Windows System Restore. Windows System Restore Health recovery in the loaded seven

All computer owners experience problems from time to time. Windows work after installing the wrong drivers or making changes to the operating system. This problem can be solved by creating system restore points.

A Windows 10 restore point allows you to return your computer to the last stable state of your computer. When you create a restore point, Windows 10 backs up your system files. So, instead of having to completely reinstall Windows after you installed some wrong driver or caught a virus, you can simply roll back the system.

Restore points are created before installation Windows updates, as well as automatically at the frequency that you set. The more free hard disk space you reserve for restore points, the more restore dates you will have to choose from.

The system allows you to manually create Windows 10 restore points. This may be required, for example, before installing programs that can somehow disrupt the system. In case something goes wrong, the owner of the computer can always roll back the system to the date when everything was working properly.

Please note that restore points contain only system backups. Windows files 10 that affect loading operating system. Personal folders and files are not included in backups. If you want to back up personal files as well, then you need to make a full system image.

Windows 10 recovery settings

In order to view the current recovery settings on your computer, right-click on the Start menu and go to Control Panel.

Go to the "System and Security" section.

Go to the "System" section.

Click in the left column "System Protection".

The window that opens shows the protection settings for your disks. The status disabled means that no restore points are made for this drive, but enabled when restore points are made.

In my case, restore points are made only for drive C, on which the operating system is installed. In order to change the protection settings, select the disk you are interested in and click the "Configure" button.

At the top of the window, you can enable or disable the creation of Windows 10 restore points, and at the bottom, specify how much disk space you are willing to reserve for storing these backups. The larger the volume you specify, the more restore points will be stored. As this volume fills up, old restore points will be erased to make room for new ones. Usually, it is enough to store 2-3 system restore points.

In order to free up space on your hard drive, you can click the "Delete" button to delete all saved restore points.

Create a Windows 10 restore point manually

In order to create a Windows 10 restore point on the previous System Protection tab, click the Create button.

A window will pop up in which you must somehow name the restore point, in my case, for example, I called it "Restore point before installing an incomprehensible driver." The date and time of point creation will be added automatically. After that, click the "Create" button.

The process of creating a restore point will begin. It usually takes less than a minute. After completion, the "Restore point created successfully" window will appear (see the picture above). Now you can install that obscure driver that I was worried about and, in case of problems, roll back the system using a restore point.

Set up automatic creation of restore points

As already mentioned above, Windows 10 automatically creates restore points before installing updates, and also makes it possible to do this manually. But for safety, it makes sense to set up automatic creation of restore points at the time interval you specify, for example, every day.

Right-click on the Start menu and go to Control Panel.

In the "Control Panel" in the upper right corner, select "View" - "Small Icons" and click on the "Administrative Tools" section.

Open Task Scheduler.

Alternately double-click on the items "Task Scheduler Library" - "Microsoft" - "Windows" - "System Restore".

In the System Restore branch, an SR rule has already been created to create Windows 10 restore points. We just have to specify the interval after which this rule will work. Double click on the SR rule.

In the window that opens, go to the "Triggers" tab and click "Create".

In the next window, you can set the period when Windows 10 restore points will be created. You can specify the creation of daily, weekly, monthly, when the computer starts or when it is turned off, and so on.

You should choose the period for creating points based on the reserved hard disk space for storing backups, since when this volume is filled, the newest recovery points will erase the oldest ones.

After you have chosen the period for creating restore points, click OK.

Roll back Windows 10 to a restore point

Now that we have learned how to create restore points manually and automatically, we will tell you how to restore the system after a failure.

There are several ways to roll back the system using restore points - using the Windows 10 interface, using the command line, as well as using diagnostic tools.

System rollback through the Windows interface

The easiest way is when you can run Windows 10. In this case, we do everything as at the beginning of the article. Right-click on the Start menu and go to Control Panel. Next, go to the "System and Security" - "System" - "System Protection" section. In the System Protection window, click the Restore button.

The Restore System Files and Settings Wizard opens. Click next.

In the next window, check the box "Show other restore points". This list shows all possible restore points. The left column shows the dates when the restore points were created. The middle column has a description so we can identify the point.

