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How to Use a USB Recovery Drive to Reset Your PC in Windows 10

How to use USB Recovery Drive to Reset your Lenovo Windows 10 PC

How to use USB Recovery Drive to Reset your Lenovo Windows 10 PC

When a PC has problems that prevent Windows from booting, a USB recovery drive can help to reset the system to its original factory condition. Unlike other reset methods, using a USB recovery drive does not include the option to keep personal files intact after resetting the PC. Make sure to back up all personal files before beginning the reset process whenever possible.

  1. Make sure the USB recovery drive is connected to the PC.
  2. Power on the system and continually tap the F12 key to open the boot selection menu.
  3. Use the arrow keys to highlight the USB recovery drive in the list and press Enter.
  4. The system will now load the recovery software from the USB drive.
  5. Choose your keyboard layout and then click Troubleshoot on the main menu.
  6. Select the “Recover from a drive” option.

There are two options for removing files. Just removing the files is the quicker option, but taking the extra time to thoroughly wipe the drive clean when resetting Windows is recommended for a PC that is going to be given away, recycled, or sold. After choosing the method for removing personal files, click the Recover button to begin reinstalling Windows.


Document ID:VID100788
Original Publish Date:10/19/2017
Last Modified Date:02/17/2023