Restore your Windows 10 computer to an earlier state. Windows System Restore

You can restore Windows 10 even without using a boot or installation disk. Of course, if the function of creating checkpoints is deactivated, if the HDD does not have a hidden factory partition with a clean distribution of the system to return to its original state, or the HDD itself has failed, then it is unlikely that you can do without an installation drive. Next, we will tell you when it is possible to restore the OS without a disk, and we will also consider how Windows is resuscitated in this case.

Revert to a previously saved state if Windows boots

Sometimes when updating the OS, installing various software, updating drivers, etc., the operating environment may malfunction. Sometimes it loads, but works with errors, sometimes it doesn’t load at all. If the OS has not crashed completely, the easiest way to restore the “top ten” without a disk is directly from a running Windows 10. This is done according to the following algorithm:

Please note that only files and settings that are critical for Windows operation will change. User data and documents will not be affected by this action.

Restoring the OS without an installation drive if it cannot be booted

You can use the functionality of control “snapshots” of the state of the most important files and settings even without a disk even if the computer cannot boot. Typically, the user in such a situation does not see a welcome window on the screen, but a blue window offering two options for further actions:

reboot,
go to additional options to restore the OS.

It is clear that rebooting is unlikely to help matters, so choose the second option. In this case, a window for selecting an action will open in front of you, the item we need is “Diagnostics”. Here the user will need to select the very first partition that allows you to restore Windows. Next, the previously described utility will appear, allowing you to select the desired save point for the main parameters without using a boot disk.

Returning the system to its original state

If rolling back to previous checkpoints does not give the desired result - Windows still malfunctions or does not load at all, you can deal with the problem by resorting to the function of returning Windows to its original state. There are three options for rolling back the OS:

With the preservation of all user documents and programs preinstalled in the operating environment. The system settings, along with the software and drivers installed by the user himself, will be reset.
The next option does not provide for saving documentation, photo and video files of the user in the location of the disk with the files of the installed system. The state of the OS after performing such a rollback will be the same as what can be observed after completing a complete reinstallation of Windows.
If Windows 10 was already pre-installed on a laptop or PC by the manufacturer, then on such a computer there should be a hidden partition of the disk with the installation distribution. This information can be used for the most severe mode of environmental resuscitation - returning to factory settings. In this case, the data and documents of the PC owner will be deleted, but even all information on non-system disk partitions will be deleted.

The last option for resuscitating the system can be used as a last resort in case of the most severe failures, when other methods are ineffective.

How to return the operating environment to its original settings

If the OS has completely crashed, then in order to roll back and restore it to its original state, you must perform the following steps:

Often, restoring the operating system or rolling it back allows you to quickly and effectively get rid of many serious problems that, for example, appeared after installing updates. Unlike previous variations of Windows OS, version 10 offers five ways to help restore the functionality of the graphical shell.

In what cases is system recovery necessary?

Often, personal computer users resort to system recovery after receiving new updates for the OS. Unfortunately, despite the quality of the operating system itself, Microsoft often releases “crooked” updates. After installing them, there may be two development options:

the first is OS recovery and rollback;
the second is waiting for patches. They appear quite quickly, so you should not immediately resort to such drastic measures as rolling back the system (except in rare cases when the security of your PC may suffer).

A more common reason why you need to perform an OS restore is that the software is not working correctly. For example, if the user installed any drivers, after which the programs stopped functioning properly, then the best solution to the problem would be recovery.

More advanced PC users often try to make some changes to the system registry. This is a common practice, but in inexperienced hands it can be pointless and cause a lot of harm. Since the system registry contains information about all applications, their data, including data from the system itself, there is no need to make any adjustments here. If, after the changes, the PC stops working as before, it is necessary to use OS recovery.

It should be noted that if the PC begins to work somehow differently, errors of an unknown kind appear, you can always use the recovery function. It will not harm the operation of the device, but will delete all changes that were made after the date the restore point was created.

Methods to restore Windows 10 OS (if the system boots)

Microsoft in the latest version of the OS has provided users with many options for restoring the OS. The choice of one method or another directly depends on the capabilities of the user, as well as the state of the device itself. Let's consider three options:

using a restore point;
reset to factory settings;
changing file history.