As you can see in the screenshot below, the restore point called "restore point before installing the obscure driver" that I created in the second chapter of this article is listed as the last one created.

Finally, the right column indicates the type of creation of the restore point (manual, system, or installation), that is, under what circumstances the backup was created.

Also, you can click on the restore point of interest and click "Search for affected programs". The window that opens will display a list of programs that will be affected by the rollback to this restore point.

When you have selected the restore point to which you want to roll back the system, click "Next".

Your computer won't boot, what to do? During operation, this is possible due to the harmful effects of various viruses, your erroneous actions during the operation of the device, or the use of incorrect drivers. But do not despair, let's learn how to get out of this unpleasant situation with dignity.

You need to insure yourself for the future against sudden problems with the help of the recovery functions built into the system and Reserve copy. Thus, you can restore Windows 7 without using third-party special programs, even when "System Recovery Options" cannot be loaded and the F8 key during the boot process has no effect.

So, let's learn insurance.

It is known that Windows 7 is equipped with a powerful tool " Recovery environment”, which is created automatically during the installation of this operating system. This happens in a hidden section that contains five additional tools for solving problems with malfunctions and malfunctions.

Remember that if you master these recovery tools well, then there will be no need for additional paid programs data backup.

The recovery tools are launched by pressing the F8 key, which must be pressed immediately after starting the computer. The menu "Additional boot options" will be displayed on the screen:

Safe mode;
Safe mode with loading network drivers;
Etc.

Choose ""...

... and get into the menu "". Just what we need. We have the opportunity to choose the “System Restore Tool” we need from the five presented:

Note: During the installation of the Professional or Ultimate OS, a partition with the recovery environment is created automatically in the Recovery folder located in the root of the C: drive. In the Disk Management window, a hidden separate 100 MB hard drive partition is visible, which is designed to store the BCD configuration boot files and the system bootloader in the form of a bootmgr file. To see these resources, you need to go to Computer -> Management -> Disk Management. This section categorically cannot be deleted, otherwise you will not boot the system.

There are cases when there is no recovery environment partition, pressing the F8 key, you see the "Advanced boot options" menu without the "Troubleshoot your computer" item. What to do?

You need an installation disk with Windows 7. We start loading the original disk and select the item "":

The System Recovery Options menu will appear on the monitor:

However, if there is no original installation disk or it is corrupted, then the "Windows 7 Recovery Disk" may become a way out of the situation.

Note: Looking at the screenshot, you see another hidden partition with a capacity of about 10 GB, it cannot be deleted either. In this case, we are talking about a laptop and its factory settings are stored in this section. This is another option for system recovery.

So, in the Select recovery tool menu, let's try to deal with the tab " Launch Recovery". We press and see that there is an analysis of the malfunctions that have arisen with their further elimination. The computer warns that problems were found in the settings and you need to select "Fix and restart."

Now let's deal with the tab "". This feature will help you select a system restore point that you created earlier. Works if the function was not disabled during system settings. There is a rollback back to the time when the system functioned properly.

The next option is the tab "". With the skillful use of this tool, there is no need for paid programs for data backup. This is a real help if you don't have the original Windows 7 installation disc, or if you accidentally deleted the laptop's factory settings partition.

And there are also problems when the action of the virus does not allow the operating system to boot. An excellent way out of the situation would be an archive image of your system on your hard drive, which was created when you installed Windows 7 on your computer earlier using the System Image Restore function. He must be protected.

Together with the Windows 7 Recovery Disk, the image will help you quickly restore the OS if the Advanced Boot Options menu does not load.

So, Start -> Control Panel — > .

Select the "" tab:

Under it select " local disk for archive storage. The best option is when it is possible to place it on another hard drive, without an operating system installed.

Click "Archive" - and the process has begun.

The created archive with Windows 7 will look something like this:

Having such an archive, you will be able to deploy it in case of need very quickly. And if you have the same archive copied on a portable hard drive, then you will double protect yourself from trouble.

