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Someone recently gave me their PC and I would like to factory reset it. However, due to a lot of complications, I have not yet found a way to do this without spending over $100. Here are the complications:
The farthest back restore point that exists on the system is March 3rd 2017, which does not reset the PC to factory settings. I tried clicking "show more options," but no more options appeared. So I can't use restore points in order to reset my PC.
I do not have the Windows installation disc, so I cannot reinstall windows in order to reset my PC.
I do not have a Windows 10 product key, nor do I have a Windows 7 product key. This means if I try to download either of the operating systems onto a disk or external drive, I will have to buy a product key, which I do not want to do.
I cannot think of anything else. Do I really have to pay in order to reset my PC?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Thank you! I will use the Tool in order to burn Windows 7 to the disc—I forgot that bit I guess.
Also, yes. This is Alienware Aurora. However, I have already tried booting the computer with F8 and I tried Repair Your Computer but there was no Dell Factory Image Recovery option. (This was the first thing I tried.) I even clicked "Show more options" but it still did not appear. The only image there was, was the one taken March 3rd 2017.
The Tool said that the Windows 7 ISO file I downloaded from Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download was not valid. What should I do? Should I download another Windows 7 ISO file or should I just pay for Windows 10?
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If the tool rejects the ISO file then it's probably been corrupted during download. If you want to try it anyway you can burn to DVD with ImgBurn Website Official Download - use Mirror 7 choosing Burn Image File and select 4x speed. If that doesn' t work then download it again and try the tool.
You can still possibly get free Windows 10 but I'd check that the PC meets Windows 10 Specs and if so follow Clean Install Windows 10 skipping the Product Key during install. Afterwards insert the Windows 7 Product Key from the COA sticker (may be under battery) into the link in Settings>Update and Security>Activation>Change Product Key. This method to activate the free Upgrade is being turned off slowly and we have not heard it is gone yet. Or you can contact Microsoft Support to ask for an Exception to the free Upgrade Deadline. Or lastly you can follow Here's how you can still get a free Windows 10 upgrade | ZDNet
I have to admit that my Technical Level is probably below basic.
I do not wish to backup anything on the CPU I want to factory reset, so I skipped to the next step which says to "Gather your program installers." What does this mean?
If you have programs you want to install that just means to gather them so you have them handy and can gradually install programs afterwards.
