Reset toshiba laptop to factory settings [Solved/Closed]

Hi,

I did the f8... but the option was to reset windows controllers only.

The original problem said prob wit C++ library.

After doing f8 it says not enough for API?

I did every option in f8 & f2... nothing working.

It's a toshiba portege 7200 running windows xp.

Please help :)

Hi,

I have a Toshiba L300-0-3C with Vista on it. I have tried pressing F8 to try to get to the Advanced Boot Options but with no success. I don't want to press 0 yet as I have some important files that I don't want to use.

Any help would be appreciated.

Frank,
Go to bios settings first and choose apply default settings and exit.Restart and try hitting f8.if it didnt help then let me know.Why do you want to reformat your pc?before you do you have to find a way first to cure the problem, but if it cant be fixed, the last resort is do a reformat.Goodluck man!

i have tried your method and i am not able to get to reset to factory setting. so help me i would like to do because somehow the my hard drive is used up complete when i have not load any programms

Cha, first download CC cleaner here http://www.ccleaner.com/download 2nd download sytem mechanic pro trial here http://www.iolo.com/downloads.aspx Remove also some trial programs or programs you dont need.Then run CC cleaner excluding the registry cleaner,you can also go to Tools section ,Start Up Menu, then disable some start up programs you may not need on start up. Then run System mechanic pro, almost everything is safe to run in system mechanic 9 pro so dont worry.Dont forget the registry defgramenting,disk defragmenting,memory defragmenting and removing system clutter.these are the most important work that should be done.if it didnt speed up your pc then let me know. Gudluck

hi iv been trying to reset my toshiba but have had no luck i can get the menu after pressing F8 but beyond there i dont have the same options as you said what else can i do?

pls do this ,save your files first to an external memory storage like a memory stick or whatever u may have, plug in your laptop to the ac outlet.then....1)shut down your computer turn it on then immediately press "f8" repeatedly then u will see the option at the bottom of the screen "press f2 to log to boot manager" press it fast or else you'll have to repeat everything again.2)then there is the option at the top "to access advanced boot option press "f8" ,press it. 3)Under "advanced boot option",highlight the option"repair your computer" and press enter. 3)System recovery option menu will show up, select country and keyboard layout then press next. 4)then there is the option to log in as a local user so you can access recovery option,enter your password. 5)After that the "sysytem recovery option will be visible,just choose what action u like a)start up repair b)system restore c)window pc complete restore d)windows memory diagnostic tool e)command prompt f)toshiba recovery wizard. if you want your laptop to reset to factory settings select toshiba recovery wizard,then select out of box state.then everything will be guided to you.your laptop would be the same as the first time you bought it.gudluck, let me know if you have a problem doing it coz ive done it twice since ive had twice serious virus attack and my system was damaged badly, and if you want your laptop to be at good condition always you should better buy "fix it utilities"everything is in it,antivirus,registry fixer,recovery of lost data,optimize performance,etc

I went through the process like you said but when I select "Restore the complete Windows operating system" which is the last on the list of options after "comand prompt" I get another box telling me "if preinstalled files are damaged you can use the product recovery disc(which I don't have" and also says "when you reinstall windows OS the hard drive will reformat and all data will be lost"...so I click ok and it just takes me back to the "Systems Recovery Option" list...I also tried the "Windows complete PC restore" option...only to get the message 2no valid backup location found" followed by "windows can not find backup on the hard discs or DVDs on this computer,Attach the correct hard disc or insert the last back up DVD and then start the restore process agai"...is there a way of doing this...I have a Equium....and help would be much appreciated..

your built in back up files must be damaged already, try ordering recovery disk from a nearest laptop dealer.. or if you didnt suffer from a tremendous virus attack or uncompatible program installation that led to files corruption or system error,it could be that your hard disk is damaged too that is why it is losing the important back up files.

hello justin i am writing i put on windows vista to my toshiba satelite 305 and know i am unable to use my wi-fi on my it states that no connections are present and i tried what you said prior and it is still not working]

did you try adjust he settings in your wifi set up? or you must have a virus that blocks you from getting connected..or maybe you have some sort of system error.try running virus scan if adjusting your wifi setting wont help then if the problem still persists try doing system restore. i experienced that too..im not an expert its just that ive been thru that..email me if you need some more help.

