How to restore a Windows Vista PC to factory settings, when it has been upgraded to Windows 7

Question

I'm trying to repair a friend's PC. It's a Toshiba laptop running Windows 7, and it seems like the only option is going to be to restore it to factory settings. My friend has given me two recovery DVDs, which he created when the computer prompted him to (i.e., shortly after he first used it). However, it looks like the PC was originally running Windows Vista, and is now running Windows 7: the recovery DVDs are for Windows Vista.

I've successfully backed up all of the data from the PC, and would now like to restore it to factory settings: but Windows 7 factory settings, not Vista factory settings. What's the best way to do this?

Answer 1

Get the Microsofts Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, enter the windows key your friend first used when upgrading to 7 and create a usb install disc.

After booting to the stick - the key to override the boot device differs from board to board, but it's ESC or F12 most of the time - make sure to use "Custom Install", delete all existing partitions and install into the new free space.