Reset Anything In One Click

Wiping the slate clean on your hardware and software protects your privacy and can fix technical problems. Here we explain eight easy ways to reset and start afresh.

Wipe Windows 8 clean
One of the best new features in Windows 8 is the 'factory reset option, which in one go wipes everything from your PC, except a clean copy of the operating system. This is much quicker and easier than reformatting your computer and reinstalling Windows. Its particularly useful if you're planning to sell or recycle your PC. To access the reset feature, swipe in from the right edge of the screen, go to Settings and choose 'Change PC settings'. Select General in the list of PC settings and, under 'Remove everything and reinstall Windows', choose 'Get started'. To keep your personal files, settings and apps, choose 'Refresh your PC without affecting your files'.

Delete your browser data
Your browser stores all kinds of information about you, including passwords, searches and downloads. Although you can delete this data manually by going into Chrome's Settings or Firefox's Options, it's faster to let an add-on do the donkey work for you. Our favourite free tool for the job is Click&Clean (www.hotcleaner.com), which is available for both browsers. Once it's installed in Chrome, click the toolbar button, hover your mouse over Clear Private Data and choose Options. If you want to delete everything from your browser, click High to select all the options and choose "the beginning of time" from the drop-down menu. Otherwise, just choose the data you want to remove and how far to go back, then click Run Cleaner. In Firefox, click the toolbar button, tick every option and select 'Everything' from the 'Time range to clear' menu. Click Clear Now to clean your browser.

Completely reset your browser
If you want to thoroughly refresh your browser, rather than just clear the data from it, dump it for a fresh version.
To reset Chrome, close the browser and navigate to the folder:
C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\User Data
Find the file called Default, and rename it (to 'olddefault', for example). Launch Chrome and a new Default file will be created, so you can start afresh.
To reset Firefox, click the Firefox button, go to Help and select Troubleshooting Information (if you have the menu bar displayed). Or just click the Help menu and choose Troubleshooting Information. Click the Reset Firefox button in the top-right corner and, when asked to confirm, click Reset Firefox again. Go back to the Troubleshooting Information page and click Show Folder in the Profile Folder field. When the Profile window opens, close Firefox, then find and delete the file 'prefs.js'. Close the folder and restart Firefox for a clean version.
To reset Internet Explorer go to Tools, Internet Options and click the Advanced tab Click the Reset button under 'Reset Internet Explorer settings', select 'Delete personal settings' and click Reset. You'll need to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Reset your default browser

It's easy to accidentally set the wrong browser as your default, but its just as simple to switch back. In Chrome, click the 'hot dog' button, choose Settings and select 'Make Google Chrome my default browser'.

In Firefox, click the Firefox button or the Tools menu, choose Options and click Advanced. On the General tab, select 'Make Firefox the default browser'. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options, Programs and, in the 'Default web browser' section, click 'Make default'.

To reset your Android browser, go to Settings, Apps, 'Manage applications' and press All. Select the browser you currently use and choose 'Clear defaults'. Now click a web link within an app or message, and you'll be asked which browser you want to use. Select 'Always' or 'Use by default for this action' to set the chosen browser as your default.

Reset your PC every time you use it

If you share a computer with someone who downloads dodgy software, fiddles with system settings and rearranges your Desktop, you can 'freeze' it using Reboot Restore Rx (www.rebootrestore.com). This free program, which works will all versions of Windows, resets your PC every time you restart it, so you always work from a clean slate. It's also useful for undoing any problems that occurred during the previous session, including malware infection. When you install Reboot Restore Rx, choose which drive or partition to reset and it will copy your program files to a "master image". Restart your PC to install the recovery environment and your system will be safeguarded against any unwanted changes. When you do want to save changes, right-click the software's icon in your System Tray and select 'Restore on Reboot' to turn it off. Make your adjustments, then turn it back on again. The downsides to the program are that it slows your start-up and, if you forget it's running, you Could lose work when you reboot.

Restore your phone to factory settings

If you're selling or recycling your phone or tablet, make sure you reset it so your personal data can't be accessed. On most Android devices, you Simply go to Settings, choose Backup & Reset, Privacy or Storage, and press 'Factory data reset'. You can erase everything from your phone or tablet's internal storage, including settings, apps and photos. You can also format your memory card to reset it. 

On an 'Phone or iPad, go to Settings, General, Reset, 'Erase All Content and Settings'. Double-check that all the data has been deleted before you hand your device on to a new owner.

Reset your webmail password

To protect your webmail from hackers, it's wise to regularly reset your passwords. In Gmail, go to Settings, Accounts and click 'Change password'. Enter your current password and the new one, then click 'Change password'. If you've forgotten your password, click the 'Can't access your account' link on the sign-in page, select 'I don't know my Password' and enter the secondary email address associated with your account. You can then reset your Password by requesting a verification code via email or text message, or by answering some security questions. If you're logged into your Outlook.com account, you can reset your password by clicking your name in the top-right corner and choosing 'Account settings'. Click Password and enter your current and new passwords. If you're locked out of your account, go to https://account.live.com/password/reset and follow the instructions.

In Yahoo Mail, just go to Account Info and click 'Change your password'. To reset a forgotten password, click 'I can't access my account' on the sign-in page.

Reset your hardware

If one of your peripherals has gone Potty, you can reset it to its default factory settings. On a monitor, press the Menu button then browse the onscreen options until you find Reset. You can reset your router either by pressing a button assigned to that function or by sticking a paperclip into the tiny Reset hole on the device. To reset your mouse, go into the Control Panel, click 'Hardware and Sound' and select Mouse. On the Buttons tab, click Restore Defaults. Printers have different methods of resetting, so check the manual for your model.