Contents Overview... 1 References... 1 Packing Up... 3 Reset the PC... 5 Restoring the PC... 6 Restoring the Data Files and Applications...

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 10 Contents Overview... 1 References... 1 Packing Up... 3 Reset the PC... 5 Restoring the PC... 6 Restoring the Data Files and Applications... 7 Overview This document contains detailed information about steps for reimaging your PC or preparing a PC to be donated, recycled, sold, or returned to the manufacturer for repair. The PC should be in a new state with your applications and data restored when you are done. Reimaging can help improve your PC s performance. It may be the only practical way to remove rogue software, malware, viruses, and other unwanted stuff that has made its way onto your PC. There are three steps; packing-up, resetting, and restoring. Hopefully you will have time to pack-up. If your PC has crashed and won t restart, you won t be able to do this so hopefully you have a good data strategy. Resetting will put the PC in a new state. Software bundled with your PC may be reinstalled (a factory refresh). Restoring involves copying your data back onto your PC from your backups and reinstalling the applications you want to use. Print this document. Check off completed tasks. References This document gets personal because it is based on my experience with my PC. Skip over what does not apply to you. If you do use one or more of my PC strategies, here are the references. Password Manager This document may reference my recommended password manager strategy. If you use this strategy, refer to the following documents if necessary: Dad s PC Tips Best Password Manager Ever. Data Strategy This document may reference my recommended data strategy. If you use this strategy, refer to the following documents if necessary: Dad s PC Tips A Data Strategy. OneDrive This document may reference Microsoft OneDrive. If you use OneDrive, refer to the following documents if necessary: Dad s PC Tips Make the Most of OneDrive. If you use another cloud file hosting service, follow the steps for that file hosting service. Go Paperless This document may reference my recommended Go Paperless strategy. strategy, refer to the following documents if necessary: Dad s PC Tips Go Paperless. If you use this Software This document may reference specific software installations. It is unlikely that you will be using the same software but use the examples as a reference for how you install your software. Specifically, in addition to other software, referenced in the Dad s PC Tips guides, this document

2 Page 2 of 10 references to 3 software applications that utilize databases (Quicken for financial management, Adobe Lightroom for photo collections, and Legacy Family Tree for some fun ancestry work). Just take note of how I handle where I locate the data for these applications and possibly do something similar for any applications you use that require a database. For more information, refer to the OneDrive reference (above).

3 Page 3 of 10 Packing Up If you use Bitlocker for external USB drives, be sure you have the Bitlocker drive unlock codes handy. You will need these codes to reattach external USB drives. If using KeePass password vault, open KeePass Touch on iphone and be sure it is synced with Dropbox and working. It will be necessary for passwords and software keys later. If using KeePass, make a copy of KeePass files to \<cloud service>\backups\keepass or equivalent. If using Adobe Lightroom, start Lightroom, open each Lightroom library (database) and perform a backup (to \<cloud service>\backups\lightroom\). If using Legacy Family Tree, start Legacy Family Tree. Perform a backup (to \<cloud service>\backups\legacy\). If using Quicken, start Quicken. Open each Quicken database and perform a backup (to \<cloud service>\backups\quicken\). If using KeePass, make a copy of KeePass files to \<cloud service>\backups\keepass or equivalent. Allow <cloud service> to synchronize. If using FileZilla, start FileZilla and perform export of configurations to \<cloud service>\backups\filezilla or equivalent. Allow <cloud service> to synchronize. If using Allway Sync, open Allway Sync. Export all jobs to \<cloud service>\backups\allway Sync, or equivalent. If using Windows Task Scheduler with Allway Sync or other applications, open Windows Task Scheduler and export all Windows Task Scheduler jobs to \<cloud service>\backups\task Scheduler, or equivalent. If using SlickRun, open SlickRun and export all jobs to <cloud service>\backups\slickrun, or equivalent. Get a list of all installed DESKTOP applications and WINDOWS STORE apps. See how to do this in the document: Mixed PC Tips. Print or export the file to \<cloud service>\backups\installed Software Inventory, or equivalent. This gives you a checklist for reinstalling applications. It will also record the current name of your PC. Print these documents for later use. PERFORM FINAL DATA BACKUP Back up all data according to usual processes. If using Allway Sync according to my recommended Data Strategy, run all Allway Sync jobs. I recommend keeping at least one external USB drive (I will call it F:) with a full backup. This is in addition to any other high capacity drive that you usually keep connected to your PC (I will refer to this as H:). F: should NOT BE RECONNECTED after the Packing Up steps, at least not for several weeks. This is to ensure you do not accidentally sync with and remove files on the backup drive until you are sure all data files have been restored where they belong. Allow cloud service to synchronize all backups. If using itunes, open itunes. De-authorize PC. If using Nuance Power PDF and you are moving to a new PC, uninstall Nuance Power PDF while connected to the Internet. If using Microsoft Office 365 and moving to a new PC, deactivate Microsoft Office 365. If using a NAS, be sure to record the NAS IP address (e.g. \\ , or something similar). If you do not know what a NAS is, refer to my data strategy.

