How to Factory Reset PC without Turning It on

Is it possible to factory reset PC without turning it on?

To reset your PC, you must first switch on the system power. Restoring the factory default settings necessitates an active power supply. If the computer does not boot up, there is an issue with your power supply box. Check to see if your power supply box's fan is running.

If your system functions well, you may utilize a variety of techniques to reset the PC without booting. It can be quite valuable for users to avoid starting their computers if they have viruses. A factory reset will remove any data downloaded from any server, restoring the machine to its original state.

How to factory reset a computer without login/password

There are some ways for you to factory reset computer, but in short, there are 2 types. You can create a Windows installation USB to reset, or you can manage your Administrator account before entering system, then factory reset PC in the system. In this part, we’ll show you detailed steps.

Way 1. Using Windows installation media tool

You need to create an installation media on a running PC.

Stage 1. Create Windows Installation USB

Step 1. Download the Windows installation media creation tool from the official Microsoft website.

Step 2. Run the tool and follow the prompts to create a bootable USB drive with the Windows installation files. Make sure you have a USB drive with sufficient capacity (at least 8GB) and backup any important data on it, as the process will erase all existing data on the drive.

Stage 2. Factory reset the target PC

Step 1. Insert the USB drive containing the Windows installation files into a USB port on your computer.

Step 2. Restart your computer and enter the BIOS or UEFI settings by pressing the appropriate key during startup (usually indicated on the screen).

Step 3. In the BIOS or UEFI settings, change the boot order so that the computer boots from the USB drive first.

Step 4. Save the changes and exit the BIOS or UEFI settings.

Step 5. When the computer restarts, it should boot from the Windows installation USB drive. Follow the prompts to begin the Windows installation process.

Step 6. When prompted, choose the option "Repair your computer."

Step 7. Within the Troubleshoot or Advanced options menu, select the option to "Reset this PC".

Step 8. You may be prompted to choose between keeping your files or removing everything. Select the option to remove everything to perform a full factory reset.

Step 9. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the factory reset process. This will reinstall Windows and remove all installed programs, settings, and files from the computer, restoring it to its factory default state.

Way 2. Factory reset PC via changing admin account to enter the system

Another case is that your computer can still run well, but you don’t have an admin password to do it. In this spot, you can try a third-party tool to directly cover the current administrator password by setting a new password and using the admin account's privilege to factory reset your computer.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is the best tool that can help you exert admin password changing. You can create a passowrd reset USB and boot your computer into this tool to change the admin password, then you can use the new administrator account to factory reset PC in the Windows Settings.

With this powerful tool, you can also easily manage your Windows Server or organize multiple PCs for your work. This program has the Server edition and other advanced editions.

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Stage 1. Reset administrator password

Step 1. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional on a working Windows computer and connect a prepared USB drive to it. At the top pane, select “Tools” > “Reset Windows Password”.

Step 2. Click "Next" to agree to create a WinPE bootable media.

Step 3. Then, choose the target USB drive and click "Proceed".

Step 4. You will note that your USB drive will be formatted during the process of creating the password reset USB. If there is no important data on it or you have made a backup of it, click "Yes" to go on.

Step 5. When the bootable media is created successfully, insert the USB drive into the Windows computer that you want to reset adminitrator password for and change the boot order to boot your PC from the USB.

Step 6. When boot into your PC, AOMEI Partition Assistant will open automatically. Click "Reset Password" again and select the Windows system. Then click "Next".

Step 7. Select the administrator account and decide which one you want to perform: Remove Account Password or Reset Account Password. Here we choose "Reset Account Password" and click "Next".

Step 8. In "Reset Password" window, type the new password in the new window and click "Yes" to confirm.

Step 9. Restart your computer and now you have known your administrator password and can use it.

Stage 2. Factory reset your computer

Now that you have successfully entered the system, you can easily factory reset your computer. 

Step 1. Log into your computer and search for "Reset this pc" in the search bar.

Step 2. Select the relevant subject from the results and click on it.

Step 3. In the Windows Settings, click on the "Get Started" feature.

Step 4. Follow the same steps as in Method 1 by choosing between "Keep my files" or "Remove everything".

Step 5. Choose the option that suits your situation and follow the instructions to complete the reset.

To sum up

In this article, you've learned how to factory reset PC without turning it on. After factory resetting your computer, your data will all be lost. So please make sure your important data is backed up, or you can also clone your disk to another one with AOMEI Partition Assistant to easily keep data safe.

Also, this tool carries many other helpful functions, such as extend partition, convert MBR/GPT disk without data loss, clean junk files, app mover... You can always find the best solutions in this tool to resolve computer and disk problems.