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In windows 10 settings, there's an option under Recovery for "Reset this PC". It allows you to choose whether to keep or remove personal files, and resets the computer.

Using this option, if I were to select "do not keep files", would this 1000% ensure that no malware is left on my system after resetting? Does it completely remove all potential malware?

I've heard about advanced malware which can survive resets, but that information seems outdated and I want to know for sure. If it's not 100% guaranteed, how can I 100% make sure no possible malware is left?

sdg43g
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1 Answers1

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There is a 50-50 chance of removing malware if you reset Windows. Most malware these days embed themselves deep within the operating system, resulting in reinfection. Resetting a windows pc choosing to remove all the files will delete everything.

Microsoft has explained what’s actually going on under the hood here. When you reset your PC and remove everything:

The PC boots into Windows RE, the Windows Recovery Environment
Windows RE erases and formats the Windows partitions before installing a fresh copy of Windows.
The PC restarts into the new copy of Windows.

Doing a reset will format the C: drive completely and reinstalls windows. However, the remaining partitions of the hard disk are not formatted. If the malware existed only on the windows partition(C:), then malware is wiped out. If the malware has infected some files inside any other partition, it is obvious that you will see the malware coming back on a fresh install or a reset.

So, to completely remove the malware, it is better to install powerful antivirus software and perform a full/complete scan of all the disks.

Srinivas V
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