AfterDawn: News

Windows 8 to feature disc-less reformatting

Windows 8 will make it a lot easier for consumers to reformat their computers, removing the need for a disc.

If you scroll to the bottom of the "General" tab in the Windows 8 settings page, you can choose one of two actions if your computer is running sluggishly or has been taken over by malware.



The first option is a PC "refresh," which will re-install Windows 8 without removing your system data or files. The option will even leave some of your apps unaffected.

A second option is to completely start fresh, with a "reset," which will remove all data from the PC and restore it to its factory state. The Reset option is very similar to what is available on ultrabooks, which have custom versions of Windows and protected partitions to allow for quick reformats to factory "out of the box" condition.

The new options will be similar to how Android and iOS smartphones/tablets allow you to quickly wipe your data and start fresh with just one or two clicks.



Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 2 Apr 2012 21:52

• Previous article

• Introducing the Xbox 360 special edition Chrome series controllers

• Next article

• Rumor: Xbox Next to require always-on Internet connection, have Blu-ray

• 21 comments

• ZippyDSM

  So what happens when the install partition is corrupted?
  

  Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
  Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
  http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/

  2.4.2012 22:02 #1

• DVDBack23

  Originally posted by ZippyDSM: So what happens when the install partition is corrupted? Then you need to buy the recovery discs like usual :) lol
  

  AfterDawn News
  AfterDawn Guides
  AfterDawn Downloads
  AfterDawn Hardware Section

  2.4.2012 22:21 #2

• ddp

  or when the hard drive dies?
  

  2.4.2012 23:38 #3

• xaznboitx

  The option will even leave SOME of your apps unaffected
  
  
  

  2.4.2012 23:44 #4

• keola37

  Yay!!!
  
  More useless features for people who don't know how to use their computers.
  

  3.4.2012 01:39 #5

• Frogfart

  Windows 8 is dreadful and unusable. I have shown it to others and everyone hated it. In one review I read it was described as being schizophrenic.

  3.4.2012 04:31 #6

• A5J4DX

  its an ok addition i guess?
  

  3.4.2012 11:31 #7

• LordRuss

  Originally posted by Frogfart: Windows 8 is dreadful and unusable. I have shown it to others and everyone hated it. In one review I read it was described as being schizophrenic. We're already getting feedback that another Millennium, 2000 (shaky debate of course) & Vista are yet again on the horizon.
  
  As for this feature... Sounds to me like a recovery partition like that similar to what computer manufacturers have been putting on their machines to avoid handing out recovery disks for years.
  
  Personally, I think I'm still going to avoid it as long as humanly possible. Meaning I'll eventually have to load it on something because someone will have put it on a machine - trashed their machine - then made it my responsibility to repair their f*k up...
  

  http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

  3.4.2012 12:24 #8

• dEwMe

  If they would just have a button to remove all the crap the OEM loads on there...Stupid restore disks just load it all back on there...
  

  Just my $0.02,
  
  dEwMe

  3.4.2012 13:55 #9

• ThePastor

  Yeah, on paper it sounds fine, but it needs to be a CLEAN install, not an OEM version, complete with bloatware.
  

  "But the bigger point here is that UMG has effectively admitted this takedown was never about copyright. They demanded YouTube censor Megaupload and justify that by saying they have a contract which allows it so its fine. Its painfully clear what they would do with a law like SOPA that gives them much more power"

  3.4.2012 15:25 #10

• dejected (unverified)

  Blah Blah Blah Yawn....... wow it will take more then OEM gimicks to make people use it. Showed a few non techo people the preview and after 5 minutes they gave up and said it was too hard to use or find ANYTHING....... Windows ME alover again!!!

  3.4.2012 19:47 #11

• cart0181

  Originally posted by Anonymous1: www.win8progress.us.to Sorry, I don't see the correlation between 1.0 and 8.
  
  Prediction: History will judge Windows 8 as the OS that was released during the mainstream transition to SSDs. Just as Vista is known as a transitional OS to 64-bit computing. (and Win7 to multi-threaded apps?)
  
  Right now, I'm adopting an "every-other" approach to MS lineup. I'll probably be pre-ordering Windows 9 in a couple years, as I did with Win7.
  
  What do you think?
  