Now, if it is impossible to start Windows 7, we activate " Recovery Tool” by pressing the F8 key on the keyboard immediately after turning on the computer. In the drop-down menu "Additional boot options" select "":

Then choose ""...

... and in the menu that appears " Use the latest available system image».

Well, another option for system recovery is " Recovery disk". On this disk we write recovery tools to fix the OS boot failure or use it to restore the system from a previously created backup copy.

Let's create such a disk. To do this, we enter "" ...

... and in the menu that appears, select "" ...

... insert a DVD into the drive and click " Create disk».

Created in this way "" put in a safe place.

Restoring Windows 7 from a Recovery Drive requires almost no other tools. To troubleshoot, you need to set the priority drive in the BIOS of the computer, insert the disk and restart the computer.

This disk will help you avoid a complete reinstallation of the operating system from scratch, which will destroy all data and information in the installation partition, and this is very undesirable. With a disk, you simply restore the process Windows boot 7.

Good luck to you, I hope the article will help you solve your problems.

If you switched to the new Windows 10, but for some reason you didn’t like it, you can roll back to the previous operating system that was installed on your computer earlier. Also, Windows 10 can be rolled back to factory settings or to one of the restore points if the system gives an error that you cannot solve in another way.

Conditions for system rollback

There are two ways to roll back the system - reinstall it or restore it:

the first method will require a license key from you, since the data that you previously had an activated system installed will be lost. When reinstalling, all information stored on the main disk partition will be lost;
the second method is suitable for you if 30 days have not passed since the transition to Windows 10, since during this period the Windows.old folder is stored, which stores all the data necessary to restore the previous installed operating system. After a month has elapsed from the date of the transition to a new operating system, the folder is automatically deleted, and the license from the previous system is permanently transferred to Windows. That is, if you had licensed Windows 7 and spent 30 days on Windows 10, then the tenth version will become licensed, and to install the seventh Windows you will need a new license key.

Rollback before 30 days

There are several ways to restore the previous version of the installed system from the Windows.old folder. First, try the standard method and system restore, but if they do not suit you, then use the second option - through a third-party program.

standard method

Open your computer settings. Opening computer settings
Go to the "Update and security" block.
Open the "Update and security" section
Select the "Recovery" subsection. Go to the section "Recovery"
This subsection should contain the item "Return to ...". The version that can be reverted to is the one that was previously installed. Click on the "Start" button and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
Click the "Start" button to start the rollback to the previous OS

Through recovery

On the "Login" step, when you need to select an account, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and select the "Reboot" item.
Hold down the Shift key and proceed to reboot
The recovery menu will open, select "Diagnostics". Go to the "Diagnostics" section
Proceed to select additional options. Go to advanced options
Select the "Revert to previous build" block.
Select "Revert to Previous Build"
Select the suggested option - rollback to the previous installed system.
Choosing where to roll back
Enter a password if you have one.
Enter password
Read the warning and confirm the action.
Confirm the start of the rollback
Wait for the process to finish, it can last from ten minutes to several hours, depending on the performance of the computer and how many files need to be restored.
We are waiting for the previous version of the OS to be installed

Using a third party program

You should go to this method if you have a Windows.old folder with files from the previous system, but the "Return to ..." section is not displayed in the computer settings. This sometimes happens, so you can follow these steps to use the files in the folder:

A third-party program is an image of the official application from Microsoft - Rollback Utility. Download this image, weighing about 200 MB from the official Microsoft website, and then burn it to any free USB flash drive. You can do this using the built-in functions of Windows 10: right-click on the image, select "Mount" and specify on which media you want to burn the image.
Select "Mount" to start the mounting process
Press the Delete key to enter the BIOS
Go to the Boot menu
Putting the carrier first
Save the changes made to the BIOS and exit it, booting from the USB flash drive will start automatically.
Save settings and exit BIOS
When the program is loaded from the flash drive, go to the Automated Repair mode.
Select the Automated Repair mode
Two systems will appear in the window: active and old. Select the one you want to roll back to and click the Roll Back button. Instructions will appear on the screen, follow them.
Select the system to which the rollback will be performed

After 30 days

If you no longer have the Windows.old folder, then you cannot roll back without reinstalling the system. Create installation media from the versions of Windows to which you want to rollback by mounting a system image on a USB flash drive. Boot from the created media and go through the installation process of the desired operating system.

