Refresh Windows 8

How to Refresh Windows 8 and Windows 8.1​

   Information

This will show you how to use a new feature in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 to refresh your PC to keep all personal data, Metro style apps, and important settings from the PC, and reinstall Windows.

If a recovery image provided by your PC's manufacturer is present, Windows 8 will use that image when you refresh your PC. Otherwise, Windows 8 will use your installation media when you refresh your PC.

This refresh feature is something close to like what doing a repair install in Windows 7 and Vista was for, but made a lot easier, faster, and safer to do now in Windows 8.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

Refreshing your PC goes like this:

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

   Note

Which Settings will be Preserved

• All user accounts.
• Files in all users' C:\Users\(user-name) folders. (ex: Desktop, My Documents, My Music, etc...)
• Wireless network connections
• Apps from the Windows Store will be kept.
• Mobile broadband connections
• BitLocker and BitLocker To Go settings
• Drive letter assignments
• Personalization settings such as lock screen background and desktop wallpaper
• Choices you made during Windows Welcome, such as computer name and user accounts, will not change.
• Network, Libraries, and Windows Update settings will not change.
• Customer Experience Improvement Program settings will not change.
• Windows Error Reporting settings will not change.
• Some drivers may or may not be removed.

Which Settings will be NOT be Preserved

• File type associations
• Display settings
• User settings
• Windows Firewall settings
• App settings
• All installed 3rd party desktop programs (not Store apps). A list of removed apps will be saved on your desktop after the refresh is finished to let you know which programs were removed.
• You PC settings will be changed back to their defaults.
• Installed Windows Updates will be removed.
• Some drivers may or may not be removed.

   Tip

If you create a custom recovery image, a refresh will also contain the desktop apps you've installed, and the Windows system files in their current state. If you would like to be able to refresh Windows 8 with a custom recovery image, then you would need to create and register a custom image first.

Refresh Windows 8 - Create and Use Custom Recovery Image

OR

Refresh Windows 8 - Set a Custom Recovery Image as Active

   Warning

If you set UAC to Always notify me, then you will not be able to use the refresh and reset Windows 8 features. These features require UAC to be set to the default or lower level to work.

If you have an OEM PC that came with Windows 8 preinstalled and updated to Windows 8.1, then when you refresh Windows, it will restore Windows 8. Afterwards, you will need to update to Windows 8.1 via the Store again.

OPTION ONE

How to Refresh Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 at Boot

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1. Boot to the System Recovery Options using your Windows 8 installation DVD or USB thumb drive, or ISO file if in a virtual machine, and click/tap on the Refresh your PC option. (see screenshot below}​

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2. Click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)​

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3. If prompted, select the Windows 8 or 8.1 that you want to refresh. (see screenshot below)​

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4. Click/tap on Refresh. (see screenshot below)​

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5. Windows 8 or 8.1 will now start to be refreshed.​

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6. When it's finished, you can now log back on to a refreshed Windows 8 or 8.1. (see screenshots below)​

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   Note

If any apps were removed during the refresh, you will find a Removed Apps.html file on the desktop detailing what it removed and at what time.

   Note

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You will also now have a Windows.old folder that has been placed in the root directory of the Windows 8 or 8.1 drive that contains a copy of the previous Windows 8 or 8.1 installation before it was refreshed. This folder can be quite large in size, so the tutorial below will show you how to delete it if you like.​

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How to Delete the "Windows.old" Folder in Windows 8​

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OPTION TWO

Refresh Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 from within Windows 8 and 8.1

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1. While signed in as an administrator in Windows 8 or 8.1, do step 2 or 3 below depending on which option you would prefer to use.​

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2. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the Recovery icon, click/tap on the If you're experiencing problems with your PC, you can refresh it in PC settings link, and go to step 4 or 5 below. (see screenshot below)​

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3. Open PC settings, and do step 4 or 5 below for the Windows 8 you have installed.​

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4. If you have Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1​

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A) On the left side in PC settings, click/tap on Update & Recovery. (see screenshot below)​

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B) On the left side in Update & Recovery, click/tap on Recovery, click/tap on the Get started button under the Refresh your PC without affecting your files section on the right side, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below​

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5. If you have Windows 8 or Windows RT​

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A) Click/tap on General on the left side, click/tap on the Get started button under the Refresh your PC without affecting your files section on the right side, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​

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6. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes.​

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7. If prompted to Insert media, insert or connect your Windows installation DVD or USB, or ISO file if in a virtual machine.​

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8. Click/tap on Next. (see screenshots below)​

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9. Click/tap on Refresh. (see screenshot below)​

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10. Windows 8 or 8.1 will now start to be refreshed.​

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11. When it's finished, you can now log back on to a refreshed Windows 8 or 8.1. (see screenshots below)​

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   Note

If any desktop apps (programs) were removed during the refresh, you will find a Removed Apps.html file on the desktop detailing what it removed and at what time.

You will also now have a Windows.old folder that has been placed in the root directory of the Windows 8 or 8.1 drive that contains a copy of the previous Windows 8 or 8.1 installation before it was refreshed. This folder can be quite large in size, so the tutorial below will show you how to delete it if you like.

