Hi 2 all,

Silly me: awhile ago i deleted the Restore partition on my ASUS Zenbook laptop (Windows 10 Pro), just to regain disk space.(again: STUPID ME).
Now, i need to restore the Zenbook to factory default.

Does any Big Hero PC Whizkid know if it that is possible at all and if yes; how to do that exactly ?

Thanks in advance & Warm Regards.

 

You could probably download an iso from asus.

 

All windows versions can be found here if needed as well.
Sometimes setting your pc back to the default setting
it came with adds lots of programs you could never use
and takes up HD space, least now you have a chance to start fresh
if ya wanted too.
http://windowsiso.net/

 

Try going here :

https://icr-am.asus.com/webchat/icr...US&treeId=AM.US.EN-US.Notebook&tenantId=EN-US

Click on download center; enter the model, then register your product if you haven't already.

Then, possibly, it will provide you with an *.ISO file that contains the recovery partition in your model's download section.

If not, then shoot them an email.

 

Valuable help peoples, thanks so much !
Especially bluerover's comment is gold i think, will try !

 

Really nice community this one

 

Not at all, but...
When you have reinstalled Win to factory defaults first thing should be making a backup of it. There's a lot of backup software, my favorite is Macrium reflect (free version available).
Reinstalling from restore partition takes ages. With a backup only 2 or3 minutes. Restore partition will be backed up as well.
So you can delete it from HDD afterwards to regain storage room.

 

Sounds great, thank you for the tip !

Meanwhile, couldn't find any restore software for the Zenbook on ASUS website
I am thinking of doing a clean install of some kind of Barebones version of Windows 10 on the Zenbook and then re-install all necessary Zenbook drivers from ASUS website.
I am really a Windows noob (using mainly Apple for many years, the Zenbook is for my kid-schoolstuff) so it might be a big challenge for me :0)

Warm Regards!

 

Piece of cake pretty much @vanhaze , people love to make releases available, even moreso due to Big Bill's
heavy handedness and releasing half baked OS's over the years, you have multiple options at your disposal. I bought a
machine that had Win 10 on it, but I didn't want it. Got an 8.1 iso, and boom, right back to where I wanted to be !
And without the vendor specific junkware that usually just annoys me anyway.

You've brought some cool stuff to us Reaper fans, so I think you won't be at a loss getting that lappie sorted.
You probably won't need much help with it, but if you do, feel free to ask here.

cheers!

 

@vanhaze
I found this site for ASUS recovery images. You'll need your serial # of the Zenbook. Site In netherlands
When you reinstall from recovery image you'll have the option to reinstall and leave your data as is. But for a clean install you'll prefer a full restore (but you will need to wipe the disk (3rd option) only if you want to sell the gear. Wiping the disk depending on size needs hours)

@Herr Durr this may not be an option as I read @vanhaze 's sig

 

Last edited: Aug 12, 2018

i would try it with a clean image from MS. W10 on a USB stick
https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/software-download/windows10

 

that sounded like preserving the data, and other configurations were not a primary concern...so
I am not sure what a "factory reset" really achieves except getting the system back with all the bloat/crapware
and in my mind that also involves de-indexing the data.. sort of like a factory reset on a phone

If he wants to preserve everything.. yes different case

 

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 12, 2018

Dear peoples,
Appreciation for all your help, thanks !

- Herr Durr, thank you for your kind words and help!
- I don't want to/need to preserve anything on the Zenbook.
- Preferably, i don't want to have all the ASUS bloat/crapware installed when i do a clean install.
- Preferably, i want to do a clean install of a very lightweight Windows 10 consumer version.
- I realize that, when doing a Windows install, afterwards i have to install all Zenbook related drivers.

@twoheart: maybe i'm blind but i don't see the dutch ASUS url for ASUS recovery images (?)

Warm Regards !

 

Sorry for that, apparently I didn't hit enter after pasting the URL. Here it is:
https://serviceshop.asus.com/NL/NL/recovery.aspx

When you use the ASUS media you will most likely install the drivers AND bloatware. But you always can uninstall easily what you don't need.

There is a lightweight version of Win 10 called 2016LTSB. But it's not as easy to install (for a beginner as you will need to DL and install drivers yourself) and it's not quite legal (...).

 

Awesome twoheart, thank you !

 

@vanhaze I see you are on your way.. congrats...

Did this many times, when rolling the horrible Vista laptops back to Xp. I went to the manufacturer's site
and obtained the individual drivers for that system. Takes some more effort than a restore, but I ended up
with nothing I didn't want.. and when it came to Vista.. that was a very good thing..