How to Reformat a Toshiba laptop to Factory Defaults without a Recovery CD

I habitually reformat my laptop once a year. Doing that is annoying. However, after reformatting, I feel like using new one. I actually need to back up my data. If I don't reformat, I tend not to back it up. In fact, when I neglected to back up my data, I lost all my important data. I have regularly tried to back up data since then.

Nowadays, reformatting your computer is not difficult because most of computer manufacturers make easy recovering laptops. After you set up few steps, most of laptops automatically reformat. Only the problem is that it takes a long time to recover your laptop and to install all software programs you use in the optimum condition.

Here are the steps to reformat a window 7 based Toshiba laptop to factory defaults without a recovery CD.

1. Turn on your laptop holding number zero. If you see a Toshiba logo, release number 0.

2. You can see a unusual screen, Toshiba Recovery Warning Screen. Click yes, but you should back up your data before restoring.

3. After then, if you see this screen below, select Recovery of Factory Default Software. If you select the second radio button, it takes much longer time. I recommend you to select the first one. 

4. Select "Recovery to out-of-box-state (System Recovery Options are included)." However, if you have partitions, you can choose the second radio button, Recovery without changing the hard drive partitions. Moreover, if you want to make partitions, you can select the third one, Recovery to a custom size partition.

5. After then, if you see the screen below, press Next. 

6. You can see the screen below; it's preparing for recovery and then starts to recover. 

7. After then, you just wait for finishing this process. You don't need to do anything. After Recovery of Factory Default Software process finishes, click Finish. I didn't take pictures of the following screens, so I can't show you. After finishing the process, your laptop automatically turns on and off; you should not touch anything during the process. 

8. After finishing such a process, you should set up Windows such as country, currency, time, keyboard, and so on.   

9. After recovery, you should install a security program at first because you need to protect your computer and then perform Windows Update. Finally, install all software programs you want. That's it. 

Here are a recover key of other brand laptops. However, they apply to only the models included Recovery of Factory Default Software.

Dell:  F8

HP:  F11

Samsung: F4

LG: F11

SONY: F10

ASUS: F9

How to Protect Your Laptop Just in Case You Lose It

When using a laptop at a public place, such as a coffee shop or library and when going to the restroom there, you may have an experience that you ask a person to watch out your stuff. Most of the notebook users don’t want to imagine losing their laptop. If they lose it, they can buy another laptop. However, vital data on the lost laptop can’t buy with money.

Here is a way to protect your notebook just in case you lose the laptop; this is based on a Windows operating system.

1. Click “the Windows Start menu.” If you use the edition of previous Windows 7, select "Run" in the start menu tap. 

2. Type “CMD” in the search box and then press enter: CMD stands for command prompt.

3. Type “IPCONFIG/ALL” at the prompt and then press enter: IPCONFIG stands for Internet Protocol Configuration.

4. Two physical addresses are crucial. One is for wireless LAN adapter, and the other is for Ethernet adapter. Take a picture or capture the screen, and then keep it. If your laptop is stolen, you can find it with theses MAC (Media Access Control) addresses after reporting to the police. However, it is not 100% guaranteed because the MAC addresses can arbitrarily change. If its wireless LAN card or its mainboard is exchanged, its tracking with the physical addresses you have is difficult; the exchanged notebook has new MAC addresses. 

5.  Take a picture the serial number of your laptop on the bottom and keep it. It will help you to find the lost notebook.

The most important thing is that you should not lose your laptop and that you should make a periodic backup of your significant data.