How to Delete the "Windows.old" Folder in Windows 8

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Create a Refresh Windows Shortcut in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Do a Repair Install of Windows 8 without Losing Anything
• How to Refresh or Reset Windows 8 without Installation Disk
• How to Create a Custom Recovery Image to Use to Refresh Windows 8
• How to Set a Custom Recovery Image as Active to Use to Refresh Windows 8
• How to Display Path of Current Active Recovery Image Used to Refresh Windows 8
• How to Deregister the Current Custom Recovery Image to Refresh Windows 8
• How to Boot to the "System Recovery Options" in Windows 8
• How to Create a Recovery PC settings Shortcut in Windows 8.1
• How to Reset Windows 8 and Windows 8.1
• How to Delete the "Windows.old" Folder in Windows 8
• How Run a "Automatic Repair" to Fix Windows 8 Startup Problems
• How to Run the "SFC /SCANNOW" Command at Boot or in Windows 8
• How to Do a System Image Recovery in Windows 8
• How to Use DISM to Fix Component Store Corruption in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012
• How to Fix "You've been signed in with a temporary profile" Error in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Fix "User Profile Service service failed the sign-in. User Profile cannot be loaded." Error in Windows 8 and 8.1

 

[Brink]

Hello Jude,

I'm sorry to hear that you lost all of your programs like this.


Since you had an OEM PC that came preinstalled with Windows 8, it used the factory recovery partition to refresh with instead of need an installation DVD/USB.

Unfortunately, you will have to manually reinstall these 3rd party programs again.

If these programs came preinstalled on your PC as well, then you could do a factory recovery to get them all back, but be sure you back up anything that you do not want to lose first since this will wipe everything and return the PC to how it was from the factory.

If you like post back with what brand (Samsung?) and model number of your PC, and we'll be happy to see if we can find and post back with instructions on how to do a factory recovery on it.

 

[judecastro]

Hello Jude,

I'm sorry to hear that you lost all of your programs like this.


Since you had an OEM PC that came preinstalled with Windows 8, it used the factory recovery partition to refresh with instead of need an installation DVD/USB.

Unfortunately, you will have to manually reinstall these 3rd party programs again.

If these programs came preinstalled on your PC as well, then you could do a factory recovery to get them all back, but be sure you back up anything that you do not want to lose first since this will wipe everything and return the PC to how it was from the factory.

If you like post back with what brand (Samsung?) and model number of your PC, and we'll be happy to see if we can find and post back with instructions on how to do a factory recovery on it.

Thanks, Shawn. Yes, except for the Microsoft Office 2007 (also Adobe Reader, Chrome, Firefox, and Avast--but these are easily downloadable), all those programs came preinstalled on my PC. My PC brand is Samsung, model number is NP300E4C-A04PH.

Do you think it's also okay if I go back to the store and have my PC refreshed there again with the installation disk? (But that'll come with a price, right?) But just in case factory recovery would be tedious for me?

 

[Brink]

Jude,

Sure you could have the store do a factory recovery for you, but they most likely will not do it for free.

If you like, the link below from Samsung will help show you how to do a factory recovery (3rd "Complete Restore" option) yourself for your laptop. It's really not hard to do at all. Just be sure to follow the steps, and back up anything that you do not want to lose first.

Samsung Recovery Solution 5 | SAMSUNG

 

[judecastro]

Jude,

Sure you could have the store do a factory recovery for you, but they most likely will not do it for free.

If you like, the link below from Samsung will help show you how to do a factory recovery (3rd "Complete Restore" option) yourself for your laptop. It's really not hard to do at all. Just be sure to follow the steps, and back up anything that you do not want to lose first.

Samsung Recovery Solution 5 | SAMSUNG

Thanks, Shawn. I'll try to do this factory recovery. But one more thing before I do this: I have some--I don't know the right words--"information" entered into some of the apps there. For example, I've entered some journal and appointment entries in my Calendar app. Would stuff there be affected? Anyway, thanks a lot!

 

[Brink]

Unfortunately, yes. All information like that would be wiped out. You would want to back it up or write down first.

 

[Win8win]

hey
it's not delete all me program??
it's very good thing!!!

 

[Brink]

Hello Tom,

A refresh will remove all 3rd party desktop type programs you installed. The blue note box at the top of the tutorial can give you more details about what will be affected by a refresh.

 

[Win8win]

Hello Tom,

A refresh will remove all 3rd party desktop type programs you installed. The blue note box at the top of the tutorial can give you more details about what will be affected by a refresh.

ok very nice
thank you my friend

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Tom.

 

[Brink]

This refresh Windows 8 tutorial has been updated for Windows 8.1 Preview.

 

[bagavan]

Just a question, when you refresh windows 8.1 will it revert back to windows 8?

 

[Brink]

Hello Manjunath,

No. It will still be Windows 8.1 Preview it refreshes.

 

[bagavan]

Thanks for the answer

 

[Brink]

You're welcome mate.

 

[ellisr2]

Can you please clarify whether Microsoft Office 2013 will be wiped out and need to be reinstalled is I perform a refresh? Te rest of you information is quite clear, but not sure whether Windows considers Office a store app or not, after all it does perform updates on it like any other store app. Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Hello Ellisr, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Office 2013 is considered to be a desktop app, so it will be removed during a refresh, and will need to be reinstalled afterwards.

 

[ellisr2]

Well that stinks, but at least I now know for certain. Thanks for the help.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome.

 

[theog]

   Warning

OEM manufacturer Windows 8 UK Preinstalled, updated to Windows 8.1 UK from the MS Store.

 

[Brink]

Thank you Ray. Added.