How long would a backup and restore process take?

Backing up and restoring should take only minutes.

In your situation, you'll want to backup your personal files (documents, pictures, etc.) You can't backup your software - that will have to be reinstalled - and you don't want to backup Windows, since that's what's giving you trouble.

How many minutes depends on how much in the way of personal files you have to backup. The easiest thing to do is to attach an external hard drive to your computer and copy the folders from your computer to the external drive. To restore, do the reverse but with a slight twist: Copy the contents of those folders from the external hard drive to the corresponding folders in your new installation of Windows.

You know, there are several different procedures that are called 'reset.' What did you have in mind, or better yet: what exactly do you want the end result to look like?

by reset, i meant factory reset, like the day i got it, see if that works.

'Factory reset' is the correct term if you want to restore your computer to exactly as it was when it left the factory. That's the easiest, quickest and most reliable way to reset a computer. I included 'most reliable' because the procedure is designed by the computer manufacturer to work with your computer. You will find detailed, step-by-step instructions on the manufacturer's website.

Once the reset has completed, Windows will want to update itself to its newest version. You should certainly do that, since there is no better time to install updates than after a factory reset. (Maximum chance for success.)

Next, install your software, which will be boring, but that's why we have Merlot. Please, please be sure that you are installing software that is supported on Windows 10.

Finally you can restore your backed up personal files.

If you want to do yourself a real favor, backup every day. Commercial backup software makes that fast and easy. Later, when you're ready to advance, you can learn how to make an image backup, which is an exact copy of your entire hard drive. You will never have to reinstall Windows again! (If all the King's horses and all the King's men had an image backup, Humpty Dumpty would be with us today.)

by reset, i meant factory reset, like the day i got it, see if that works.

Hi Octavio. I'm Greg, an Independent Advisor.

The Reset is failing because it uses the same onboard files that are corrupt and causing you to want to reset in the first place. Since everything in WIndows 10 depends on the quality of the underlying install, I would invest now in the kind of install that never has problems, because you learn everything that works best and how to keep it that way.

Look over the steps for a gold standard Clean Install in this link which compiles the best possible Install of Windows which will stay that way as long as you stick with the tools and methods given, has zero reported problems, and is better than any amount of money could buy: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

The reason I suggest this is that no one who has adopted the install in the above link has ever come back to report further problems I've seen, including another version failure. This is because everything in Windows 10 is dependent upon the quality of the install, especially Version Updates which will choke on lesser quality installs, and there is no possibility of problems if you stick ONLY with the steps, tools and methods in that tutorial.

To create bootable Windows 10 Installation Media (on another PC if necessary) install Media Creation tool and follow the steps toward the bottom of the download page here in the section "Using the tool to create installation media:"

https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/software-downlo...

Insert media, boot it by powering up PC while pressing the BIOS Boot Menu Key for your PC maker given in this chart: https://www.sysnative.com/forums/hardware-tutor...

If the media won't boot you may need to enter BIOS/UEFI Setup (pressing key given in chart in link above) to turn off Fast Boot or Fast Startup first.

Choose the boot device as a UEFI device if offered, then on second screen choose Install Now, then Custom Install, then at the drive selection screen delete all partitions down to Unallocated Space to get it cleanest, select the Unallocated Space, click Next to let it create and format the needed partitions and start install - this makes it foolproof.

There is a step to rescue your files first using the booted media if you don't have them backed up: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki...

You will get and keep the best possible install to the exact extent you stick with the steps, tools and methods in the linked tutorial. It's a great learning experience that will make you the master of your PC because you will learn everything that works best and how to apply it with your own hands.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let me know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

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