[How To] Refresh Windows 8.1

Windows has a lot of tools to repair itself when it got in technical issues. Windows 8 or 8.1 in addition to those repairing tools, introduces us with a new kind of tool, named as Refresh. 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. Using Refresh, you can keep all personal data, Modern style apps, and important settings from the PC, and foremost reinstall Windows. This is how refreshing works in Windows 8: Now here is the how to part, but before proceeding some important things you must be aware of, here are they: Settings That Will Remain Unaffected All user accounts Files in your user 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 Settings That Won't Be Preserved File type associations Display settings Windows Firewall settings Metro Apps 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 So, without wasting your time anymore, lets see how to part: Refresh Windows 8.1 Within Windows 8.1 1. Press + W and type recovery or refresh in the search box. From the search results, pick Refresh your PC. 2. Now you'll see following window, click Next. 3. After clicking Next, you'll see the Preparing window: 4. There might be a possibility that Windows will ask you to insert the installation disc (in case you're not running Windows 8 that came pre-installed by OEM), you can try the method of this article to skip it: See : Some files are missing. Your Windows installation or recovery media will provide these files. 5. When everything is ready, Windows will provide the option to do Refresh: After clicking Refresh in above screen, Windows will start refreshing and you can log back to refreshed Windows after finishing. That's it! Refresh Windows 8.1 At Boot 1. Boot to the System Recovery Options using your Windows 8 or 8.1 installation DVD or USB thumb drive, or ISO file if in a virtual machine, and click on the Refresh your PC option (for dual boot, at boot menu, press F8 to get Advanced Options, then pick Troubleshoot) : 2. Click on Next: 3. If prompted, select the Windows 8 that you want to refresh: 4. Finally click Refresh: After finishing you can log back to refreshed Windows 8, 8.1. 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. You will also now have a Windows.old folder that has been placed in the root directory of the Windows 8 drive that contains a copy of the previous Windows 8 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: Delete “Windows.old” Folder In Windows 8 Using Elevated Command Prompt Read following articles if you can't Refresh: 1. There was a problem refreshing your PC. No changes were made. 2. The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again. Hope you find the article useful, we'd like to help in your queries!