If you don't routinely work on this hardware, though, you're better off checking out your hardware through the software menus. Otherwise, you can take the computer apart to check. On Macbook: select the menu > About This Mac > System Report > Hardware > Storage. When the Disk Defragmenter window pops up, check the media type column to find out if you have an SSD or an HDD. On PC: press the Windows key + R to open the run box.
#Hard reset pc how to#
How to Tell If You Have a Solid State Drive
It essentially shreds up your hard drive until it's in no way recoverable. Instead, you should physically destroy the device with something like the SSMD-2MM Solid State Media Disintegrator, which is something professional data destruction companies should have. To destroy a solid state drive, you can't use a degausser, because there's no magnetic storage. Rather, solid state drives have an embedded processor, its "brain," and interconnected memory chips that retain data. This kind of drive also doesn't have magnetic coatings like a hard drive disc. Information is stored on microchips and contains no moving platters. These contain the microchips you may picture inside of your phone against a green circuit board.Ī solid state drive is essentially a larger and more sophisticated version of a flash drive. While there's a pretty decent chance the old computer you want to nix has a hard drive disc (as it's an older, slower form of data storage), newer computers are fast adopting a new standard called a solid state drive, or SSD. That opens a Windows Defender Security Center window to the Fresh Start option.
#Hard reset pc update#
Use the Fresh Start option in Windows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Recovery page, Then, click the link text "Learn how to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows at the bottom.In either case, back up your files in case something goes awry. The latter, as its name suggests, will delete your files. The former resets your options to default and removes uninstalled apps, like browsers, but keeps your data intact. You can either select Keep My Files or Remove Everything.You should see a title that says "Reset this PC." Click Get Started. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.