Justin, this option doesn't work if your reinstalling Windows due to a forgotten password.

yes dr,.disgust it wont work unless you can crack the password. Just download ophcrack to crack your windows password. burn it to a cd -rw then boot on it by changing your boot sequence from cd drive first,here is the link. cheers! http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net/download.php?type=livecd

Hey Justin

I really admire you for giving people all this advice. The last 48 hours that I was having problems with my recently purchased one month old Toshiba Satellite, yours was the only column I could find on the internet. It turned out that a Service or Startup kept making my system "Hang" at my Vista Welcome Screen or I was only able to get to the desktop before it would freeze and the wheel kept spinning, and the stupid Toshiba rep never gave me this option to stop service or disable programs until I did it myself!

Here is the issue now.... Up until yesterday (before I was able to MSCONFIG myself out of the whole mess), upon pressing F8 repeatedly I was always able to get to the "Advanced Boot Option", which till then also gave me the option to "Repair My Computer" and hence Run Recovery Options and other Restore options etc. etc., That first "Repair My Computer" option has NOW mysteriously dissappeared from the F8 Advanced Boot Menu and I cannot get to the option to "Reset to Factory Settings" or any of those other options there. When I called Toshiba again to ask them where the option went they told me since there is nothing wrong with the computer anymore, I will not be offered that option until the next time something goes wrong. :/?

I hate to say is but there seems something strangely inaccurate with that statement. Nowhere in the Windows Help does it say that the the Repair My Computer Options would not come up during "Peacetime." Windows Help says if you it came installed on your computer you can get to it by pressing F8. Are you able to clarify whether what this rep told me is true? I don't think my Boot partition is damaged. I could swear I saw some other Options there in the "Repair My Computer" menu which could also apply during "Peacetime" or hold true during an otherwise "trouble-free" time.
Is there another way for me to bring up this Repair Utility? (Pressing 0 / Zero or "C" didn't work either since I tried with the rep and we couldn't find it in Setup Utility or by pressing F11)

[In addition I am unable to System Restore to any point before this whole mess to see if that brings it up but that is another story ;)]

i see man,when did you noticed the problem?if you noticed it right after you bought it you should have returned it.i know you have a warranty why not try returning it?its been a a month only.have you tried doing system restore?try restoring it the day you think it was working well.i hope this would help.it is hard to give advice if i dont personally see it..and besides im not an expert gee..

hey ts boy one thing for sure u got virus in your system if you constantly surf or download files from internet.what is your antivirus anyway?or did you installed some software?after you have finished scanning and got rid of any unwanted files,you can try starting sysytem restore from the command prompt.the instructions are in the windows help and support center. just type "start system restore from the command prompt".i remember mine hanging before then i couldnt do the usual system restore .your laptop is just new so i guess theres nothing wrong with your partition unless it is factory defect.maybe some files were corrupted for some reason.
hope this will help

Hi Justin,

Thanks for your response. I had already scanned my system with viruses before embarking on this mission with AVG and Spybot search and destroy and Registry Mechanic amongst others in case the registery had gotten messed up after the crash. I understand that viruses are the first thing to get blamed after these problems but in my fairly "Tech-Savvy" life, at least for me, the issue 9 out of 10 times has been a system or Microsoft issue.

I fixed this problem and I wanted to give back a little so I came back to write about it. In my case, the "Repair My Computer" option comes pre-installed on the Vista Healthy Boot Partion Drive and this problem occured because somewhere along the lines, when I (quite possibly with the Toshiba rep) had RE-CREATED the BCD store which orchestrates the initial booting of the computer (the BCD file is in the C:/Boot folder).

A Definite NO NO until everything else has been exhausted. There was no need for this.

Well, Luckily for me if you ever re-create the BCD store, the BCDEdit tool makes a backup beforehand, which is what saved me as described below.

