Windows 10 Advanced System Recovery Method. Windows System Restore
Restoring the Windows 10 system from a restore point (TV) is convenient when the user installs many programs downloaded from the Internet. Often you come across low-quality software, outdated or with a virus. The procedure may also be necessary if there was an attempt to connect an additional device and a conflict occurred with the system.
TV is a service that saves backup versions of system files and the registry in the state at the time such a milestone was created. It is recommended to create them before each change that is made to the operating system.
A failure can also occur in an emergency situation:
- power outage;
- sudden drop in voltage in the network;
- infection with viruses, etc.
In this case, you need to have a mechanism that will help you return to a working operating system without reinstalling it. How to enable is described here.
The basis of this method is the shadow copying mechanism built into the “top ten”. It allows you to restore the initial state of any files important to the OS.
How to run a rollback
We'll tell you in detail how to roll back Windows 10 to a restore point. This can be done in different ways:
- Press the WIN+R buttons and type the line "systempropertiesprotection".
The properties window will open. Clicking on the "Restore" button will start the process.
Through the search, find the control panel and launch it.
In small icons view, click the appropriate link.
You can also get to this window through the search.
Click "Run" to start the process.
Here you can configure the settings.
To roll back to a restore point in Windows 10, click the “Restore” button.
If you want to know what it is and how to enable it, follow the link provided.
How to rollback
In the first step, you will be asked to confirm the start of the operation. This is done so as not to start the procedure by accidental pressing. Although you can undo changes in the future, it will no longer be possible to interrupt the process itself.
To see which actions will be undone, tap “Search for affected programs.”
The OS will be scanned to find all affected activities.
You'll see which programs were restored or removed before the milestone was created. After the rollback they will return to their original state. Please note that programs that were installed from the Tens store are not shown here.
If everything is satisfactory, close this window and click “Next”. You will need to confirm the start twice, since the system does not allow you to launch a Windows 10 restore point by accident.
Agree with the action.
Confirm again.
The preparation process will begin.
Then the computer will restart and all you have to do is wait. With minimal changes, the process took half an hour.
The Windows 10 restore point has been restored.
Restart your computer. As a result, we will get a new name.
After that, roll back your Windows 10 system to a restore point again.
Check if the WindowsApps folder has been created and delete WindowsApps.old . As a rule, if the Windows 10 restore point does not work, this method helps.
You can run a Windows 10 system restore from a startup restore point. In this case, you should be taken to the special boot options menu. If the operating system does not boot at all, then this is done from the boot disk. If you don’t have one, you need to create one on another computer with “ten”. If the OS has loaded, but the TV does not work, go to “Settings”.
Then select Update & Security.
And reboot.
A menu will appear in which select “Diagnostics” and then the first item (using TV).
This will help you roll back and. Once again we remind you of important information:
- TVs disappear when protection is removed from the system.
- You should create a milestone BEFORE installing questionable software or when the OS is in a working state that suits you.
Restoring Windows 10 from a backup will help restore your computer's functionality in case of serious problems caused by software or hardware failures. This method will completely restore the system to the state it had at the time the Windows backup was created.
No computer is immune from problems, so you should protect yourself in advance from getting into an unpleasant situation. Agree that due to a serious system failure or hard drive failure, you can lose important information and lose quite a lot of time, which will be spent on installing and configuring Windows and installing the necessary programs.
To prevent such a situation, you should create a backup copy of the system in advance and then, if necessary, restore the Windows system image from the backup copy. The Windows 10 backup image includes the contents of the system partition of the hard drive, the contents of system service partitions, programs, user data, etc.
Instead of a broken or malfunctioning operating system, the user will receive a fully functional Windows 10, since the backup was performed during a period of time when there were no problems on the computer. All Windows data installed on the computer will be replaced with data from the system backup image.
The operating system has a built-in Windows recovery mode, with which you can restore the system from a previously created one. Using the File History tool, you can create a backup copy of Windows 10 by placing the system archive on an external hard drive, network folder, or other media.
After an emergency occurs on the PC, the user will be able to restore Windows using a system image file. The recovery process will take less time than installing or reinstalling Windows; do not forget that after installing the system, the user will have to install the necessary programs on the computer.
To create a backup copy of the system and then restore it from the backup copy, it is not necessary to use Windows recovery tools; the user can use products from third-party manufacturers. There are articles about some similar programs on my website.
In this article we will look at restoring a Windows 10 system from a backup system image previously created by system tools. It is best to store a system backup on removable media. The most suitable option: an external hard drive specifically designed for storing system backups.
