I recently got a refurbished ThinkPad X250 that came with a licensed version of Windows, but it's infected with malware and has a bunch of unnecessary documents cluttering it up. I tried doing a factory reset, but it keeps failing with a message saying 'no changes have been made' after restarting. I'm worried that formatting the laptop could remove Windows, especially since I don't have the license key. Can anyone guide me on how to completely format or boot this laptop to remove the virus and those files while keeping the licensed Windows? I'm not very tech-savvy, so step-by-step instructions would be really appreciated. Thanks!
2 Answers
If your Windows license is OEM, it's actually stored in the BIOS, so formatting won't cause you to lose it. Just make sure that's the case before you continue. You might need to create a bootable USB with the Windows installation files using the Windows Media Creation Tool. This will let you reinstall Windows without needing the product key. Just remember, the license should still be recognized after the reinstall since it's in the BIOS!
Before you go through all that, check if BitLocker is enabled in the BIOS. If it is, that could be blocking the installation process. Assuming BitLocker isn’t an issue, make sure you have at least an 8GB flash drive to create the installation media. Once you make the USB bootable, enter your BIOS settings and select the USB to boot from it. Finally, follow the on-screen prompts to format your hard drive and install Windows. It should automatically pull the license key from the BIOS during installation!
That’s good to know! But how exactly do I format it if the reset option isn't working?