Restore point

One of the most useful features of the Windows 10 operating system is the restore point. It was present in previous versions, but did not involve storing many variations of the OS state. Typically, a restore point was created either automatically after making changes to system files or drivers, or manually by the user. Now, if errors occur in the operation of the device, you can always use the optimal rollback point.

Restore points still contain only information about the changes made. As such, there is no operating system image in this case. This means that if you did not create restore points yourself, then the list will display only those dates when changes were made to critical and system OS files.

First, the user needs to enter the recovery settings section of the Windows 10 operating system. This can be done as follows:

Use the combination Win + R button on your keyboard.
Enter the "Restore" command in the field.
In the panel, click the “Create a restore point” button
In the window that appears, open the “System Protection” tab. In the “Protection Settings” section you can see all available hard drive partitions. Separate restore points are created for each of them. Pay attention to the "Protection" field. Select the required section and change its state using the “Customize” button.
Change the recovery point settings for the selected hard drive partition
Change the option status to “Enable system protection”. Also, do not forget to specify the optimal amount of disk space. It will be used to create operating system restore points in the future. Save your changes.
Activate the function of creating a restore point and specify the amount of memory that will be used for these purposes

Once the specified amount of memory is reached, old restore points will be deleted and overwritten by new ones.

To use existing restore points, follow these steps:

Right-click on the Start icon and select Settings.
Find the "Update and Security" button in the list.
In the menu on the left, go to the “Recovery” section. Click the "Run System Restore" button and a window with options will appear. There are two options here:
- Recommended recovery options. Used in cases where the likely cause of problems with the system is incorrect drivers, updates and other software;
  Select the appropriate restore points: recommended or custom
- Using user-created restore points. If you did not create them, then not a single option will appear in the list.
  All points created by the user are displayed in a list from which the appropriate option is selected
After selecting the appropriate restore point, click the “Next” button and wait for the procedure to complete. It will take at least 5–20 minutes, depending on the selected date and PC configuration. This will automatically restart your computer. When you log back into the graphical shell, the system will report that the recovery was successful.

To create an OS restore point yourself:

Video: how to create a restore point in Windows 10

Factory reset

This feature is a kind of novelty, since in previous versions of the Windows 10 operating system the only thing the user could do was to reinstall the OS themselves. In this case, the presence of a corresponding CD or image was mandatory.

This is not required when working with Windows 10. The system will use executable files stored on the hard drive for installation. In this case, the reset procedure itself will take 20 minutes or more (directly depends on the device configuration).

The same can be done without entering the graphical shell on the user selection screen. Hold down the Shift button and at the same time press the Restart button in the lower right part of the window. A special window will appear in which you will need to use the “Diagnostics” tool, and then select “Reset to original state.”

As an analogue, you can use the new feature that appeared in Windows 10 called “Start over”. This process is practically no different from the option described above, except that a clean installation of the operating system will be performed. It starts in a few clicks and can take about 20 minutes, depending on the computer. A distinctive advantage of this function is that, compared to a standard reset, it will not restore additional software that was installed after purchasing the device (antiviruses, programs from the manufacturer, and much more).

To take advantage of this feature, do the following:

Find “Windows Defender” in the tray and activate it.
Go to the “Device Performance” tab.
Find the "Start Over" or "New Start" option.
Under New Start, click More Information
Click "More Information" and then use the "Get Started" button.
To activate the function, click the “Get Started” button
A window will appear warning the user of any possible changes. If you agree, then click the “Next” button.
Activate the Start Again feature to start a clean version of Windows 10 and confirm its execution
A list of all applications and programs that will be uninstalled will be displayed. The last thing left to do is to confirm the procedure and wait for it to complete. Upon completion, a file will appear on the desktop where all changes will be detailed. There will also be a special directory with the old version of the operating system.

Video: How to perform a factory reset on Windows 10

File history

The File History feature first appeared in the Windows 8 operating system. It can be very useful, especially for non-professional users. This feature is useful if you accidentally deleted an important file or directory, incorrect changes were made, or the data of a program was infected with malicious software. In all these cases, the user can use the “File History” function, which allows you to restore the previous, working state.

