One revolutionary feature introduced in Windows 8 was a method of allowing end users to restore a clean copy of Windows without the need for separate installation media.

When a computer has repeated problems and standard troubleshooting can’t uncover the cause, the traditional approach for most IT pros is to wipe the computer and restore it from a standard build image. The push-button reset options described here can accomplish the same result more quickly and without wiping out potentially valuable data. Windows 10 offers a simplified reset option that is greatly improved compared with its predecessors and generally lives up to the “push button” part of the name.

On PCs running Windows 8 or later that were built for retail sales and distribution channels, the push-button-reset recovery image is normally contained in a dedicated partition at the end of the hard drive. This recovery image can consist of a single image file or a set of split image files, with or without compression. You can recover the space used by that recovery partition on a PC running Windows 8.1, but doing so removes the ability to refresh or reset the operating system.

In Windows 10, OEMs can still provide this recovery image and its associated partition to allow the system to be rolled back to its state as shipped from the factory. However, this option is no longer required. Instead, Windows 10 is capable of performing a full reset by rebuilding the operating system to a clean state using existing system files from the Windows Component Store (C:\Windows\WinSxS).

This approach has several advantages:
■ It significantly reduces the amount of disk space required for a clean installation, allowing that space to be used for data files and apps. The impact of this design is especially profound on tablets and other devices with a small amount of built-in storage (32 GB or less).

■ With this design, push-button reset is available on all PCs running Windows 10, not just OEM PCs or those where a corporate IT department has created a custom recovery image.

■ The operating system and drivers are restored to the most recent rollup state, with all updates except those installed in the last 28 days. (This design is the modern equivalent of the “last known good configuration” option, allowing recovery to succeed when a recently installed update is the source of problems.) By contrast, in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, the recovery image restores the PC to its state as shipped from the factory. On a two-year-old PC, that rollback requires the user to download two full years’ worth of updates.

For OEM PCs, any customized settings and desktop programs installed by the manufacturer are restored with the Windows 10 reset. These customizations are saved in a separate container, which is created as part of the OEM setup process. Note that all language packs installed on the system at the time the push-button reset was initiated are restored.

Desktop programs are not restored and must be manually reinstalled. All Windows apps included with Windows 10 by default (Weather, Music, and Outlook Mail and Calendar, for example) are restored, along with any provisioned Windows apps that were added to the system by the OEM or as part of an enterprise deployment.

App updates are downloaded and reinstalled via the Store automatically after recovery. All user-installed Windows apps are discarded and must be reinstalled from the Store.

Source of Information : Microsoft Introducing Windows 10 For IT Professionals