In case of minor problems on the computer, you can use the Windows recovery function using previously created ones, but in case of serious failures on the computer, this option will not help.
Before starting the system restore procedure from a backup, connect the external hard drive with the Windows backup to your computer. On the system backup disk, in the “WindowsImageBackup” folder, there is a Windows 10 recovery image.
Running Windows 10 Recovery
The user can start recovery from an archived system image in two ways:
- begin the recovery process from a running Windows operating system;
- boot onto the computer using a recovery disk when the operating system is not working.
In both options, the recovery process is the same. The only difference is in the method of launching system recovery.
If Windows is not working, you will need it, which must be created in advance during the process of creating a system backup. You can use the installation DVD or .
Then, when you boot your computer, you must enter the BIOS (UEFI) to select your boot drive as the boot device. You can enter the boot menu or BIOS settings using the keyboard keys. Laptops and desktop computers use different keys, depending on the computer manufacturer. Find out in advance on the Internet which keys are used, based on the model of your device.
When the Windows 10 operating system is running, starting a restore from a backup system image file proceeds in the following order:
- Go to the Start menu, click on Settings.
- In Windows Settings, select Update & Security.
- In the “Update and Security” section, click on “Recovery”.
- In the “Special boot options” setting, click on the “Restart now” button.
Restoring Windows 10 from a system backup image
After the computer restarts, the Select Action window will open. Click on the "Troubleshooting" button.
In the "Diagnostics" window, click on the "Advanced options" button.
In the “Advanced Options” window, click on the “System Image Restore” button.
In the “System Image Restore” window, you must select an account to continue.
In the next window you will need to enter the password for your account. To enter the password, if necessary, change the keyboard layout, for example, from Russian to English layout.
If you do not use a password to log in, leave this field blank.
Click on the "Continue" button.
In the “Select an archived system image” window, you must select a system image to restore. After performing a Windows restore, the data on the computer will be replaced with the data from the system image.
In the next window, “Choose advanced recovery options,” click on the “Next” button.
Review your recovery options and then click Finish.
In the warning window, click on the “Yes” button.
Next, the process of restoring the system from the backup will begin, which can take from several minutes to several hours. The amount of time it takes to restore depends on the size of the backup.
After the restore from the Windows backup image is completed, the computer will restart.
After rebooting, the restored operating system will open on the computer. Windows 10 backup recovery is complete. The data on the recoverable disks has been replaced with data from the system backup.
Conclusions of the article
If the computer fails due to problems with the operating system or due to hard drive failure, the user will be able to restore Windows 10, provided that he has previously created a backup image of the system for recovery. The article discusses a method for restoring a system from a backup created using a system tool built into the Windows 10 operating system.
RecoveryWindows 10 from a system backup (video)
The initial version of the tenth, “beloved and adored” Windows OS in the form of a preliminary free Technical Preview release turned out to be not at all what was expected from it. It was only later that modifications like Pro, Home, Education, Enterprise and Ultimate came out. But all of them, just like previous operating systems, tend to crash at the most inopportune moment. Now we will consider the issue related to how Windows 10 is produced in the most basic ways. This, I think, will not cause any difficulties for anyone.
recovery. What you should pay attention to?
Note that the “ten”, no matter how perfect it may seem, has absolute identity with its predecessors. This is due not so much to viruses or malicious codes, but to errors in the system itself.
First of all, you need to pay attention to the installed version. If this was the initial Technical Preview OS, intended for evaluation and installation on top of an existing operating system, rolling back is not so difficult. By the way, it is worth mentioning separately that it is very easy to install a new system, provided the files of the old one are not deleted.
Let's immediately note that there will be two Windows folders on the system drive. The first (main) is responsible for the safety of the previous one. The second is the installation directory for the new OS. Unfortunately, not every user will be able to determine which Windows 10 restore point they need, much less find a backup copy on the disk, not to mention the file itself responsible for this process.
Standard Windows 10 recovery procedure after installation
As a rule, it can be used in two cases: either restoring the “ten” after critical failures, or returning to the operating system on top of which it was installed. Here you need to understand the difference.
In the first option, everything is, in general, simple. The standard Windows Restore service will be used in any case. When, for example, “ten” is installed on top of “seven”, it is the service of the new system that has priority.
But with returning to the old OS and its settings, the situation is somewhat more complicated. The fact is that standard Windows 10 is not the key point in this case. Here the primary role is played by the image of the previous system, which takes up quite a lot of space on the hard drive.
By deleting it even when using a standard system disk or partition cleaner, when all components that are no longer needed are checked, you can only achieve that the previous “OS” will not be restored; in fact, it will not even be installed again without selecting another partition or formatting the existing one . In addition, you should immediately pay attention to the fact that restoring the Windows 10 system makes sense without rolling back to the previous one. But the “ten” itself, which has priority rights, so to speak, blocks any other previously installed OS. The only exception is the bootloader, in which you can select the appropriate component to start.
Preliminary steps to remove updates
Another important aspect is the installation of updates. In Windows 10, recovery may be related, oddly enough, to this. The fact is that the updates, starting with the “seven”, turned out to be quite ineffective. Ultimately, updates are not only installed incorrectly, they generally cause critical failures in the system itself.
To remove packages, you need to use the standard function called from the Control Panel. Here you need to take into account the installation date of each update. To sort, you should select change or installation by date. Update packages are usually designated KB. True, for the most part they are related rather to the installation of additional components of the Windows security system.
To cancel their installation, you simply need to use the uninstall line of each update, after which the computer is completely rebooted. At best, a Windows 10 recovery disc will help. But these steps are applicable in the case of restoring the OS, so to speak, to its factory state. In addition, you will have to disable each of them and see how it affects the system as a whole.
Automatic Windows 10 recovery
As for automatic recovery, any currently created OS reserves space on the hard drive, creating its own partition, different from the system one, used to save the parameters and settings of the currently installed operating system.
On the other hand, if the system crashes, you should first restart it. In some cases (especially when Windows freezes), a reboot must be performed in forced mode, say, on laptops this is done by pressing and holding the power button.
After this, the system will boot again and a message about the possibility of recovery will appear. But this is true more for systems like XP, 7 and 8. There is nothing like this in the “top ten”. In Windows 10, recovery works a little differently. The system does not offer a choice; it restores files on its own. But this only works under non-critical failure conditions. When download files become corrupted, you have to think twice.
Bootloader problems
Now we move on to the biggest problems of the system. Restoring Windows 10 boot after failures is impossible without understanding the process itself, which applies equally to all systems in this series.
The boot sector is the fastest accessible area of the hard drive, which contains information about the system files necessary to boot the OS. This section contains a kind of table that provides indexing of the contents of a particular file involved in the process of loading the operating system. If faults are detected in it, the system will have to be reinstalled.
Restoring the operating system boot
The simplest method for restoring the Windows 10 bootloader is considered to be an option that applies to all systems of this type. This type may not work if booting from a hard drive or damaged partition. Typically, a Windows 10 recovery disc is used to restore the operating system. This allows you to avoid many problems and has the function of calling and managing the so-called console.
This is the command Bootrec.exe /FixMbr, entered at the command line (note, not through the “Run” menu, but through the cmd line, entered there). Restoring the Windows 10 bootloader is carried out according to the same principles that were laid down in version 7 and higher. Some commands may not work.
Consecutively, after the first line, the command Bootrec.exe / FixBoot is added (again, provided that it is booted from disk). Next, if restoring Windows 10 booting in this way is not possible, you will need to check the presence of all operating systems present on this device. This is done simply. But to do this, you will need to use the Bootrec.exe /ScanOs command in the same console. Further, if nothing helps at all, restoring the Windows 10 bootloader can only be continued with the command of completely overwriting sectors and restoring initial parameters. The command is Bootrec.exe /ReBuildBcd.
Creating a boot disk
For many users, the simplest solution is a disk. is carried out automatically, but only when the mode of reading data and booting from the corresponding device through the BIOS is enabled (the detection of the HDD boot device must be turned off, and removable CD/DVD media must be installed as the first device).
Then the disk image itself is created. To do this, you can use utilities like UltraISO or a standard system tool (of course, if you have the original Windows 10 distribution).
Saving copies of disk and partition images
Often, file recovery may also be required. Windows 10, like any other operating system in this family, can create images of hard drives and logical partitions with user data stored in them.
But for this it is better to use specialized utilities like Acronis True Image rather than standard tools. With the help of such programs, an image of the system, hard drive or logical partition is created in a couple of clicks, and with the help of them you can subsequently restore all the necessary information.
Recovery from image
As for the process itself, Windows 10 recovery allows you to perform it either automatically or on demand.
For the on-demand process, you should use the archiving and update section, which is located in the standard “Control Panel”. In it you need to go to advanced recovery methods, and then use a previously created copy of the system image indicating the location of the file.
Which is better to use?