It is worth saying that this feature has its own settings. If the user has not made any changes, the system will automatically back up folders such as Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos. Storage periods are also configurable, but by default the data in these files will be stored for an unlimited amount of time.

To launch settings and view this feature, use the standard Windows 10 search and enter “File History” in the field.

In the “History Storage” section, the user will see the hard drive partitions and drives used, as well as the status of the function itself. To activate it, just select the appropriate section and click on the “Enable” button.

Enable file history recording on your computer

If you want to change your saving options, use the "Advanced Options" button. Here you can configure the period of time after which files will be saved, as well as their storage period.

Change the settings to suit your needs by selecting the saving interval and file storage time

To use the recovery function through File History, open the directory where the necessary information was stored. In the “Home” tab you will see the “File History” icon, which is what you will need in this case.

Go to the directory to restore the file and activate the entry to the “File History” section

To restore files and data, just enter “File History”, select the appropriate document and click on the restore button, after which it will appear in the directory again. The procedure itself is completed in a matter of minutes.

Select the file you want to restore and confirm the procedure

Video: how to use file history in Windows 10

Windows 10 Advanced Recovery (if the system won't boot)

Some problems that any user of a personal computer may encounter are very serious and lead to the fact that the graphical shell does not load at all. In such cases, you may not be able to use the methods described above.

Fortunately, Microsoft has provided for this scenario and added several functions that will allow you to return the computer to a working state in cases where you cannot log into the OS.

Windows 10 Recovery Disk

A recovery disk is a standard tool that allows you to return the system to a working state. Don’t pay attention to the name itself: not only a CD or DVD drive, but also a regular flash drive can act as a disk.

The only drawback of this method is that the user needs to write information about the operating system onto removable media in advance and thereby create this recovery disk. In any case, you can use another computer or the help of friends.

A recovery disk involves saving the most important information about the operating system (files and directories) to removable media. This will allow them to be used in the future to replace damaged components.

To create a disk, do the following:

Specify the “Recovery disk” command in the built-in search in Windows 10 and run the program.
Install a removable drive on which all important information will be recorded.
Check the option and confirm the procedure
Check the box next to “Perform a backup…”.
After clicking on the “Next” button, you will see the interaction menu. Here, select the Diagnostics option.
From the list of all options, select "Diagnostics"
To troubleshoot the problem, use one of the following options:
Choose the most appropriate recovery option and follow the instructions. The time it takes to solve the problem directly depends on the method you choose (20 minutes or more).

Video: How to create a Windows 10 recovery disk

Installation disk

An installation disk or other storage device that contains an image of the Windows 10 operating system is very useful. For example, if the OS does not want to boot, using such a drive can easily and quickly solve the problem.

If you do not have such a disk, use the built-in operating system tools to create one. This can be done as follows:

Search the Start menu for “Control Panel” and open it.
Change the display options to Large Icons and select the Recovery option.
In Control Panel, select the Recovery option
A window will appear where the user can create a recovery disk using the appropriate button.
In the list of options, select "Create a recovery disk"
Install the drive and select it in the working window. Confirm the creation procedure and wait for it to complete.
Select the appropriate one from the list of installed drives and use it to create a disk

The last step is to change the boot order of the personal computer components through the BIOS.

Activate the built-in environment when booting the device using the Del button (button combinations depend on the motherboard manufacturer). Go to the Boot Configuration Features tab. Here, change the boot order of the components so that either the optical drive or USB is installed first. This depends on what drive was used to create the boot disk.

It is very important to remember the order in which the elements load, especially if you are a novice user. Otherwise, after making changes, the system will boot incorrectly.

Exit the BIOS and wait for the OS installation window to appear. Here you can do it in any convenient way:

perform a system rollback using a restore point;
perform a system restore at boot;
reinstall it and much more.

Windows 10 System Restore Error 0x80070091

A common problem that PC users may encounter when restoring is error 0x80070091. If it appears, you will not be able to use the device again, and the recovery process will not be completed.

It is necessary to warn in advance that it is extremely difficult to get rid of this problem and the user must be aware that all measures he resorts to are carried out at his own peril and risk. It is likely that some manipulations can lead to other problems.

The reason for this error lies in the contents of the Program Files folder, namely WindowsApps. Usually the problem appears after the next OS update.