Basically the "Repair My Computer" option which is located on the Healthy Boot Partition that sits untouched on all Vistas was not damaged at all. Contrary to what the Tech suggested to me (and I did not believe) it was sitting right there all healthy and untapped. I knew this because the Toshiba Recovery Creator had been responsive and allowed me to create Recovery DVDs. Anyway, after the recovery discs successfully were created, I hypothesized that quite possibly the new BCD file was following a boot sequence which was bypassing the Healthy Partition Drive altogether and therefore never accessing the Tosiba Pre-installed OEM "Repair My Computer" option that allowed me to access it right from my Healthy Boot Partition Drive (For people wondering what this is, its in your computer management console and one you are not allowed to touch or change).

Safe Networking would not let me replace the new BCD with the old file which had been backup before recreating the new BCD Store, so with some patience and using my newly minted Toshiba Recovery DVD, I accessed the "Repair My Computer" option from the DVD and used the Command Prompt option to copy the old file to C:/Boot. It asked me, "A file with this name already exists. Do you want to Overwrite?", I suddenly had a flashback to the 80s with Ferris Bueller sitting at the DOS based blinking computer, and I took a deep breath and hit "Y" for yes.

Hence, I rebooted, hit F8 a bunch of times, et Voila! There it was again... My beloved "Repair My Computer" option.

Now that that's settled, I have to figure out what makes my computer freeze up unless some memory intensive application like Windows Media is running. And why my other XP Computer has gone invisible from my Vista's Network option. Aah...The curious wonders of microsoft.

Another story another day.

There is something wrong with the bios go to the toshiba website and download it

everytime i click on the toshiba recovery wizard it asks me for a disc, but i dont have a disc, so it wont let me restore it to the factory settings. is there any other way that i can restore it to factory settings?

hi i just tried the option to restet to factory and the screen comes up and says the installed program canot start click ok to turn off computer in the system recovery option box the nothink else

Report this message to moderatorsHello,
i have recently bought an old toshiba satellite l10-114 with xp for my son as a 1st laptop but the previous owner has left all there stuff on there & i want to restore factory settings & wipe it all at once but i have tried the usual f8 but get the menu;

safe mode
safe mode with networking
safe mode with command prompt

enable boot logging
last known good configuration
directory services restore mode
debugging mode
disable automatic restart on system failure

start windows normally
reboot
return to os choices menu

nothing about factory setting anywhere????!!!!! please help & thank you in advance!

Configuration: xp

i already tried that.. but when i choose the full system recovery.. it says insert the disc #1. i dont have any cd's for restoration of my laptop

pls do try what i have posted in the forum.i think it applies to all toshiba brands.email me if it helped you.tnx have a gud day

I have the same problem and i can't find information about it any ware. Pls hel

pls try ordering a recovery disk from your nearest toshiba shop dealer.

hey man ... im sorry to tell you ... that your computer doesnt have a recovery partition .. which mean you have no way to factory reset it without a cd ... this happens if u bought a used computer or u've formatted your hard drive b4 ... i had the same options as yours and i chose the last one and it worked perfect for me .. ooh and i recommend you to buy ur laptops from a trudted place like futureshop or bestbuy ... and im sorry again have a gd day :)

can you tell me what did you see on the screen when you followed the step by step procedure?what is your antivirus?have you tried system restore?but before you do that you have to get rid of viruses first coz they will still exist if untreated.can you tell me t what you have done so far?have you tried running system restore at the command prompt?you can look for details in the windows help and support center.email me pls

tell u why it aint workin because if u install windows with a cd it automaticly take off the recovery program so if i was u im having the same problem ill get a new cd or just look for free recovery programs

mine does the same. tried the recovery disk, then goes to create then comes up as a error of 10E90C0079.THEN TELLS ME TO PRESS OK TO TURN COMPUTER OFF

hi newbee, i also have experienced that shutting down or restart,first clear your notebook from virus. tell me your antivirus.then download gamebooster,run it when you want to play games,. it will close all the programs unnnecessary for the meantime while you play games so you can play without consuming too much ram.after playing return it to normal mode. just type in the searchbox "freeware game booster". it will prevent your laptop from hanging, when you play games your notebook uses a huge amount of ram and if it exceeds the limit it will your notebook hang.i hope this helps you

