windows cannot be installed to this disk this computer's hardware

Windows Setup: Installing using the MBR or GPT partition style

When installing Windows on UEFI-based PCs using Windows Setup, your hard drive partition style must be set up to support either UEFI mode or legacy BIOS-compatibility mode.
For example, if you receive the error message: “Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is not of the GPT partition style”, it’s because your PC is booted in UEFI mode, but your hard drive is not configured for UEFI mode. You’ve got a few options:
Reboot the PC in legacy BIOS-compatibility mode. This option lets you keep the existing partition style. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
Configure your drive for UEFI by using the GPT partition style. This option lets you use the PC’s UEFI firmware features.
You can preserve your data and convert the drive using the MBR2GPT tool. You can also choose to reformat the drive using the instructions below. Reformatting will erase all the data on the drive.
Why should I convert my drive?
Many PCs now include the ability to use the UEFI version of BIOS, which can speed up boot and shutdown times and can provide additional security advantages. To boot your PC in UEFI mode, you'll need to use a drive formatted using the GPT drive format.
Many PCs are ready to use UEFI, but include a compatibility support module (CSM) that is set up to use the legacy version of BIOS. This version of BIOS was developed in the 1970s and provides compatibility to a variety of older equipment and network configurations, and requires a drive that uses the MBR drive format.
However, the basic MBR drive format does not support drives over 4TB. It's also difficult to set up more than four partitions. The GPT drive format lets you set up drives that are larger than 4 terabytes (TB), and lets you easily set up as many partitions as you need.
Reformatting the drive using a different partition style
To wipe and convert the drive by using Windows Setup
Turn off the PC, and put in the Windows installation DVD or USB key.
Boot the PC to the DVD or USB key in UEFI mode. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
When choosing an installation type, select Custom.
On the Where do you want to install Windows? screen, select each of the partitions on the drive, and select Delete. The drive will show a single area of unallocated space.
Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows detects that the PC was booted into UEFI mode, and reformats the drive using the GPT drive format, and begins the installation.
To manually wipe a drive and convert it to GPT:
Turn off the PC, and put in the Windows installation DVD or USB key.
Boot the PC to the DVD or USB key in UEFI mode. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
From inside Windows Setup, press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt window.
Open the diskpart tool:

Copy
diskpart
Identify the drive to reformat:

Copy
list disk
Select the drive, and reformat it:

Copy
select disk <disk number>
clean
convert gpt
exit
Close the command prompt window.
Continue the Windows Setup installation.
When choosing an installation type, select Custom. The drive will appear as a single area of unallocated space.
Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows begins the installation.
Make sure Windows Setup boots to the correct firmware mode
To automate this process, you'll need to run Windows Setup through Windows PE, and use a script to detect which mode you’re in before installing Windows. For more info, see WinPE: Boot in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode.

windows cannot be installed to this disk this computer's hardware

Windows Setup: Installing using the MBR or GPT partition style

When installing Windows on UEFI-based PCs using Windows Setup, your hard drive partition style must be set up to support either UEFI mode or legacy BIOS-compatibility mode.
For example, if you receive the error message: “Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is not of the GPT partition style”, it’s because your PC is booted in UEFI mode, but your hard drive is not configured for UEFI mode. You’ve got a few options:
Reboot the PC in legacy BIOS-compatibility mode. This option lets you keep the existing partition style. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
Configure your drive for UEFI by using the GPT partition style. This option lets you use the PC’s UEFI firmware features.
You can preserve your data and convert the drive using the MBR2GPT tool. You can also choose to reformat the drive using the instructions below. Reformatting will erase all the data on the drive.
Why should I convert my drive?
Many PCs now include the ability to use the UEFI version of BIOS, which can speed up boot and shutdown times and can provide additional security advantages. To boot your PC in UEFI mode, you'll need to use a drive formatted using the GPT drive format.
Many PCs are ready to use UEFI, but include a compatibility support module (CSM) that is set up to use the legacy version of BIOS. This version of BIOS was developed in the 1970s and provides compatibility to a variety of older equipment and network configurations, and requires a drive that uses the MBR drive format.
However, the basic MBR drive format does not support drives over 4TB. It's also difficult to set up more than four partitions. The GPT drive format lets you set up drives that are larger than 4 terabytes (TB), and lets you easily set up as many partitions as you need.
Reformatting the drive using a different partition style
To wipe and convert the drive by using Windows Setup
Turn off the PC, and put in the Windows installation DVD or USB key.
Boot the PC to the DVD or USB key in UEFI mode. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
When choosing an installation type, select Custom.
On the Where do you want to install Windows? screen, select each of the partitions on the drive, and select Delete. The drive will show a single area of unallocated space.
Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows detects that the PC was booted into UEFI mode, and reformats the drive using the GPT drive format, and begins the installation.
To manually wipe a drive and convert it to GPT:
Turn off the PC, and put in the Windows installation DVD or USB key.
Boot the PC to the DVD or USB key in UEFI mode. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
From inside Windows Setup, press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt window.
Open the diskpart tool:

Copy
diskpart
Identify the drive to reformat:

Copy
list disk
Select the drive, and reformat it:

Copy
select disk <disk number>
clean
convert gpt
exit
Close the command prompt window.
Continue the Windows Setup installation.
When choosing an installation type, select Custom. The drive will appear as a single area of unallocated space.
Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows begins the installation.
Make sure Windows Setup boots to the correct firmware mode
To automate this process, you'll need to run Windows Setup through Windows PE, and use a script to detect which mode you’re in before installing Windows. For more info, see WinPE: Boot in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode.

How to Delete Your YouTube Watch History

View, delete, or pause watch history (signed in)

YouTube watch history makes it easy to find videos you recently watched and improves your video recommendations. You can control your watch history by deleting or pausing your history. You can delete individual items or delete your entire history. When you pause history, any videos that you watch while history is paused won't show in history and won’t be used to improve your recommendations. You can unpause your history to start recording history again.

View, delete, or pause watch history (signed in)

Go to myactivity.google.comto find videos that you've viewed while signed in. This includes videos that you have watched while signed in to the YouTube app on mobile devices, as well as youtube.com. It also includes videos you've watched in a YouTube player on other websites while signed in to Google Chrome. Changes you make to your account watch history will be reflected on all devices you sign in to with this account.

Remove Items From Your Watch History (and Search History)

YouTube’s Android app has an Incognito Mode you can enable to temporarily prevent it from collecting history. You can even have YouTube stop collecting your watch history entirely using the instructions below. So, if you’re about to watch something you don’t want in your history, use the below tips instead.

But, if you’ve already watched a video, Incognito Mode won’t help and you’ll need to remove it from your history if you don’t want to see it again.

To do this in your web browser, head to the YouTube website and click the menu button at the top left corner of the page. Click the “History” option under Library in the sidebar.

Remove Items From Your Watch History (and Search History)

YouTube’s Android app has an Incognito Mode you can enable to temporarily prevent it from collecting history. You can even have YouTube stop collecting your watch history entirely using the instructions below. So, if you’re about to watch something you don’t want in your history, use the below tips instead.

But, if you’ve already watched a video, Incognito Mode won’t help and you’ll need to remove it from your history if you don’t want to see it again.

To do this in your web browser, head to the YouTube website and click the menu button at the top left corner of the page. Click the “History” option under Library in the sidebar.

To remove an item from your watch history, click or tap the “X” to the right of it. You must hover over the video with your mouse to see the “X” on the desktop website.

Clear Your Entire Watch History (and Search History)

Rather than deleting individual watched videos, you can just clear your entire watch history from Google’s servers. Be warned: This will make YouTube’s video recommendations worse, as YouTube won’t know what types of videos you like watching.

To do this on the YouTube website, click the menu button at the top left corner of the page, and then click the “History” option. To the right of your watched videos, click the “Clear All Watch History” command.

A dialog box will appear, asking you for confirmation. Click “Clear Watch History” to confirm your choice.

How to Delete Your YouTube Watch History

View, delete, or pause watch history (signed in)

YouTube watch history makes it easy to find videos you recently watched and improves your video recommendations. You can control your watch history by deleting or pausing your history. You can delete individual items or delete your entire history. When you pause history, any videos that you watch while history is paused won't show in history and won’t be used to improve your recommendations. You can unpause your history to start recording history again.

View, delete, or pause watch history (signed in)

Go to myactivity.google.comto find videos that you've viewed while signed in. This includes videos that you have watched while signed in to the YouTube app on mobile devices, as well as youtube.com. It also includes videos you've watched in a YouTube player on other websites while signed in to Google Chrome. Changes you make to your account watch history will be reflected on all devices you sign in to with this account.

Remove Items From Your Watch History (and Search History)

YouTube’s Android app has an Incognito Mode you can enable to temporarily prevent it from collecting history. You can even have YouTube stop collecting your watch history entirely using the instructions below. So, if you’re about to watch something you don’t want in your history, use the below tips instead.

But, if you’ve already watched a video, Incognito Mode won’t help and you’ll need to remove it from your history if you don’t want to see it again.

To do this in your web browser, head to the YouTube website and click the menu button at the top left corner of the page. Click the “History” option under Library in the sidebar.

Remove Items From Your Watch History (and Search History)

YouTube’s Android app has an Incognito Mode you can enable to temporarily prevent it from collecting history. You can even have YouTube stop collecting your watch history entirely using the instructions below. So, if you’re about to watch something you don’t want in your history, use the below tips instead.

But, if you’ve already watched a video, Incognito Mode won’t help and you’ll need to remove it from your history if you don’t want to see it again.

To do this in your web browser, head to the YouTube website and click the menu button at the top left corner of the page. Click the “History” option under Library in the sidebar.

To remove an item from your watch history, click or tap the “X” to the right of it. You must hover over the video with your mouse to see the “X” on the desktop website.

Clear Your Entire Watch History (and Search History)

Rather than deleting individual watched videos, you can just clear your entire watch history from Google’s servers. Be warned: This will make YouTube’s video recommendations worse, as YouTube won’t know what types of videos you like watching.

To do this on the YouTube website, click the menu button at the top left corner of the page, and then click the “History” option. To the right of your watched videos, click the “Clear All Watch History” command.

A dialog box will appear, asking you for confirmation. Click “Clear Watch History” to confirm your choice.

Windows 10 Doesn’t Recognize USB [Fix]

If you’re on Windows 10, and you’re seeing this error saying that USB device not recognized after you plug in a device, you’re not alone. Many Windows users say that they have seen this notification pop up.
Annoying as it seems, it’s possible to fix. Here are 7 of the most effective solutions for you to try. You may not need to try every one of them; just work from the top down until you find the one fix that works for you. 

Restart
Try a different computer
Plug out other USB devices
Change the Power Management setting for the USB Root Hub
Update the USB port driver
Change power supply setting
Change the USB selective suspend settings

1. Restart

Sometimes, a simple reboot fix unrecognized USB device. Plug your USB device out, wait for a few minutes, then restart your computer. Plug your USB device back in again. 

2. Try a different computer

Try plug your USB device into a different computer. If it doesn’t work on the second PC, your device could be at fault. You may want to get it repaired or buy a new one. 

3. Plug out other USB devices

Too many USB devices on the same machine might create a conflict, which could stop the running of some devices.

To avoid possible conflict among the devices, it is suggested that you disconnect other USB devices and see if the device that you intend to use works. 

4. Change the Power Management setting for the USB Root Hub

1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.  

2) Click the down arrow to expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. Right-click USB Root Hub option and click Properties.

3) Go to Power Management tab and uncheck the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Click OK.

If you have more USB Root Hubs, you need to repeat this operation a couple of times. Please remember to click OK after each performance.

After the settings, plug your USB device back in to see if your computer is able to recognize it.
If your USB device is still not working after this, please check the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power back on.
5. Update the USB port driver
If the above methods don’t work to solve your problem, it’s very likely that you’re using a wrong USB driver altogether.
There are two ways for you to update your USB port driver: manually or automatically. 

Manual driver update – You can update your USB port driver manually by going to the manufacturer’s website of your PC, and searching for the most recent correct driver for it. Be sure to choose the only driver that is compatible with your variant of Windows.
Automatic driver update – If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing: 

6. Change the power supply setting

1) Follow the path: Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options.

2) Click Choose what the power button does.

3) Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.

4) Uncheck Turn on fast startup and press Save changes.

5) Restart your computer and plug in the USB device to see if it works.

If your USB device still doesn’t work after this change, please change the setting back and follow the next method. 

Windows 10 Doesn’t Recognize USB [Fix]

If you’re on Windows 10, and you’re seeing this error saying that USB device not recognized after you plug in a device, you’re not alone. Many Windows users say that they have seen this notification pop up.
Annoying as it seems, it’s possible to fix. Here are 7 of the most effective solutions for you to try. You may not need to try every one of them; just work from the top down until you find the one fix that works for you. 

Restart
Try a different computer
Plug out other USB devices
Change the Power Management setting for the USB Root Hub
Update the USB port driver
Change power supply setting
Change the USB selective suspend settings

1. Restart

Sometimes, a simple reboot fix unrecognized USB device. Plug your USB device out, wait for a few minutes, then restart your computer. Plug your USB device back in again. 

2. Try a different computer

Try plug your USB device into a different computer. If it doesn’t work on the second PC, your device could be at fault. You may want to get it repaired or buy a new one. 

3. Plug out other USB devices

Too many USB devices on the same machine might create a conflict, which could stop the running of some devices.

To avoid possible conflict among the devices, it is suggested that you disconnect other USB devices and see if the device that you intend to use works. 

4. Change the Power Management setting for the USB Root Hub

1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.  

2) Click the down arrow to expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. Right-click USB Root Hub option and click Properties.

3) Go to Power Management tab and uncheck the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Click OK.

If you have more USB Root Hubs, you need to repeat this operation a couple of times. Please remember to click OK after each performance.

After the settings, plug your USB device back in to see if your computer is able to recognize it.
If your USB device is still not working after this, please check the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power back on.
5. Update the USB port driver
If the above methods don’t work to solve your problem, it’s very likely that you’re using a wrong USB driver altogether.
There are two ways for you to update your USB port driver: manually or automatically. 

Manual driver update – You can update your USB port driver manually by going to the manufacturer’s website of your PC, and searching for the most recent correct driver for it. Be sure to choose the only driver that is compatible with your variant of Windows.
Automatic driver update – If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing: 

6. Change the power supply setting

1) Follow the path: Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options.

2) Click Choose what the power button does.

3) Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.

4) Uncheck Turn on fast startup and press Save changes.

5) Restart your computer and plug in the USB device to see if it works.

If your USB device still doesn’t work after this change, please change the setting back and follow the next method. 

iPhone is Disabled? How to Fix With iTunes

Have you ever picked up your iPhone to discover the message “iPhone is disabled” and to “try again in 1 minute” or to try again 5, 15, 60 minutes? In the worst scenarios, the message says “iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes”, and the device is unusable until then. So, what is going on here, why is the iPhone disabled? And how do you fix it so that you can use the iPhone again? The answers to these questions are usually straight forward, let’s review the causes of this message, and more importantly, the solutions to this so that you can unlock and re-enable the iPhone again for full use.

Why is My iPhone Disabled?
A locked iPhone requires a passcode or Touch ID to enter and access the device as a security precaution. After the iPhone passcode has been incorrectly entered five times in a row, the iPhone will automatically disable itself for 1 minute, giving the “iPhone is disabled” error message on screen. The obvious solution in this case is to wait for the minute (or several) to pass and then enter the correct passcode to unlock the iPhone and get around the disabled message. In the future, just enter the proper passcode in the first place and you’ll avoid this message and the lock out period.

You may find it interesting to know how many incorrect passcode entries are required to disable the iPhone for a particular amount of time and to get the accompanying message, that information is as follows:

5 incorrect passcode entries in a row – iPhone is disabled, try again in 1 minute
7 incorrect entries in a row – iPhone is disabled, try again in 5 minutes
8 incorrect entries in a row – iPhone is disabled, try again in 15 minutes
9 incorrect entries in a row – iPhone is disabled, try again in 60 minutes
10 incorrect passcode entries – iPhone is disabled, connect to iTunes (or the iPhone wipes itself of all data if self-destruct mode is turned on)
Waiting a minute isn’t too bad, but waiting many minutes to an hour is inconvenient, as is connecting to iTunes to enable the iPhone again. Let’s further understand this issue to avoid it in the future, and going further we’ll show you how to get around the disabled message.


But I didn’t try to unlock my iPhone, so why does it say it is disabled?
In some situations, you didn’t actually try to unlock an iPhone and you didn’t (intentionally) enter a wrong passcode, but the iPhone says it is disabled anyway. How does this happen? The two most common reasons for an iPhone to seemingly lock itself out are pockets and people. Let’s discuss the two.

The pocket disable: Inadvertently disabling an iPhone in a pocket is surprisingly common! This typically happens to iPhone users who keep their iPhones in a pocket that they also use for their hands, often hip jacket pockets, the hoodie pouch pocket, or front pants pockets for example. Because the iPhone screens slide to unlock feature can be swiped from anywhere on the screen, it’s fairly common to accidentally activate that screen, then enter into the passcode entry screen while the iPhone is a pocket with a hand or two, and perhaps unbeknownst to you, enter a passcode a few times to accidentally trigger the lockout. I’ve had this happen to myself while twirling an iPhone in a pocket out of boredom, and I recently watched a friend accidentally disable their iPhone while searching the same iPhone-holding pocket for money to pay at a food cart. This happens surprisingly often if you keep an iPhone in a busy pocket or put your hands in your pockets often.


The person disable: There are two types of person interaction that can disable the iPhone, intentional passcode entry of someone trying to guess your passcode and then disabling it as they fail – usually a fairly obvious scenario. And the other type, the unintentional passcode entry, usually triggered by a young child. That latter scenario is extremely common with parents and caretakers with young children, who may fiddle with, tap on, and swipe around on an iPhone screen that is otherwise locked. The parent or caregiver often thinks nothing of it since the iPhone is locked with a passcode or Touch ID, but nonetheless the kid often finds a way onto the passcode entry screen (it’s only a swipe away after all), enters the wrong password repeatedly as they tap on the screen, and then the device becomes locked out with the “iPhone is disabled” message.

Fixing “iPhone is Disabled. Connect to iTunes”

This is the worst scenario for an iPhone being disabled because it requires you to connect the iPhone to a computer to gain access to it again. Hopefully you made a backup recently to that computer, and hopefully you remember the actual passcode for the iPhone, otherwise you’ll have to erase the device and lose all data on it. Yes really. Yet another reason frequent device backups are important.

If you know the iPhone passcode and have backed it up recently, you can simply unlock the device with iTunes though it requires a restore:

Connect the iPhone to a computer it has synced to before with a USB cable and launch iTunes

Choose “Sync” in iTunes and enter the proper passcode when requested to unlock the device, this backs up the iPhone to the computer

Choose “Restore” to restore the iPhone from the most recent backup

If you don’t know the iPhone passcode, you have to wipe the iPhone clean and it will erase all data using recovery mode. The instructions on resetting a forgotten iPhone passcode are here. If you made a backup to iTunes or iCloud, you can restore it after the fact to that backup.

If you do not know the iPhone passcode and you do not have a backup, the data on the iPhone will be erased and lost forever. There is no way around that, not even Apple can unlock an iPhone and access the data in such a situation. Thus, the lesson is don’t forget a device passcode, and always keep regular backups!

iPhone is Disabled? How to Fix With iTunes

Have you ever picked up your iPhone to discover the message “iPhone is disabled” and to “try again in 1 minute” or to try again 5, 15, 60 minutes? In the worst scenarios, the message says “iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes”, and the device is unusable until then. So, what is going on here, why is the iPhone disabled? And how do you fix it so that you can use the iPhone again? The answers to these questions are usually straight forward, let’s review the causes of this message, and more importantly, the solutions to this so that you can unlock and re-enable the iPhone again for full use.

Why is My iPhone Disabled?
A locked iPhone requires a passcode or Touch ID to enter and access the device as a security precaution. After the iPhone passcode has been incorrectly entered five times in a row, the iPhone will automatically disable itself for 1 minute, giving the “iPhone is disabled” error message on screen. The obvious solution in this case is to wait for the minute (or several) to pass and then enter the correct passcode to unlock the iPhone and get around the disabled message. In the future, just enter the proper passcode in the first place and you’ll avoid this message and the lock out period.

You may find it interesting to know how many incorrect passcode entries are required to disable the iPhone for a particular amount of time and to get the accompanying message, that information is as follows:

5 incorrect passcode entries in a row – iPhone is disabled, try again in 1 minute
7 incorrect entries in a row – iPhone is disabled, try again in 5 minutes
8 incorrect entries in a row – iPhone is disabled, try again in 15 minutes
9 incorrect entries in a row – iPhone is disabled, try again in 60 minutes
10 incorrect passcode entries – iPhone is disabled, connect to iTunes (or the iPhone wipes itself of all data if self-destruct mode is turned on)
Waiting a minute isn’t too bad, but waiting many minutes to an hour is inconvenient, as is connecting to iTunes to enable the iPhone again. Let’s further understand this issue to avoid it in the future, and going further we’ll show you how to get around the disabled message.


But I didn’t try to unlock my iPhone, so why does it say it is disabled?
In some situations, you didn’t actually try to unlock an iPhone and you didn’t (intentionally) enter a wrong passcode, but the iPhone says it is disabled anyway. How does this happen? The two most common reasons for an iPhone to seemingly lock itself out are pockets and people. Let’s discuss the two.

The pocket disable: Inadvertently disabling an iPhone in a pocket is surprisingly common! This typically happens to iPhone users who keep their iPhones in a pocket that they also use for their hands, often hip jacket pockets, the hoodie pouch pocket, or front pants pockets for example. Because the iPhone screens slide to unlock feature can be swiped from anywhere on the screen, it’s fairly common to accidentally activate that screen, then enter into the passcode entry screen while the iPhone is a pocket with a hand or two, and perhaps unbeknownst to you, enter a passcode a few times to accidentally trigger the lockout. I’ve had this happen to myself while twirling an iPhone in a pocket out of boredom, and I recently watched a friend accidentally disable their iPhone while searching the same iPhone-holding pocket for money to pay at a food cart. This happens surprisingly often if you keep an iPhone in a busy pocket or put your hands in your pockets often.


The person disable: There are two types of person interaction that can disable the iPhone, intentional passcode entry of someone trying to guess your passcode and then disabling it as they fail – usually a fairly obvious scenario. And the other type, the unintentional passcode entry, usually triggered by a young child. That latter scenario is extremely common with parents and caretakers with young children, who may fiddle with, tap on, and swipe around on an iPhone screen that is otherwise locked. The parent or caregiver often thinks nothing of it since the iPhone is locked with a passcode or Touch ID, but nonetheless the kid often finds a way onto the passcode entry screen (it’s only a swipe away after all), enters the wrong password repeatedly as they tap on the screen, and then the device becomes locked out with the “iPhone is disabled” message.

Fixing “iPhone is Disabled. Connect to iTunes”

This is the worst scenario for an iPhone being disabled because it requires you to connect the iPhone to a computer to gain access to it again. Hopefully you made a backup recently to that computer, and hopefully you remember the actual passcode for the iPhone, otherwise you’ll have to erase the device and lose all data on it. Yes really. Yet another reason frequent device backups are important.

If you know the iPhone passcode and have backed it up recently, you can simply unlock the device with iTunes though it requires a restore:

Connect the iPhone to a computer it has synced to before with a USB cable and launch iTunes

Choose “Sync” in iTunes and enter the proper passcode when requested to unlock the device, this backs up the iPhone to the computer

Choose “Restore” to restore the iPhone from the most recent backup

If you don’t know the iPhone passcode, you have to wipe the iPhone clean and it will erase all data using recovery mode. The instructions on resetting a forgotten iPhone passcode are here. If you made a backup to iTunes or iCloud, you can restore it after the fact to that backup.

If you do not know the iPhone passcode and you do not have a backup, the data on the iPhone will be erased and lost forever. There is no way around that, not even Apple can unlock an iPhone and access the data in such a situation. Thus, the lesson is don’t forget a device passcode, and always keep regular backups!