Installing the system by removing the previous version

Please note that you will have to uninstall Windows 10 as you need to format the partition hard drive, which will be installed, which means that the license key will need to be entered again. If you want to save the files that you managed to acquire while using the tenth Windows, then copy them to third-party media, and after the installation is completed, transfer them back to your computer.

System Restore

System restore is not a rollback to the previous operating system, but to the last restore point. You can create points manually, but they are created automatically by default. They are needed so that in the event of an unsolvable error in the system, it would be possible to roll back all the processes and settings of the computer to the moment when this error did not exist. To use a dot, do the following:

Launch your computer's Control Panel. Opening the control panel
Go to the "Recovery" section. Find it using the search bar.
Go to the "Recovery" section
Start the recovery program.
Click the "Start System Restore" button
If you have multiple points, then you can choose the one recommended by the system, or any other by going to manual point selection.
Choose a recommended or another restore point
Wait for the system to perform automatic recovery. After the process is completed, you will receive a notification that the system has recovered successfully. Done, now all the settings and parameters of the computer correspond to the properties that it had at the time the restore point was created.
We go through the process of rolling back to a restore point

Video: Apply restore points

Through the command line

If the computer does not boot in normal mode, you can put it into safe mode with command line support, and then run the rstrui.exe command at the command prompt. Executing this command will start the recovery process, and all other actions will be the same as the normal recovery described above.

Run the rstrui.exe command to start recovery

Return to original settings

If the computer settings have been changed for the worse, then you have the opportunity to roll back all settings to their default values in a couple of steps:

Go to the computer settings by holding down the Win + I keys on the keyboard, or through the search menu. Opening the Settings app
Open the Update & Security section.
Select the block "Update and security"
Open the "Recovery" subsection.
Go to the sub-item "Recovery"
Start the process of resetting your computer by clicking on the "Start" button.
Click on the "Start" button to start resetting to default settings
You can choose one of two options: remove applications along with settings, but keep personal files, or remove everything on the computer, leaving a completely clean Windows with an empty hard drive.
Choose how to reset settings
After choosing the rollback method, confirm the actions by clicking the "Reset" button. The reset process is carried out automatically, wait for it to finish without interrupting the procedure.
Click on the "Reset" button to start the process

Additional way

If the method described above gives you an error or does not allow you to reset the settings for any other reason, then you can use a third-party program from Microsoft to achieve the goal:

Reset when the system is frozen

If, due to a change in computer settings, the system stopped starting, and because of this there is no access to computer settings, then you can recover without logging in, but this will require a recovery disk or a bootable USB flash drive:

Recovery using the program

If the system stumbled upon an insurmountable error, then you can restore it to its original state using a bootable USB flash drive and the official application from Microsoft:

Download and run the application from the official Microsoft website, designed for Windows installation 10 - Installation Media Creation Tool.
Downloading the Installation Media Creation Tool
After launching the application, select the version of the system installed on your computer.
Select system image options
On the choice of action, check the option "Create an installation USB flash drive" and go through the creation process to the end.
We indicate that we want to create an installation flash drive
Turn off the computer without removing the flash drive from the port, start the power-on process and as soon as the first signs of power-up appear on the screen, press the Delete button on the keyboard to go to the BIOS settings. The key may differ, which will be in your case, depending on the model of the motherboard. But during system boot, lines will appear in which the key to start the BIOS will be indicated.
Use the Delete key to go to the BIOS
While in the BIOS, go to the Boot or "Download" section in the Russian version.
Open the "Download" menu
Put the flash drive with the recorded image in the first place in the download queue. This is necessary so that the computer, when turned on, starts loading not from the hard disk, but from your flash drive. If you have a newer BIOS version - UEFI, then in the first place you need to put a flash drive whose name starts with UEFI: "Media Name".
We move the flash drive to the first place
Save the changes made to the BIOS and exit it. The download from the flash drive will start automatically.
Exit the BIOS and save the changes
When the first installer window appears, do not start the process, instead click on the Repair you computer button.
Select the System Image Recovery option. Done, wait for the system to recover from the installation media you created.
Activate the function "Restore the system image"

What to do if these operations do not work

Rolling back to a previous operating system may not work if your Windows.old folder is damaged or missing. If the folder is unusable, then you have only one way out - to reinstall the system.

Recovery may not work for the following reasons:

the restore point is damaged, use another, earlier point to successfully roll back the system;
if you are trying to recover via third-party media, then make sure that the correct version of the operating system is installed on it, and that it meets all the conditions: it has at least 4 GB of free space, it is formatted in FAT32 or NTFS format;
if one of the recovery methods suggested above does not work, then try recovering through a bootable USB flash drive, resetting the computer to its original state, or resetting the settings to default values.

What can you do if Windows 10 freezes during a rollback

If you are convinced that the system is frozen - the process does not move from its place for more than twenty minutes, then you must manually interrupt the process. Hold down the Power button on the computer for 5-10 seconds until it turns off. If this does not help, then unplug the device from the network and wait until it turns off. Such actions can lead to an error, so resort to them only as a last resort.

After the computer turns off, start turning it on and enter the recovery menu. Usually, the F2 key is used for this, but the button may differ on your motherboard model. Use the prompt that appears on the screen during power up to find desired button. After entering the recovery menu, use the reset and rollback instructions above.

If you failed to enter the recovery menu, or the process started through this menu also freezes, then create installation media and restore the computer through the system image, this method is described in the “Recovery using the program” paragraph. If this does not help, then reinstall the system, while formatting the disk on which you now have a frozen Windows installed.

How to return after a rollback

If you rolled back to Windows 7 or 8, and then decided to return to the tenth version of the system again, then use the same method that you used before when you switched from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10. Update through the update center or installation flash drive by creating it using the official program from Microsoft - Installation Media Creation Tool. You can upgrade to the new Windows as much as you like, and then roll back to the old system, for example, using the Windows.old folder, and then upgrade again to the tenth version of the system.

Upgrading to Windows 10

The transition between versions of Windows can be done both with the help of an update, moving from an old system to a new one, or with a rollback, moving from new system to the old one. It is not necessary to upgrade from one version to another to restore the full operation of the system, it is enough to reset the settings or restore the settings to default values using built-in functions or bootable media.

Windows 10, the restoration of which can return the computer to its original state, has several options for this action, let's look at restoring the Windows 10 system!

Since the OS itself is a rather complex structure, the frequent occurrence of problems and errors is understandable. On the other hand, as in any complex system, Windows also has tools for its recovery, knowledge of which can help you relatively easily and without significant loss "revive" your computer and save important data.

How to restore Windows 10

Of course, the notorious recovery tools Windows systems 10 differ in the specifics of the work and in terms of the end result. They will be discussed below.
To begin with, it is necessary to specify the situations in which it makes sense to return the OS to the previous state.

Windows 10 does not work correctly, an update (regular to the OS itself or a driver) or some application has also recently been installed.
Most likely, the reason is precisely what was recently installed. In this situation, you can. You can do this in several ways:
On the command line, run the command as an administrator, type rstrui - the return to point interface will open.

You can also access this window through the control panel - Recovery.

Pressing "Starting System Restore" The familiar interface will open.

After selecting a point and clicking on the "Next" button, the return process will begin, which takes several minutes (from 10-15 or more). This process affects installed applications and user files modified since the point was created.
In order to be able to restore Windows 10 using restore points, you need to make sure that they are created automatically. To do this, in the Control Panel - Recovery window, select "Setting up system recovery".

In the table of available disks, you need to check if OS protection is enabled. If enabled, restore points are created automatically. If not, the point will only be created manually. To create a point, click "Create" and specify a name created point.

To enable automatic creation of points (Windows OS protection), you must click "Configure ..." and select "Turn on system protection".

If you cannot log in, you can use this function through recovery environment (WinRE). There are several ways to get there:

On the lock screen (password entry), you must click "Shutdown", hold down the key. After reboot, select "Diagnostics" - "Advanced options" - "Command line"– run the rstrui command.
Turn the computer off and on repeatedly using the power button (not the safest way). These manipulations will also allow you to enter the recovery environment and take further actions.

Windows 10 is not working properly, but no updates or apps have been installed recently.

This option is already more ambiguous. The reason for the incorrect operation of the system may not be so obvious. In this case, resetting Windows 10 may help. To do this, open Settings, then "Update and Security".

To start the process, you must click "Start".

If the system does not boot, then you can enter the recovery environment () and select "Diagnostics" - "Reset the computer to its original state".
At the same time, we may be offered options for restoring the Windows 10 system:

Keep Files - This will reinstall the OS while keeping all personal files, but will remove installed drivers and applications, remove any changes made to settings, and all applications preinstalled by the manufacturer (If you purchased a computer with Windows 10 installed, applications from the computer manufacturer will be reinstalled).
Remove everything - this will reinstall Windows 10, remove personal files, remove installed applications and drivers, remove any changes made to settings and all applications preinstalled by the manufacturer (If you bought a device with Windows 10 already installed, then applications from the computer manufacturer will be automatically reinstalled). This option is also better to use if you are going to dispose or sell the computer, cleaning the disk can take several hours, but after that it will become very difficult to return the data.
Reset to factory settings(if available) - this will reinstall Windows 7/8/8.1/10, remove personal files, remove installed drivers and applications, remove any changes made to settings, and reinstall all applications preinstalled by the manufacturer.
Important! After completing this procedure, the option to return to the previous assembly will no longer be available.

The system does not boot and you previously created a recovery disk.
To use this option, you must connect the drive to your computer. Next, after loading the recovery environment (WinRE), you need to select "Troubleshooting" - "Advanced Options" - "System Restore". As a result, recently installed programs, updates to the system or Office, as well as drivers that can cause problems on the computer will be removed, but personal files will remain intact.
Also, if there is a disk, it is possible to perform a reset (see the previous paragraph).
Learn how to create a recovery disc.

The system does not boot and no recovery disk has been previously created.
In this situation, installation media can help - a disk, a USB drive from which you can perform a clean installation of the system. If there is no such carrier at hand, then it must be created. You can do it this way:

On a working computer, open the Microsoft Software website.
Click "Download tool now", wait for the tool to be downloaded and run it.
Select "Create installation media for another computer".
Configure the required settings - language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit system).
Follow the instructions for creating installation media until the process completes.
Connect the newly created installation media to a non-working computer and turn it on.

After that, you need to boot from the installation media and select the option "System Restore". Further, the set of possible actions is similar to the previous paragraph of this article.

Computer won't boot, no recovery disc was created, and reset failed.
In this situation, there are no options other than performing a clean install. To do this, you will need to create installation media (how to do this is described in the previous paragraph of the article). In general, the installation process of the system, although it is global for the computer, is still not complicated. The main thing is to correctly configure the boot from the installation media. After downloading from it, you must select the item "Install Now". At the next stage, you will be prompted to enter a key to activate the system - you can enter it here or click on the button "I don't have a product key" to continue the installation of the system, activation in this case will need to be carried out immediately after the appearance of the desktop. You will then be prompted to read the license agreement and accept it to continue. The next step is to press "Custom Installation". After that, a window will appear with the partitions into which the hard disk is divided. You must select the appropriate section and click "Next". During the installation process, the computer will restart several times. As a result, a clean system will be installed, all applications and drivers will be removed. The files will be saved in the Windows.Old folder on drive C, if you wish, you can transfer them from there.

Within a month after upgrading to Windows versions 10 (and within 10 days after the build update) it is possible to rollback to the previous build - this will return the computer, programs and files to the state in which the device was immediately before the update. You can start this process either through the "Settings" (section "Update and Security" - "Recovery"), or through the recovery environment (WinRE, the login methods are described above).

In general, the options described above allow, if not completely returning the computer to its usual state, then at least returning it to working capacity. All of these options differ in execution time and the use of each of them depends on the initial problem.

Have a great day!