4 Page 4 of 10 If using a NAS, open the NAS dashboard and hibernate the NAS. If using Carbonite, open Carbonite. Pause Backup. If using Google Photos, open Google Photos (Google Drive). Pause Backup. If using Boxcryptor, uninstall it. If you don t do this and it was set up to mount as a fixed drive, Windows will see the virtual Boxcryptor drive (X:) as a separate drive to be cleaned. Disconnect all connected devices. Reboot if necessary to allow USB drives to be disconnected. Is optical drive empty? If using Logitech wireless mouse and/or keyboard, remove Logitech dongle. Turn off keyboard. Turn off mouse. Turn off printer. Shut down. Remove battery. Blow dust. Clean PC. You are ready to reset and restore your PC or build a new PC.

5 Page 5 of 10 Reset the PC You are ready to reset and restore your PC or build a new PC. Be sure you have access to all user id s and passwords needed to restore your PC before you proceed. Have your mobile device available for any required 2-Factor Authentication. Additionally, some software you may have purchased and downloaded may require you to reinstall it from media. If this is the case, be sure you can locate the install files and any required activations keys, etc. TURN ON THE PC Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Get Started > Remove Everything > Remove Files and Clean the Drive. Select Get Started. Select option to Remove Everything. Select Remove Files and Clean the Drive. This will take a little time. This removes all apps and drivers you installed, changes you made to settings, any apps your PC manufacturer installed, your personal files, and reinstalls Windows 10. If your PC came with Windows 10, apps from your PC manufacturer will be reinstalled. If prompted, press F9 to clear Trusted Platform Module. Windows will now install. When Windows is installed, CORTANA will start to assist you with set up of your PC. STOP - If you're planning to donate, recycle, sell your PC, or return it to the manufacturer for repair, DO NOT DO ANYTHING MORE. THE PC SHOULD BE IN A NEW STATE. Select option to turn off your PC. SHUT IT OFF.

6 Page 6 of 10 Restoring the PC If you are planning to reimage the PC for your use, Cortana will guide you through the steps to do so. You will be asked for your Microsoft account information and may be asked for 2-factor authentication. Have your mobile device ready if you use Microsoft Authenticator. OneDrive - NOTE! Cortana will suggest you enable OneDrive. Go ahead and click Next. This will create the OneDrive folder in your %UserProfile%\OneDrive folder (C:\Users\<you>\OneDrive). However, ignore future requests to select folders to sync with the newly reimaged PC until you have restored files from your USB backup (see step, below). This will save you having to re-download everything from the cloud. Microsoft Office If you previously used Microsoft Office on the reimaged PC, Cortana may suggest that you re-enable it. Choose, yes, and it will be all set up when you are signed in. PC Up and Running on Wi-Fi

