Share via

What's the difference between factory reset with clean all drive, fully clean and the normal factory reset

Anonymous
2024-09-25T05:08:31+00:00

My PC has viruses and I'm wondering if it's necessary to factory reset with clean all drive and fully clean all drive choosed or I just need to choose clean drive where window is installed and only remove all files?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Security and privacy

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.

0 comments No comments
Answer accepted by question author
  1. Ramesh Srinivasan 79,305 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-09-25T05:46:54+00:00

    Hi James626, This is Ramesh.

    Usually, cleaning the OS partition should be enough to remove all the active malware.

    However, if you suspect malware files were dropped in your other partitions, back up your data to an external drive and completely erase the disk before cleanly installing Windows. Or, erase everything in your OS partition, and once Windows is installed, do a full scan of your data partitions to remove any malware files.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments

1 additional answer

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Anonymous
    2024-09-25T07:08:18+00:00

    Hi, James626

    For complete virus removal, go with "clean all drive" or "fully clean." This way, you ensure all threats are wiped out. Just deleting files might not cut it. 

    Sometimes, problems that seem like viruses can actually be due to software bugs, hardware issues, or conflicts between programs. 

    You can use Windows Security to check for threats. Just click the Start menu, type "Windows Security," and select it. Then, go to "Virus & threat protection" and run a scan. It's also smart to use trusted third-party antivirus software for extra safety. After you check for threats, you can decide if you need to do a "clean all drive" reset.

    Best regards,

    John Smith Tech

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments