To run Reset This PC with the Keep My Files option as I'll describe in this article, you'll need to have created a Recovery Drive. Let's take a closer look at how Reset This PC with the Keep My Files option works. To help you to remember what desktop applications you had installed, the Reset This PC tool will create a list of those applications that were not saved or restored, so that you can decide whether you want to reinstall them. The reasoning is that a recently installed desktop application could be the cause of the instability. Now, it's important to remember that using Reset This PC with the Keep My Files option does not back up and restore any desktop applications you have installed.

When your PC restarts, just log in with your same username and password and find all your data. It will then install a fresh copy of Windows and restore the data, settings, and the apps that were installed with Windows 10. More specifically, when you choose this option from the Recovery Drive, it will find and back up all your data, settings, and apps. Using Reset This PC with the Keep My Files option will essentially perform a fresh install of Windows 10 while keeping all your data intact. Whatever the cause, Windows 10's Recovery Drive tool can help you revive an unstable system without losing your data. You could suffer a nasty virus infection, install an incompatible software application, or possibly even install a rickety device driver. Microsoft went to every effort to ensure that Windows 10 is a solid OS, but you still might encounter a situation that causes your system to become unstable.

System settings in windows are saved