  4.4.2012 03:53 #12

• imshashank (unverified)

  wow, microsoft is adding lots of great features to windows 8... they really have amazing programmers..

  4.4.2012 08:56 #13

• Semperfipal

  Originally posted by imshashank: wow, microsoft is adding lots of great features to windows 8... they really have amazing programmers..
  
  What planet do you live on? I want to make sure I never go there!

  4.4.2012 09:16 #14

• les1941

  I understand the frustration but this is a preview not even
  a beta yet.
  and has been daubed a failure already!
  

  4.4.2012 13:46 #15

• rking_ad

  Bill Gates:
  I think what I would like to see Microsoft do, is to take an OS, and treat it like an integral part of a computer system, instead of a different flavored ice cream cone with every release.
  
  That goes for Office as well.
  
  One big thing they could do is to work on their help and support. I find myself having to "Google" anything I want to find Windows support for. It seems once you get punished trying to go thru the Windows support user interface and then get rewarded going through Google you lose all faith with the support provided for Windows.
  
  If I am Bill Gates I would realize that my product has room for improvement not just change. You don't necessarily have to produce a new product every time.
  

  --pcdtv--

  5.4.2012 10:28 #16

• omegaman7

  I wouldn't say it was hard to find things. I suppose to some, it could be a bit intimidating, given the fresh interface. Not really defending it. Because I doubt I'll ever run it. Windows 7 is near perfect. Windows 8 is a step backwards LOL! Perhaps if I had a touchscreen, I might view it a bit differently. But I'd hardly call it windows anymore.
  
  This "disc-less reformatting" sounds like something my very first computer came loaded with. An HP that had a partition for recovery.
  

  
  

  5.4.2012 12:56 #17

• 8686

  LORDRUSS-As for this feature... Sounds to me like a recovery partition like that similar to what computer manufacturers have been putting on their machines to avoid handing out recovery disks for years.
  -----my thoughts exactly. Had a dell netbook with a corrupted recov partition. Nothing I did could access that. Had to have a chat w/ dell and ended up paying $10 for a windows starter disk. Should have just used my copy of enterprise.
  
  ThePASTOR- it needs to be a CLEAN install, not an OEM version, complete with bloatware.
  ------+1 buddy. Who needs that crap.
  

  Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5
  AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2GHz
  Sapphire Radeon HD 5770
  G.SKILL Ripjaws 8GB DDR3 1333, Corsair 750TX PSU
  10 TB Wes Dig. 64G Corsair SSD

  5.4.2012 19:35 #18

• ibmeubu

  I've been a beta tester for quite some time and i have to admit that it's actually pretty nice. Like anything new you just have to get used to it.
  

  rap

  5.4.2012 23:33 #19

• omegaman7

  Originally posted by ibmeubu: I've been a beta tester for quite some time and i have to admit that it's actually pretty nice. Like anything new you just have to get used to it. Yah, I more or less said, with a touchscreen, I'd likely view it differently. And it can look very similar to windows 7. I'm pretty quick with a mouse and keyboard though. Switching to touch would take some getting used to.
  

  
  

  6.4.2012 00:20 #20

• plazma247

  @Semperfipal, i think imshashank must come from the world of paid trolls from the universe of friends of redmond.
  
  Actually you dont need to purchase recovery disks, i never use them, many manufactures stick so much bloat into the recovery image its hardly worth restoring, not to mention their way out of date drives. Its fairly easy to get an OEM install disk install and get windows to see the built in slic chip and then your off.
  
  The nice thing about this is, when the systems a little order and a couple of service packs have come out, you dont have to spend hours stripping all the crap out of the recovery image and then the next two days downloading updates as you can just use a slipstreamed installer disk.
  
  Remove the recovery partition and oh look you just got back 10 - 20 gig of your hard disk, so you bought a system with x size disk and before you had even got it out the box you lost 30 - 40 gig to the os and the recovery partition, nice.
  
  If you ask me, not using read only / removable media to reload a compromised system that's been rooted and then expecting to load an image back off the same read/write media which could have been infected/injected to hell sound like a recipe for disaster if you ask me.
  
  I can also see this being a great feature when a novice user does a full wipe and restore to find out his nic controller is to new and windows recover image doesn't have a driver and cant connect to zip.

  6.4.2012 15:18 #21