7 Page 7 of 10 Restoring the Data Files and Applications Note Restore steps are in a specific sequence that should be followed. STEP 1 DO THIS FIRST! If planning to use Bitlocker, enable BitLocker on Drive C: now. If you don t know what BitLocker is, refer to my data strategy. STEP 2 If using Logitech wireless mouse and/or keyboard, go ahead and insert the dongle and turn on the mouse. It should e up and running without installing any additional software. STEP 3 If you utilize my recommended password manager strategy, download and install Dropbox and sign in (be prepared to provide 2-factor authentication from Google Authenticator or another authenticator). This should re-install you KeePass files in your %UserProfile%\Dropbox\KeePass folder. Note, if you use Dropbox as your primary cloud hosting service, it will start to download all your other files as well, syncing them to the PC. If you have a lot of files, you may want to only sync the KeePass folder at this time and restore the rest of your files from your backup media. This will save time having to re-download all of them from the cloud. Now, download and install KeePass from Be careful what you click on and only click once. Open your KeePass password manager so you have access to your unlock codes, etc. STEP 4 If you use HitmanPro or HitmanPro.Alert, download it. Be careful to only obtain it from It is not necessary to sign into SOPHOS. Just download the product you use and install it. Enter your unlock key which is in the format XXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX- XXXXX. Why do this now? This product offers a layer of protection that Windows Defender (Window s own antivirus and firewall) does not. For example, if you use FileZilla, one of the download sites bundles it with the malware, Chromium and Avast Antivirus. HitmanPro will help protect you from accidentally downloading and installing these payloads. Neither of these payloads can be uninstalled without downloading and installing their uninstall packages and who knows what these do. HitmanPro can remove these but you are probably better off reimaging your PC if you become infected with either of these. SETP 5 If you use FileZilla, download it now from CAUTION! The Quick Download Links trick you into downloading the two payloads mentioned above. DO NOTUSE THE QUICK DOWNLOAD LINKS!

8 Page 8 of 10 Instead, from the left side navigation bar, click Download. Under More download options, click, show additional download options, then, select the correct package to install. Why do this now? If you have successfully installed FileZilla, move on the next step. Otherwise, reimage your PC again starting with Reset the PC. If you need to download any other software that has gotten you infected before, you might want to get that software reinstalled now in case you wind up getting infected again and need to re-image your PC again. Attach your backup media containing your data files that need to be restored to your PC, now. If using my recommended data strategy, connect your drive H:, now. You should be prompted to unlock it. Enter your Bitlocker password and select to Automatically Connect to this PC. It might connect as drive D:. If so, change the drive letter designation to H: (right-click Start > Disk Management (wait) > right-click drive > Select Change Drive Letter and Paths > Select Change and make the change). If using my recommended data strategy, leave drive F: disconnected. Why? If you connect drive F: and run all backup jobs, anything you may not yet have restored that is included in you backup jobs will propagate as a deletion, removing those files from H: and F:. I recommend you rotate F: out as part of your off-site backup and bring in a new F: before reconnecting it. If you use a cloud file hosting service other than OneDrive or Dropbox, download, install, and sign it to it. It will probably start to download all your cloud files, syncing them with the newly reimaged PC. If you have a lot of files, you may want to pause sync at this time and restore the rest of your files from your backup media (drive H:, if you utilize my data strategy). This will save time having to re-download all of them from the cloud. Restore your OneDrive (or your other cloud service) files from your backup media (H: if you utilize my data strategy) to your %UserProfile%\Users\<you>\<your cloud service> folder (C:\Users\<you>\<your cloud service root folder>). Doing this saves time re-downloading the files once you turn on syncing. Note, if you use the OneDrive Files on Demand feature, you can ignore this step. The same applies if your use a similar feature on your other cloud hosting service since feature keeps all files ONLY in the cloud unless you need them. Now enable OneDrive or your other cloud file hosting service. For OneDrive, go to settings and select the folders to sync with the newly reimaged PC. If you like to be able to back up your files, I recommend turning off Files on Demand, otherwise, they will not be available on the PC from which to create copies. From my experience, OneDrive seems to turn on Files on Demand

