In messing around with installing Win7 apps in Win8DP, I somehow totally hosed up the display so that all I got was a black screen with a mouse cursor.
So, I rebooted and chose the Refresh option, which surprisingly, worked!
And, as the text claimed, it removed ALL the apps in the process (no surprise there).
What was a surprise is that it removed all the Windows Updates and all the device drivers that weren't installed by default. So, basically, it acted like a total restore -- which may be what it was intended to do. But, I thought that the Reset option was supposed to be the total restore, not the Refresh.
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Thread: Refresh -- works!
- 10-11-2011 #1My System Specs
Refresh -- works!
Last edited by Brink; 10-11-2011 at 01:40 PM. Reason: added link ;)
- 10-11-2011 #2
Senior Member
Join Date : Jan 2011 Belo Horizonte City Posts : 2,466 Windows 7 SP1 x64, Windows 8 CP x64, Windows 8 Server CP
My System Specs
Very handy, isnt it ?So, I rebooted and chose the Refresh option, which surprisingly, worked!
- 10-12-2011 #3My System Specs
Yes ... except that, apart from NOT removing apps purchased from the MS Store, I don't see any real difference between Refresh and Reset.
Originally Posted by vrosa 
I was hoping that Refresh was a new version of the Repair Install, even though it made no claims to that.
But, since it really appears to work like a Factory Reset, I personally will have no use for it -- as I routinely to partition imaging.
- 10-12-2011 #4
Administrator
My System Specs
Hello Mark,
A reset is more like a factory reset/recovery than a refresh. Other than losing installed apps not from the Microsoft store, a refresh is just about the same as doing a repair install in Windows 7 or Vista.
- 10-12-2011 #5My System Specs
Not trying to start an argument ... but ... last time I did a Repair Install, it not remove any of my apps, and while it might have removed my driver updates as well, it's been so long ago that I don't remember. I do believe that I had to do the Windows Updates again, but I would expect that. Originally Posted by Brink
So, it appears we agree on what Refresh was supposed to do, but in the one instance I used it, it behaved like Reset, not like Repair Install.
- 10-12-2011 #6
Administrator
My System Specs
No worries, it's still only a developer preview version, so there's bound to be different results.
- 10-13-2011 #7My System Specs
I would hope so, because if not, there are going to be some really unhappy folks after it's released and they do a Refresh, only to discover, afther their apps and drivers are GONE, that it really worked like a Reset. Originally Posted by Brink No worries, it's still only a developer preview version, so there's bound to be different results.
- 10-13-2011 #8
Administrator
My System Specs
Just to point out after doing some more comparisons and testing. If you look at the yellow TIP box at the top of the repair install tutorial for Windows 7 below, it's pretty much the same as what the refresh does. A reset, on the other hand, is the same as doing a clean install of Windows 8 where you would loose everything including user accounts.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...r-install.html
- 10-13-2011 #9My System Specs
Before all this Reset PC/ Refresh Pc names come along (that is Windows 8 DP) a "Repair" of the OS, which is booting up with OEM CD and choosing "R" will repair the system files and set it back to a clean OS interms of System files only (including Windows Updates). Softwares installed and files will remain intact when performing this option.
Now with the Reset and Refresh PC options, what's the difference?
- 10-13-2011 #10
Administrator
My System Specs
The links below will give you more details on the differences, but basically: Originally Posted by aem
A "Refresh" is like doing a repair install in Windows 7 or Vista. It's like what you have from your previous installation after doing a inplace upgrade install. You keep your user accounts.
A "Reset" is the same as doing a clean install of Windows 8, or the same as doing a OEM factory recovery/restore. You start completely over.
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