Hi Justin,
Thanks for ur replay, wow i just know theres is a way to play game freely, thanks again for ur informations about the software tools, is there others tools that may help me to use my laptop more freely im using toshiba A200 satelite with 2Gb ram and double storage with total 320Gb, OS windows Vista home edition.
My antivirus software is Avira, i got built in VGA called ATI Mobile Radeon HD 2600(comes 1 package with toshiba).
I have check as u said earlier and after i didnt success I bring my laptop to Toshiba Center. and they said i have burn my motherboard it because to hot and my fan dont work couz of to many dust.
after i repaired my laptop, im checking my laptop celcius temp and its result when just playing Windows Media Player is 60-79 degree celcius.
im using fan Speed to check it out.
is it a normal or standard celcius for Toshiba A200 of my type ?
plzzz Help guys.

Hi Justin,
Thanks for ur replay, wow i just know theres is a way to play game freely, thanks again for ur informations about the software tools, is there others tools that may help me to use my laptop more freely im using toshiba A200 satelite with 2Gb ram and double storage with total 320Gb, OS windows Vista home edition.
My antivirus software is Avira, i got built in VGA called ATI Mobile Radeon HD 2600(comes 1 package with toshiba).
I have check as u said earlier and after i didnt success I bring my laptop to Toshiba Center. and they said i have burn my motherboard it because to hot and my fan dont work couz of to many dust.
after i repaired my laptop, im checking my laptop celcius temp and its result when just playing Windows Media Player is 60-79 degree celcius.
im using fan Speed to check it out.
is it a normal or standard celcius for Toshiba A200 of my type ?
plzzz Help guys.

hi hannah, did you plug in your laptop to an ac outlet when you were resetting?what do you mean it doesnt turn on?does it load the boot section or set up?do your power indicator lights turn on?

My toshiba laptop is messed up. I dont have any recovery disc. i just need a way to have it reformatted

in system restore if you have trojans in your computer it would prevent you from doing that.i think it could happen also in your situation.try to make sure you have no virus first by running scan, what is your antivirus? try downloading norton 360v3 trial then run it.if you need the link just email me again .run alsop windows update

hi again...i did everything...scanning it with norton 360v3...and running it with update, but still says the same thing over and over again...???what do i do know?...please help me...

hi there tey2luv go to this link, download and burn it on a disk and run it. afterwards you need to update it, run virus scans, diagnose,etc. it has almost everything you need http://download.cnet.com/Fix-it-Utilities-Professional/3000-2086_4-10773944.html

hi tey2luv. try also running Clean up Registry in Norton 360v3, you can access it by pointing your cursor to the PC tune up and click view details, a corrupt system registry also can cause that.n In Fix it all there is an option to restore to a certain point, have you tried that too?

hi teyluv do you have a yahoo messenger? add me so we can try resolving it while chatting.im online now

umm.hi again...is it still about the trojan?...because even fix-it doesn't find anything on my laptop...and the error on the restore says about an installation program error...and it still shows the same thing...what should i do?!?!i don't think it's about trojans on why it still does it...what do you think?

umm.hi again...is it still about the trogan?...because even fix-it doesn't find anything on my laptop...and the error on the restore says about an installation program error...i don't think it's about trojans...what do you think?

did you install a program that did not finish or the installation was succesfull but incompatible?did you run a deep scan using fix it?if you did so, your laptop is 100percent free from virus.have u tried the system tools in fix it?this problem can be caused by either corrupted system back up files, system error resulted from uncompatible program.if you suspect that a program that you have installed cause this, remove it.when you were doing system repair were you log on as the administrator?if you can go online we can try some more ideas that could work

umm...will this factory system restore fix my non-functioning CTRL key?...because that's the main reason I want to do this factory system restore...

yes tey2luv,i think so, if you cannot fix it by system restore, then resetting to factory settings would do.

hi 8 ball 32, try this link, it has a demo softare for resetting admin password.if it didn't work let me know.i havent tried it either. http://www.password-changer.com/

Hi pat,
If you cant access Repair your computer through f8, try catching the keys that your screen shows when it boots,there are two keys.one for the set up, and the other for the boot manager.i think you need to try the key for the boot manger first.goodluck, if doesnt work then you can email me

hi Confused!please try again the step by step procedure i have posted, i was doing the reset to factory setting that tine to make everything 100% accurate.where did u see the option return?at what stage or no. of step?As long as i remember i did not click any back or return button.every step is detailed so pls execute as seen. tnx.if you could elaborate more i could help you

Hi Justin,

It was at stage 4 my confusion began - when I press enter (to reset the computer) the screen goes blank for about 1/4 a second and then windows just starts as normal. I tried it on my brother's laptop (also a toshiba) and the same thing happened so I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong. The model of my computer is a Toshiba Equium L40 on Vista if this helps.

