Backup External Drive + Factory Reset

Question

Would you be able to backup videos and other files to an external drive, unplug/remove the drive, factory reset/reformat the PC, replug in the drive, and access those files? Or would you have to reformat the external drive on the system in order to use it, resulting in a waste of time?

Answer 1

Hello

Yes, you can definitely backup your videos and other files to an external drive, perform a factory reset/reformat on your PC, and then access those files from the external drive without needing to reformat it. Here’s a general process:

Backup Files: Connect your external drive to your PC. Copy the files you want to backup from your PC to the external drive. You can do this by dragging and dropping the files in File Explorer.

Safely Remove the External Drive: Once the transfer is complete, make sure to safely eject the external drive. You can do this by right-clicking on the drive in File Explorer and selecting ‘Eject’.

Factory Reset/Reformat PC: You can now proceed with the factory reset/reformat of your PC. Make sure the external drive is not connected during this process.

Reconnect External Drive: After the factory reset/reformat is complete, you can reconnect your external drive to the PC. You should be able to access your backed up files without needing to reformat the external drive.

Remember, it’s always a good idea to keep multiple backups of important files in case one backup fails or gets corrupted. Also, ensure that your PC is free of malware before transferring files to avoid infecting your external drive.