The solution to the problem is very simple. To do this, simply delete the directory itself and subsequently use a restore point. How to create and use it was described above.

Activate Command Prompt with administrator rights by right-clicking on it and selecting “Run as administrator” from the context menu
In the field, enter the command TAKEOWN /F “C:\Program Files\WidowsApps” /R /D Y.
Enter the command in the field to rename the folder
After the process is completed, activate the display of hidden files and folders by checking the corresponding item in the “View” tab in “Explorer Options”.
Enable the display of hidden files and folders through “Explorer Options”
To change the name of the system directory, download the Unlocker utility. It can be easily found in a search engine and installed.
Launch the program and select the WindowsApps directory, then change its name and click the Unlock All button. After these changes the error will be fixed.
Open the option to change the WindowsApps directory and change its name

How to recover your Windows 10 activation key yourself

When you first install and activate the operating system, a user-specified key is automatically assigned to the device. It can also be saved to a personal account, which can be useful when, for example, you are going to install the same OS on another computer.

However, no one is immune from the fact that after the next update the license key will simply disappear, and your version of Windows 10 will no longer work properly.

Restoring it is quite simple. This is where the function that literally assigns a key to an account will help us. To recover the key, follow these steps:

The entire further process of working with this option is described above.

Please note that upon completion of the procedure, the license key will return to its place, but some information will still be deleted. This will depend on the recovery method that was chosen.

How to restore screen resolution

After reinstalling the operating system or restoring it, the screen resolution often becomes non-standard. For example, if you previously used 1920x1080, then it will probably change to something else after the above procedures.

The problem can be solved in two ways:

Video: how to change screen resolution in Windows 10

Windows 10 password recovery and reset

If you set a password to log into your computer account, but for some reason forgot it, use recovery tools. The procedure directly depends on the type of account used (local or Microsoft).

Resetting your Microsoft account password is done online. It can even be done using a mobile phone.

If everything was specified correctly, follow the instructions on the screen. This way you can easily and quickly regain access to your computer.

The second possible way to fix the immediate problem is to use the built-in administrator account. This option is most appropriate if you have forgotten your local account password.

An important feature of this option is the need to use a recovery disk. How to make and use it was described above.

Change the settings for loading computer components through the BIOS, as described above. When the window for selecting the language to install appears, use the key combination Shift + F10. Here, enter the commands one by one:

Remember the name of the hard drive partition on which the directory with the operating system is stored; this will be required later. Enter the exit command to exit the diskpart utility.

Also in the “Command Line” enter the following commands:

If the operations are completed without errors, exit and change the boot options in the BIOS.

All that remains is to return to the account selection screen and select “Command Line” in the accessibility section. Enter the following information: net user username new password. This way you can change the password and use it to enter the graphical shell.

Video: how to recover or reset your account password in Windows 10

There are many recovery tools for the Windows 10 operating system, most of them can be used even if the user is not able to log into the computer's graphical shell. You can also resort to additional tools in the form of special programs created by third-party developers, but it is better to use a standard set of tools in the system itself.

BIOS– a set of utilities that are installed on the motherboard, which make it possible to turn on the device to install the OS. With its help, Windows 10 is loaded, a storage medium is selected, the range of thermal sensors is indicated, and various parameters are configured. If the system stops booting, errors occur and recovery cannot be performed using the standard method, you can do so through the BIOS.

How to restore Windows 10 via BIOS.

But this method can only be used if you have an installation disk or flash drive with a distribution kit of a licensed operating system with the version and bit depth that you have installed; this option is not possible without an external drive.

First of all, you need to start by setting the BIOS to read the disk immediately when you start the computer.

If preparing automatic recovery does not make it possible to restart the computer normally, you need to do it forcibly by holding down the shutdown buttons for 10-15 seconds, as soon as the system starts to boot, you need to press one of the keys: F1, F4, F3, Delete, F8 (tell exactly which one exactly what you need to press cannot be done, as it depends on the motherboard model on your device).

You can look in the instructions for your computer or on the manufacturer’s website to find out which key you will need to log in. On most PCs, the “Delete” button is used; on laptops, the key combination “ctrl+alt+esc” can be used.
After the BIOS starts, go to the Boot section.