You can do it even simpler. In Windows 10, data recovery can be done using third-party utilities like the aforementioned Acronis True Image program.
Actually, the process itself is very similar to the standard one, but is more optimized for the average user who does not want to get into the jungle of system settings.
As for restoring accidentally deleted files, specialized software like the Recuva program or the very powerful R.Saver package will come in handy, which allow you to find data on any media and restore it to its original state, preserving the desired location and even metadata. But this, as they say, is a separate topic.
What do we end up with?
In general, as can be seen from the above material, restoring the “ten”, as well as older versions of Windows OS, is not particularly difficult. The main thing is to be patient, as some processes can take quite a long time. On the other hand, if you do a recovery, this is still better than reinstalling Windows 10 again, especially since user files, folders and programs may be lost during re-installation.
As for the recovery method or preferred program to be used, each user must decide for himself. It is clear that you can create not only recovery disks. You can use a bootable flash drive with equal success. However, you will have to pay special attention to the BIOS settings in order to set the USB device as a boot source. And this is done with a flash drive already inserted into the port before turning on the computer or laptop, otherwise the BIOS simply will not detect it. So be careful.
If your Windows 10 PC is running slow or you're regularly experiencing errors and crashes, the easiest solution is to reset your PC to default settings, removing all your programs, files, and anything else that might be causing problems. This method is especially good if all other attempts have failed, but there is no installation disk with the OS and it is not possible to restore functionality in other ways. You'll learn basic PC recovery techniques: using the built-in Windows 10 tool through the Advanced Boot menu, as well as system image recovery so you can return your Windows 10 system to its original state in the future.
Method 1: Factory reset Windows 10
Click Start and type Recovery. Click "Restore to original state". A reset window will open where you can select several options. If you're experiencing problems that you didn't have in Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, and you upgraded to Windows 10 less than a month ago, you can go back to your old OS. If you want to stay there, click "Start" under "Reset."
A dialog box will appear with two choices.
- Reset Windows 10
This option will remove all programs on the computer, but will not affect other files such as documents and user settings. It will also remove programs you downloaded from the Internet, but any apps you installed from the Windows Store will be reinstalled. This is a convenient way to get your computer back to its previous state if it's not working properly and you don't want to have to restore files.
- delete everything
NOTE: If you use any of these options (disabling the latter), you will lose the ability to revert to Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 in the future.
Method 2: Using an OS image
If you don't want to reinstall your OS now, but think you might want to in the future, it's worth backing up your OS in case it produces errors in the future. Thanks to this, you will have a ready-to-install image of your files, settings and applications. This is a convenient way to restore an operating system from an image to its current state at any time in the future.To do this, click the "Search" menu and enter "Recovery." Click "Recovery" and wait until the download is complete. Click "Create a recovery disk" and follow the wizard's instructions.
You will be given the choice of where to place this image on your hard drive, optical drive, or network. Once you select the drive, click Next and then Start Backup. The image will be created. Now let's look at how to restore Windows if you already have it.
To use your OS image, go back to the reset menu we used earlier. This time, click Restart Now under Advanced Startup.
When your computer restarts, you will be given the option to reinstall Windows from the system image you created.
This is probably the best option as it returns the OS to the state you created the image in. Keep in mind that this option will delete all files created after the OS image, so make sure you have a backup of your information before doing this.
Using System Restore
System Restore is a way to undo changes using rollback points, allowing you to return system files and settings to an earlier point in time without affecting users' personal files. System Restore uses a feature called system protection that regularly creates and saves information about your PC's drivers, programs, registry, system files, and settings as rollback points.If you can't solve problems with Windows 10, you can perform a Windows Rollback to return your system to Windows to an earlier point, called a checkpoint.
Note: To perform a rollback, you must be logged into the OS as an administrator.
In the search, enter “Recovery” and select the appropriate item from the search results.
When you run the rollback process, the OS will automatically create a checkpoint before continuing so you can undo the changes if necessary.
If you booted Windows in Safe Mode, a checkpoint will not be created until the recovery continues. In this situation, you will not be able to cancel the rollback process.
Windows 10 System Restore at Startup
Now you will learn how to perform a system restore on Windows 10 at boot via BIOS:
Now you know how to boot into advanced boot mode through the BIOS and start the OS recovery procedure.
How to restore Windows using a boot disk or flash drive?
Many users know how to reinstall the OS, but few people know how to restore Windows from bootable media.To start the recovery process, boot from the installation media. After loading, a window will appear asking you to select a language. Click “Next” and in the next window click on the “Recovery” link.
A similar advanced boot menu will launch.
