How To Factory Reset A Toshiba Laptop And Update Drivers

If your Toshiba laptop is running slow or facing some other unrepairable issue, then a factory reset is probably the best resolution. Although this method would erase your data, uninstall all your third-party apps, and remove all the customizations and settings, in some cases, this is the best possible option. This article will guide you on how to factory reset a Toshiba Laptop.

Steps On How To Factory Reset A Toshiba Laptop

It is recommended to take a backup of your laptop first before you initiate the factory reset. You can save all the files and folders on an external hard drive or upload them to the cloud. Once you have taken a backup, you can follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step 1: Press Windows + I on your keyboard to open the Settings window.

Step 2: Next, choose Update and Security and then select Recovery from the left panel.

Step 3: Now, on the Settings window’s right panel, click on the Get Started button under Reset This PC.

Step 4: You will see a blue screen with two options:

Option 1: Keep My Files. This option will remove all the applications and customized settings.

Option 2: Remove Everything.  This option removes everything making it the same when you first bought it.

Step 5: Choose any one of the options and follow the simple onscreen options to complete the process.

Step 6: Once the computer resets and restarts, you will observe certain changes not because everything was factory reset but because it would not have any updated drivers. Read on to find out the various methods to update the drivers.

Why Should I Update My Drivers?

Drivers are small programs that communicate between the Hardware and the Operating System. All applications communicate their request to the OS, which then communicates with the Hardware via drivers and vice versa is also true. This implies that drivers are an integrated part of your computer, and it is important to update drivers frequently to maintain a network of flawless communication in your system.

After factory reset, your computer comes down to a state with default generic drivers that may just function normally without any extra features. For example, if you have a gaming mouse with extra buttons, it would function as a normal mouse with generic drivers. To use the macros on the extra buttons, you would have to install the recommended updated drivers of that particular hardware.

How To Update Your Drivers After Factory Reset?

Once your laptop has returned to its basics, all the driver updates you have done in the past have been nullified. To restore your drivers to the updated state, you can follow any of the three methods described below:

Method 1: Use The Hardware Manufacturer’s Website.

Every device manufacturer maintains an official website that hosts updated drivers and other resources related to the hardware. This method requires the user to have complete information about the device name and model number, necessary to search for the drivers on the website. Once the drivers are located, you can download them and install them.

However, many hardware components make up your PC, and identifying every hardware is not possible. Even if this could be done, the process of navigating to all the OEM websites, downloading the drivers and installing them would probably require a couple of days. This method is only practical when installing and configuring new hardware like a mouse or a keyboard.

Method 2: Use The Device Manager

The Device Manager is an inbuilt tool that displays a list of hardware and their drivers in the system. This method is recommended by Microsoft and helps users identify the outdated drivers represented by a yellow exclamation mark. However, the Device Manager can only search for updated drivers on the Microsoft Servers, which usually isn’t the first to receive updated drivers from the manufacturers. Also the users have to select each driver and follow the updating process individually for each driver. Here are the steps to use the Device Manager:

Step 1: Open the Run window by pressing Windows + I on the keyboard.

Step 2: Type “devmgmt.msc” on the text box and press the Enter button.

Step 3: A new window will open listing all the drivers installed in your system.

Step 4: Click each driver category to reveal the hardware beneath it.

Step 5: Make a right click on each hardware device and select Update Driver from the context menu.

Step 6: Follow the onscreen process to download and install the driver on your system.

Note: you will have to repeat the above process for all the drivers after a factory reset.

Method 3: Use Smart Driver Care

Smart Driver Care is a driver utility tool that can easily fix outdated, missing, and corrupt drivers in your system. This tool can scan your drivers and hardware, search for the most updated drivers on the internet and finally install them on your system – all with a few clicks. This method is fully automatic and does not require the user to identify the hardware make and model or possess any technical skills. Smart Driver Care is safe to use and can be used by anyone to update the drivers swiftly and with ease. Here are the steps to use Smart Driver Care in your system.

Step 1: Download and install Smart Driver Care from the link given below:

Step 2: Once installed, launch the application open from the shortcut created on the desktop.

Step 3: Click on Scan Now option to begin the scanning process.

Step 4: A list of driver issues will be displayed on your screen. Click on the Update Driver link beside the driver to update it.

Note: The basic version of Smart Driver Care can only update two drivers every day. After that you will have to wait for 24 hours to update two more drivers. If you wish to get rid of all your driver issues in one go, will have to purchase the software and click on the Update All button to resolve all your driver issues.

The Final Word On How To Factory Reset A Toshiba Laptop And Update Drivers

The above steps will help you to factory reset your Toshiba Laptop and update your system’s drivers. All the methods described above to update drivers work a 100% but with a few drawbacks of their own. The best probable method to update your drivers is using Smart Driver Care, an automatic process that does not require time and effort.

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