9 Page 9 of 10 once everything is synced. You will know when you use Windows File Explorer because there will be a Status column that indicates if the file is cloud-only or on the PC. Restore the rest of your data files you use for your different applications. o If you use Quicken and utilize my recommended data strategy, restore the files from H: to your %UserProfile% folder, e.g. C:\Users\<you>\Quicken. o If you use Adobe Lightroom and utilize my recommended data strategy, restore the files from H: to your %UserProfile% folder, e.g. C:\Users\<you>\Lightroom. o If you use Legacy Family Tree and utilize my recommended data strategy, restore the files from H: to your %UserProfile% folder, e.g. C:\Users\<you>\Legacy Family Tree. Restore the Legacy Charts files from H: to your %UserProfile% folder, e.g. C:\Users\<you>\Legacy Charts. If using a NAS, Power on NAS. Using your NAS IP address, map NAS drives as: Z: (public) Y: (personal) For example: Z:=\\ \public Y:=\\ \<you> Depending on IP address. When entering the NAS password, set to remember settings. If using my recommended data strategy, create the following folder in the root directory of drive C:. C:\~Temp If using my Go Paperless strategy, create the following folders in the root directory of drive C:. C:\~Scans from Scanner PDF C:\~Scans from Scanner JPG Get printer ready. Turn on printer. Be sure it is on your network or connected to your PC. In Settings, add the printer. Download and install the manufacturer s printer-specific printer drivers when ready. If you are using my Go Paperless strategy, you should download, install, and configure the printer s scanner software now to save new scans to: C:\~Scans from Scanner PDF If using my Go Paperless strategy install Nuance Power PDF Advanced from media. Follow all steps according to my instructions. You can use Nuance PDF Reader or its alternative, Adobe Reader. You can use Nuance ifilter (it needs to be enabled) or its alternative, Adobe PDF ifilter. Download and install Adobe Reader (Adobe.com web site) and Adobe ifilter (Adobe web site search for PDF ifilter), if you feel these are superior. If using my recommended data strategy and my Go Paperless strategy, perform a test scan. It should work now. Nuance Watch and Convert should find the scan in C:\~Scans from Canner PDF Convert it to a readable PDF saved in %UserProfile%\OneDrive\Auto-Converted folder. If using Quicken, download and install Quicken. If using Bayden SlickRun, download and install it. If using my recommended data strategy, import SlickRun data from %UserProfile%\OneDrive\Backups\SlickRun. If using my recommended data strategy, download and install Allway Sync. Activate Pro with your license. Import Allway Sync jobs from %UserProfile\OneDrive\Backups\Allway Sync. DO

10 Page 10 of 10 NOT RUN THE JOBS YET! Running jobs now could propagate deletions, deleting files on destination drives that have not yet been restored to all source locations. If using WinZip, install from media and activate it with your license. If using Snagit, install from media. Activate it with your license. Set capture keys to Shift-PrtSc. If using icloud desktop application, download it and sign in. It should automatically respect OneDrive configuration for your %UserProfile%\Pictures folder. If using itunes, install itunes, sign in. Authorize PC. Usually it is now already recognized as authorized. If using Adobe Creative Cloud applications (Lightroom, Photoshop, etc.), sign into Adobe Creative Cloud on the internet and then download the installer application. Sign in to the installer application and select Lightroom and Photoshop, etc. If using Carbonite, download and install Carbonite. First, be sure all data has been restored to prior source locations. Log in to the web site. If moving to a new PC, go to Computer Options > dropdown menu and select Move My Subscription. Otherwise click Reinstall Carbonite. Click Download Now to download the installer. Check to be sure that source files to be backed up are included or excluded appropriately. Optionally, download and install Google Chrome. Sign in. Optionally, download and install latest Google desktop sync app for Google Drive / Photos and configure appropriately. Set up clients: o Outlook Windows Mail app: Automatic. Nothing needs to be done. Microsoft Outlook: Requires , app-specific password. o Gmail Windows Mail App: Requires , PW, Google Authenticator. Microsoft Outlook: Requires , app-specific password. o icloud Windows Mail App: Requires , app-specific password. Microsoft Outlook: Requires , app-specific password. o Yahoo Windows Mail App: Requires, , password, 2FA. Microsoft Outlook: Requires app-specific password. Can be set up by simply entering Yahoo address into the new account dialog. An will be sent to Gmail with instructions for obtaining an app-specific password. There will be a pop-up to enter a password, but this may not work. You may need to enter it using the new account dialog. Add back any other needed software by referring to printed desktop application and store app list. If using my recommended data strategy, try Allway Sync to analyze differences between source and destination folders. If there are significant differences, investigate. NOTE! Allway Sync analysis may fail on some folders if connected USB drives are reporting that you do not have access privileges. Usually browsing to these folders using Windows File Explorer will fix this. If using my recommended data strategy, open Windows Task Scheduler and import appropriate Task Scheduler jobs from %UserProfile%\Backups\Task Scheduler.