Have since decided I don't need to resest the computer after all, however, feel free to post a reply to help others with the same problem as I'm sure it's something simple we're missing.

Cheers.

HI confused,
Did it asked for a recovery disk?Is it at the stage 4 of the step by step procedure i have posted?Explain more please.What options did you see,what was the heading or title you saw on top of the screen while you were on it, etc.Maybe it doesnt have a built in back up or there maybe some steps you were missing.Anyway whatever the reason maybe as long as your laptop is running fine there"s no need to reset it to factory settings.

if you have no important files like personal pictures or documents, there is no need to copy them to another external storage device, but if you do, you need to copy them before proceeding with recovery, of course.gudluck

ashley, choose toshiba recovery wizard, read my post with thye instructions then youll be fine. cheers

Help,
you need to use an external keyboard, usually a usb keyboard so you can type perfectly.This is a 100% sure solution. Good luck!

Hi Justin,

I wonder if you can help....

I get the same list of options when I press f8 as sam.scott, hoever I do not want to save any info off my hard drive. Which option do I choose?

hi duchess, i think there is no option for you to restore your unit to factory setting most especially it it is xp.if it is vista most likely it has.click start menu, all programs. look for a recovery menu, if it doestn have, then i think you need to insert the recovery disk or your windows os cd.

My toshiba laptop satellite A-105 picked up a virus/trojan/worm via an email thread sent out via facebook.

My laptop will not log onto window xp media edition as it automatically logs off no matter how I try to get it to work !!!
Even safe mode won't allow it to start. (it says system restore is corrupt/inflicted) I have tried all the suggestions listed here, but none say how to get it to start to begin with,...
Most I can't even try b/c it won't let me log on to begin with!!
Any suggestions?
Michael

i have a problem, my version of windows is illegal and when i go to "repair pc" it tells me that i cant activate windows in safe mode, so i cant run the recovery thing.. any idea of what can i do??

hi manuel, what is your main concern? to activate your operating system? what is your os then?activate your os first then try the repair thing process.if you need activators then let me know.i got them.
email me in my email add .gudluck

yes michael, looks like you're computer is messed up .is there no recovery option as well?have you tried safe mode with command prompt?try it and if it works,google for q explorer portable,install to a usb as portable,include a norton 360 v3 trial, and install norton from the command prompt.i have encountered an instance where on a particular laptop i was fixing i coulcnt enter normal safe mode, only the safe mode with command pronpt, aand from there i mange to get the important files and had a clue on what to do.the first thing you need to do is be able to open the q explorer portable and you can navigate inside your computer and install some programs,you need to know the basics of dos.i think i got the link for the q explorer. here it is. http://proreviewer.com/... and for the norton 360 v3 trial here.. http://www.symantec-norton.com/... just type "help" to know the commands in ms dos.pm me once again so i can elaborate more. if this doesn't work then tell me your os and everything, ill give you the torrent to download the os, or recovery disk you will need.gudluck!

Hi Justin.

I am having nightmares trying to restore my toshiba satellite L40-18Z back to factory settings. i have tried the f8 method. gone through to repair computer. i have the " Windows complete pc restore option " which tells me tat "no valid backup locations could be found" and the other option on the list was "restoring the complete windows operating system" that just takes me to a screen saying if preinstalled files are damaged you can use the product recovery dvd rom ( i dont have one ) please help

hi lee, did you continue to run that option you were mentinoning to see if the pre installed files arent corrupted.if they are, what is your operating system then?32 or 64 bit?send me your email add ill email you the torrent to download a recovery disk.gudluck

hi justin. managed to sort the toshiba out thankyou.

