Is it possible to recover from the Windows 8 refresh feature?

Posted by Warren P on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Warren P
Published on 2012-09-27T02:56:29Z Indexed on 2012/09/27 3:40 UTC
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windows-8

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refresh

The intention of the Windows 8 RTM (released version) Refresh feature is to restore the system to the way it was when I first installed.

It didn't though. Almost everything that came in the start-screen (not a menu any more) is gone, not just third party apps I installed, but EVERYTHING other than the icon for internet explorer, and the icon for the store, and the desktop, were wiped.

Out of the box Windows 8 had a pretty large list of things installed, and it seems that the Refresh feature wipes all of them out. Is it possible to really get the system back to a fresh install state, or should I just re-install from the DVD I made? (I have access to Windows 8 RTM, legally through the MS Action Pack subscription.)

I suspect that if I create a new account, I might get a new desktop with a default set of icons, but I'm hoping it might be possible to do this without using a different login.

The second problem with Windows 8 refresh is it seems to trash the ACL's on my C: drive, taking all permissions away for access to the C: drive, making nothing on it visible or readable to my primary and only login account. I believe it might be possible to undo the damage done by the "refresh" with some judicious use of icacls from the command prompt.

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