You need to find the “1st boot device” parameter, which can be located in the “Boot Device Configuration”, “Advanced Features”, “Boot”, “Boot Sequence” section. There you will need to set the parameter for the CDROM or PXE UND I disk to boot from a flash drive:

Press “F10” to save the result, insert the disk into the drive or connect the flash drive on which the distribution is stored, then reboot the device.

After the computer boots, the initial system installation menu will appear, where you will need to click on the “System Restore” button.

The “Select actions” menu will open; select “Diagnostics”.

Then go to the “Advanced options” item.

Next, click on “System Restore”.

After clicking, a window will open asking you to select a restore point.

Startup Repair scans your computer for errors and fixes them when they are found. You can try to run the utility, but in most cases, after searching, it usually displays a message that the computer could not be restored.

If you had a rollback and your Windows was successfully restored after the above steps, then you will need to go into the BIOS and return the hard drive boot priority to first place.

— How to restore Windows 10 via the command line.
If you did not create a checkpoint, you can try restoring the Windows 10 system via the command line. To do this, you will also need a boot disk or flash drive with the Windows operating system installed on the computer.

In the "Advanced Options" section, select "Command Line"

In the window that opens, type “fixboot”.

Then the action must be confirmed by pressing the “Y” key.
After restoring the Windows 10 bootloader, the system needs to be checked for damaged system files.

Options for solving problems with damaged system files

The boot sector of the operating system is damaged.
In the command line you need to enter “fixboot”, press “Enter”, then enter “fixmbr”, press “Enter”. After this, the windows boot sector will be restored. The computer can be restarted normally.
The boot.ini file has disappeared.
In the line you need to type “bootcfg /rebuild”, then press “Enter”. Confirm all possible system questions by pressing the “Y” and “Enter” keys.
The config in the system32 folder is damaged.
You need to insert the disk with your OS version into the drive, enter “cd repair copy SYSTEM C:\windows\system32\config” in the command line, and then press “Enter”.
The files “ntldr” or “ntdetect.com” are missing, the system displays the message: “NTLDR is missing when loading Windows.”
Enter “copy X:\i386\ntldr C:\” in the command line, press “Enter” (Where X is the letter of your drive, and C is the letter of your system drive on which your OS is installed).

Restoring the system via the command line while the computer is on.

If you do not want to restart your computer, you can restore the system via the command line from Windows. To do this, you will need to insert the disc into the DVD-ROM while the PC is loaded. Then launch the command line by pressing the hotkey combination “Win + R” and in the search bar of the “Run” window, enter “sfc /scannow” and click “OK”. After which the broken system distributions will be copied from the boot disk automatically. System recovery and rollback are quite quick and trouble-free.

Good day, friends! I have already written an article about ways to restore Windows 7. Today there is another similar article on the topic - on restoring Windows 10. The latest release of the operating system has been noticeably improved. But new systems still periodically fail. Today we will look at the most obvious, simple and accessible recovery options, and see what new and interesting things Windows 10 offers us in this regard.

How to restore Windows 10 using Doctor Web antivirus for free?

If the antivirus in the “top ten” does not boot from a flash drive or disk, watch the video at the end of the article.

Let's start with the most obvious and simple solution. If you notice that the system is slow, errors have appeared, or intrusive advertising has appeared, first you need to make sure that your computer is “healthy”. Many symptoms are the consequences of the “work” of virus programs. Yes, there is a built-in antivirus in the Windows 10 system, which seems to be supposed to protect. It is quite sufficient in most cases. But, if the computer is infected, then, alas, it is no longer enough. We have our own segment of the Internet in Russia, and our domestic antiviruses, for example -Doctor Web, track threats appearing in it much faster and more efficiently. Licensed Dr Web is paid. But the utilities are free, which is good.

Download the free liveDisk utility from the system administrator's first aid kit on the website of the virus treatment product from DrWeb. Today, two varieties have been created - one for recording on a flash drive, the other for recording on a CD. I always use this utility rather than Dr Web Cure It. The latter is part of the “life disk”, which has wider functionality; I'm already used to it.

It is rare, but it happens that on some laptops or flash drives the utility does not load after recording. Be prepared for this; just in case, prepare a blank disc for recording.