now i have a friend who has installed reinstalled windows xp home 32 bit on his acer travelmate 2301LCI but didn't back up his drivers and has lost them all. ethernet controllers etc. if you have a link where i can get them for him it would be much apprieciated.

hi lee. try this link from acer support. http://www.acer.com.au/...

hi lee. last option. if he cant find his model in that site support of acer then tell him to download everest ultimate edition.on Opening the program. click motherboard menu to get the motherboard infos and use that to look for the drivers.if he cant mange to do that give me the motherboard infos.If he is finding difficulty with that, he can click "DEVICES" menu then" WINDOWS DEVICES", OTHER DEVICES. from there he can get the specific name of the driver he needs and he can hunt them one by one.let me know if hes having difficulties. give me the motherboard infos and driver infos from everest ultimate edition program. the link to dowload is http://download.cnet.com/Everest-Ultimate-Edition/3000-2086_4-10499291.html

Hi,
I am in desperate need of a recovery disc for a Tossiba satellite A205 laptop.
Any suggestion?
Dwight

wat is down arrow key

Hello Justin,
Mine is toshiba satellite u205-s5022 laptop, under bad bad attack of trojan. Since it was bought in 2006, it seems that it doesn't have a restore partition though a 120GB hard disk shows the disk space as only 111GB. Above all, I don't have the original disk that comes with the laptop. The only option I now have is to format the hard disk and load the OS(ms xp professional sp2) afresh. I need to know if I format the disk, will the laptop lose all the toshiba features? Will the laptop malfunction if all the originally loaded toshiba drivers and features are gone?

Toshsatellite, yes of course it will lose all the toshiba feature it has.It wouldnt malfunction but rather waiting for a complete set up.You will usually need to look for the ethernet driver,wireless driver,sound driver, video graphics driver,etc. just download Everest Ultimate Edition trial to help you look for the drivers.if you are lucky enough you can have all the toshiba features back if you know what they are and hunt them one by one or you could get them in a package from toshiba when u enter your exact model in toshiba support center.dont worry you will be able to get it working again,if you need assistance let me know, i can help you hunting them down. Read one of my post here on how to use it.link for download of everest is http://download.cnet.com/Everest-Ultimate-Edition/3000-2086_4-10499291.html is

Hi Justin,
You seem incredibly helpful. I have a Toshiba, not sure of the model since I am not at home right now, but a couple of weeks ago I downloaded Skype. While I was creating my account name by computer screen went blue with a all these letters and then ever since then when I turn it on and go into it as I would normally do it freezes after all my icons appear on my desktop. The only way I can use my laptop now is in safe mode. I wouldn't mind it but it restricts me from doing a lot and everything is huge on the screen itself.

I took it to Best Buy and Geek Squad advised me that I need to do a system blowout which would cost me $136.00 with them. He said that most likely I have a virus. Can you please help. I am a total dummy when it comes to anything IT wise so any assistance would be great.

hi kim, yes most likely your laptop has a virus, or you downloaded an incompatible software.what is your antivirus anyway? try norton 360 version 3, scan and if the result indicates manual removal,copy the file location which will be shown in the details section and you need to go to safe mode and turn off system restore.afterwards locate the file and delete it manually.the link for norton download is http://www.microsoft.com/windows/antivirus-partners/windows-vista.aspx If you have xp os, change the windows-vista.aspx to windows-xp.aspx. if you have trouble doing this then try fix it utilities professional.after updating it scan it with the DEEP SCAN OPTION.It will automatically get rid of the virus.the download link is http://www.brothersoft.com/fix-it-utilities-professional-61217.html after you have removed the virus or no virus was found during the scan and the problem persists, try doing system restore. just go to CONTROL PANEL,click SYSTEM, click SYSTEM PROTECTION,wait till SYSTEM RESTORE button is available, then click it.Just choose from the available dates you think it was normally working.if system restore cant fix it then do factory settings which i have posted in the forum at No. 4. email me me if you need some more help.

hey man hows it going...i have a toshiba satellite pro s200 and whant to factory reset it... but problems i did what you told others to do but when i get to advanced set up it dosnt have the option to factory resest...could you please help i am stuck and dont want to purchase the cd...cheers

hi caseybro if u still need help email me i got the recovery disk torrent file .just give your os