Over time you may find that your windows 8 or windows 10 computer is running really slow, or some programs no longer work correctly. You should start with running some virus/malware scans to see if you picked up a bug. I always advise my clients to use Malwarebytes for the scan. There are many choices out there but I prefer Malwarebytes. This company has been around for a long time and do a great job. When you download the program from http://www.malwarebytes.org you will get a copy of their premium version which is good for 14 days.
I’m not going to go into how to use the product in this article. It is pretty simple if you just follow the wizard. After the scan, and the virus or malware are quarantined, restart your computer and see if the problems are resolved. This article is about what to try if the scan does not solve the problem. Windows 8 and windows 10 have two features that can help you get your computer running good again. You can choose “Refresh my computer” or “Reset my computer”.
If you choose “Refresh my computer” it will reset the operating system back to when it was new while keeping all your files. This option will not keep your programs. Any program like Microsoft office will need to be re-installed. Your pictures, documents, music, videos and the rest will be right where you left them. It is a good idea to keep records of the key codes as where and when your bought or downloaded your programs. If you kept those receipts you can reinstall them easily. If you choose “Reset my computer” you have two choices, you can choose to keep your files or wipe everything out. This option might be used if you have a really bad virus that may be linked to a program or file. If you just reset your computer and kept your files the virus would still be there.
Here is how you can get to the part of the computer that will allow you to reset or refresh your computer. Click on settings, choose backup and restore and click on the option that you want to use. If something is keeping you from getting to the settings you can hold down the shift key at the same time you click the restart option. The computer should boot into the advanced startup options. From there you choose the refresh or reset option.
Most computers will over time begin to start running slower and sometimes acting up with various issues. With refresh or reset you can turn back to the days when your computer was running fast and without problems. Sometimes windows will not allow you to use these options. It will just say ” there was a problem and your computer cannot be refreshed or reset. When this happens you should call someone to help with the next steps. Please always backup your computer. If you have pictures and or documents that are important, you need to keep them backed up.