Initiating a system reset. Please follow the on-screen instructions.
Initiating a system reset. Please follow the on-screen instructions.
Reset doesn’t remove your files; it only affects your programs and settings. Windows seems to confirm this too.
Clicking keep personal files ensures your data stays safe. It won’t fully reinstall Windows. A virus might help, though it didn’t for me. Clearing everything and reinstalling from a USB could work if you have a virus, but it risks losing files. Good luck!
Windows retains personal documents like PDFs, PNG images, text files, etc. It tends to be clumsy and probably leaves behind leftover program components that shouldn't have been removed, possibly even failing to delete entire applications. The goal is simply to reinstall Windows and preserve your data, though the process feels underwhelming. This assumes Windows can actually carry out the reset...
Malware can indeed persist after a Windows format and fresh installation, especially if it's particularly resilient.
Same applies to viruses. If it reappears, it's because you ran the malware again or used the file that carried the virus. This means it wasn't fully removed before reinstalling and you triggered another infection. Reports suggest Apple may have a virus that embeds itself in their laptop keyboard firmware due to weak security, then re-infects the system. Since consumers can't update this firmware, replacing your Apple device might be necessary. But I'm unlikely you own one with this capability—most malware infections come from common nuisances like pop-ups, search results, or homepage changes, often used for ransomware.