News in brief: Microsoft tries to take the pain out of a PC refresh
Windows 8 will include a smartphone-style reset-to-factory-defaults function, along with a way to reinstall the operating system without deleting apps and settings.
Microsoft has revealed that Windows 8 will include a reset functionImage: Microsoft
Microsoft said on Wednesday that the Windows 8 reset function would be useful for those decommissioning or recycling PCs, and the refresh function would help people whose PCs are "not working their best" but who do not want to have to back up all their data and reinstall from scratch.
"Today, there are many different approaches and tools to get a PC back to factory condition," Microsoft program manager Desmond Lee wrote in a blog post, listing manufacturer-provided tools, third-party imaging products, Windows system image backup and clean reinstallations.
For more on this story, see Windows 8 to get one-step refresh on ZDNet UK.