Web User - UK (2019-10-02)

Discussfactoryresetsatwww.facebook.com/webusermagazine 2 - 15 October 2019 51

WINDOWS

In Windows 10, open the Settings app,

select ‘Update & Security’, Recovery

and click the

‘Get started’

button

under ‘Reset

this PC’.

Choose

whether to

‘Keep my files’ (but remove apps and

settings’) or ‘Remove everything ’ – for

a proper reset, select the latter. Next,

select whether to fully clean the drive to

securely overwrite all the data (this can

take several hours), then click Reset.

ANDROID

Exact instruc tions

vary between

manufa cturers,

but on most

Andr oid devices,

open the Settings

app and tap

System, Ad vanced, ‘Reset options’.

Select ‘Erase all data (factory reset)’

and you’ll be told exactly what (non-

synced) data you’ll lose by resetting.

Pres s Reset Phone to continue.

iOS

On an iPhone

or iPad , open

Settings and

tap General,

Reset, ‘Erase

All Content

and Settings’.

Confirm that you really want to reset

your device, and enter your Apple ID or

device passcode. You can also reset via

iTunes by connecting your iPhoneor

iPad to yo ur computer and choosing

Restor e [device].

macOS

Restart your Mac and hold down the

Command+R keys as it boots. When the

macOS Utilities window appears, select

Disk Utility, Continue, then choose the

drive you

want to

wipe and

click Erase.

Next, click

Reinstall

macOS

and follow the instruc tions to get a fresh

version of th e OS.

CHROMEBOOK

Open your Chromebook’s Settings by

clicking the clock, then the cog, in the

bottom-right corner. Choose Ad vanced

and scroll to the bottom of th e page,

then click the Powerwash button and

restart your Chromebook when

prompted. Choose to continue with

Powerwash to reset your device and

erase all your data. You’ll needto sign

into yo ur Google account to start afresh.

KINDLE

On the homescreen, open the menu

in the

top-right

corner

and

choose

Settings.

Open the

Restor ing a device to factory settings can fix

performa nce prob lems, andwipes data before

you sell or recycle. Robert Ir vineexplains how

menuagain and select Reset Device or

‘Reset to Factory Defaults’, depending

on your Kindle model, then choose Yes

to confirm. Ebooksyou’ve bought from

Amazon are stor ed in the cloud, so you

can download them again.

GOOGLE HOME

To reset a standard

Google Home,

press and hold the

mute-microphone

button onthe back

for about 15

seconds. Google

Assistant will

confirm that it’s

resetting. On a Home Mini, hold down

the factory-reset button onthe bottom

of th e device fo r 15 seconds; and on a

Home Hub, press both volume buttons

on the back for about 10 seconds. You

can’t use your voice or the Home app to

reset Google’s smart speakers.

AMAZON ECHO

To wipe all data

and settings from

Amazon’s Echo,

Echo Plus and

Echo Dot smart

speakers, press

and hold the

mute-microphone

and volume-down

buttons for 20 seconds until the ring

glows orange.On an Echo show, swip e

down from the top of th e screen, tap

Settings, Device Options and select

‘Reset to Factory Defaults’.

FACTORY-RESET

ANY DEVICE

You can’t undoa factory reset, so before you follow the steps we’ve provided,

make sure you’ve backed upany data you want to keep, including documents,

photos, videos, co ntacts and passwords, either to the cloud ora storage

device such as a USB stick or SD card. Apps you’ve installed froman appstore

should re-download automatically following a reset, but it’s worth making a

note of them – just incase.

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