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Thread: "Random techie stuff I've been doing during the lockdown" thread
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Old Jun 4, 2020 | 5:05 pm
  #43  
BigLar
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Originally Posted by gfunkdave
Most computers made in the last several years have a hidden hard drive partition that lets you easily reinstall Windows and blow everything back to factory state. When you start the computer press Esc or Del (or sometimes F1 or F12- whatever it says on the startup screen) and choose the option to repair your PC.
True, but if he's as non-techie as he claims, he might need a little more step-by-step than just "hit DEL or ESC" or whatever . Getting at the recovery partition is not as straightforward as it could be (to keep from starting it by mistake), and he could wind up with a nice fresh install and no data.

I'm not 100% sure about the above, since I've never done it, but I'd advise to check out the procedure carefully before just saying "Sure - go ahead".
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