Using a Custom System Image, Refresh Windows 8

I am starting this thread to share the steps required for refreshing windows 8 using custom system image which might have been created. If you haven’t created custom system image then you can first follow the steps for creating it and proceed with steps for refreshing Windows 8 after that. Just make sure that you are logged in as admin before referring below steps:

Creating Custom System Image:

Open Power User Tasks Menu and click on Command Prompt, when you are prompted for UAC then click on Yes.
Now in Command Prompt copy - paste below commands individually and hit enter:

mkdir C:\RefreshImage

recimg -CreateImage C:\RefreshImage

This command will carry out a small process and when it gets completed you will be having custom image under C:\RefreshImage which you have to use for refreshing Windows 8.

Refreshing Windows 8 using Custom System Image:
Insert your Windows 8 installation DVD or USB thumb drive and boot to System Recovery Options , click on Refresh your PC option and click on next.
If you get a prompt having Windows 8 OS as an option then select it and click on refresh. The refreshing process will get started after that and one its gets finished you just have to log off and log back on.

Refreshing Windows 8 from within Windows 8:

If you are logged in as administrator then you can refresh Windows 8 from within Windows 8, you can refer to below steps for that.
Insert Windows 8 installation DVD or USB thumb drive > Open PC settings > Click on General option in left pane > Click on Get started button ( Under Refresh your PC without affecting your files section in right pane).
When you get a prompt by UAC then click on Yes, click on next and finally on Refresh.

This refreshing feature is similar to repair installation that we used to do in Windows 7 and Vista. It has been made easier, faster, and safer in Windows 8. The Refreshing process goes like this.

Computer boots into Windows RE.
Windows RE scans hard drive for data, settings, apps etc puts them aside (In same drive).
Windows RE installs fresh copy of Windows.
Windows RE restores data, settings, apps etc which it had set aside
Computer restarts into newly installed copy of Windows.

Things that doesn’t gets changed after refreshing windows 8:

Wireless network connections
Mobile broadband connections
BitLocker and BitLocker to go settings
Drive letter assignments
Personalization settings like background wallpaper
Computer name and user accounts
Network, Libraries and Windows Update settings
Customer Experience Improvement Program settings
Windows Error Reporting settings
Some drivers (may or may not)

Things that gets changed after refreshing windows 8:

File type associations
Display settings
Windows Firewall settings
Metro Apps settings
Metro Apps
Windows Updates
Some drivers (may or may not)

Note: If you find any application missing after refreshing windows 8 then check out Removed Apps.html file on desktop for getting information regarding that application. After refreshing process there will be a Windows.old folder in root directory of the Windows 8 drive which gets created automatically. If you want then you can delete Windows.old folder, there are Three methods for deleting it. One is via Disk Cleanup, second is via Elevated Command Prompt and third is via Command Prompt at Boot. You can follow first two methods as they are quite simple.

Deleting "Windows.old" Folder Using Disk Cleanup:

First open Charrms bar, click on Search charm, type “cleanmgr” without the quotes and click on cleanmgr.exe in the right pane for opening it.
Select the drive in which you want to use Disk Cleanup when prompted and click on Ok > Clean up system files button > click on yes if prompted by UAC. Repeat the same step and this time check mark “Previous Windows installation(s)” box , click on ok and finally on Delete Files.
Disk Cleanup process will get stared and will end deleting C:\Windows.old folder.

Deleting "Windows.old" Folder using Elevated Command Prompt:

First Open Elevated command prompt
Type “RD /S /Q %SystemDrive%\windows.old” without quotes and hit enter. It will get deleted at the end of the process.