When you start the utility, this is the window: (I have a flash drive)

Disk creation has started:

After creating the disk, reboot the device from the flash drive, to do this, insert it into the slot, and restart the computer. You need to go into the BIOS, to do this press the Del key:

In the settings, select the boot menu and in the boot settings select our flash drive. Press F10 and when exiting, save the settings by pressing the “yes” key:

You can also try to boot from a flash drive without going into the BIOS. On modern computers and laptops, when loading, you can press the F9 (or F11 or F12) key to bring up the boot menu and then move the cursor to select our flash drive in this way:

If Windows stops loading, you can use standard utilities to restore correct operation.

One of the main nightmares of computer lovers is to encounter a situation where they cannot turn on the device. The operating system starts to load, but eventually displays a message like: “Windows updates could not be configured, changes are being discarded, do not turn off the computer.” After which nothing new happens - the software cannot be restored, and downloading stubbornly does not help.
Free online course "Windows 10 Simple Steps" Learn the basics of working with the Windows 10 operating system in our free online course. Short visual lessons will make everyday use of your PC much easier.

System recovery tools

Before the release of Windows 7, this situation turned into numerous dances with a tambourine, and often a complete reinstallation of the operating system. Now everything is different, and often the problem is solved with standard tools from Microsoft, which do not even need to be specially installed. The task comes down to being aware, in principle, that such a toolkit exists, as well as simply remembering it when suddenly the “irreparable” happens.

The trick is that when you boot your computer, even before the Windows boot icons appear, you have time to get into the advanced parameters of this very boot, where you will be able to run diagnostics and, if necessary, restore the system to the selected checkpoint. Windows 7 required you to press a function key when booting F8, then select the “Troubleshoot” option (although in rare cases the “Last Known Known Configuration” option saved the day).

More Windows 7 download options

Once in the “System Recovery Options” menu, in most cases, one of the first two options became salvation. “Startup Repair” could save the operating system automatically, and “System Restore” required you to manually select a checkpoint to which the rollback would be made.

Windows 7 System Recovery Options

In order to be able to restore it to its original state in the event of a malfunction of the operating system, it is necessary to make a recovery disk in advance.
Microsoft would be betraying itself if, with the update of its brainchild, it left all the useful tools as before. Windows 10 system recovery is carried out by pressing hot keys Shift+F8, and, unlike “seven,” you need to press this combination very, very quickly, since the operating system itself began to load much faster.

The appearance of the rescue menu has also undergone changes. Having selected “Diagnostics”, in “Advanced options” there are already familiar to us “System Restore” and “Startup Repair” (only in a different order). There is also a “Return to previous build” option if you upgraded to “ten” from one of the previous versions of Windows.

If automatic recovery doesn't work

Restoring a Windows system to one of the previous checkpoints is not a difficult task. It is only important that these points themselves exist in the system, because sometimes users themselves manually disable their creation, at the same time deleting existing ones. It really makes sense to periodically clear old control points, since they take up a lot of space. But giving up recovery points altogether is a risky proposition.
How to navigate the Internet without picking up viruses? Secure DNS servers will help.
To make sure that restore points are automatically created for you or to make changes to the corresponding settings, you need to select the “Large Icons” (or Small Icons, but not Categories) icon display in the “Options” window and select the “Recovery” item. There, select “System recovery settings”, check whether protection is enabled and, if necessary, use the “Configure” button. Here you can manually create a point for subsequent recovery.

If we have restore points, then using the method described earlier, that is, using the built-in Windows system recovery tools, you can quickly roll back to an earlier state of the computer without losing important files.

In extreme cases, you will have to restore the system to its original state or to a previously created system image. It is advisable to create a “System Image” and a “System Repair Disk” in a working state of the operating system, after you have installed all the applications you need. This is all done through the same “Control Panel” (aka “Settings”), when viewing by “Categories”, selecting “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)”. Here you can restore the operating system to a previously created image if the computer still boots, but has no longer worked as it should.
With each release of the operating system, Microsoft requests more and more information from users. But you can moderate her appetites.

Restoring a laptop to factory settings

If standard tools do not help, and you do not have a disk or USB device with a recovery image, then laptop owners can use “hot keys” to launch the built-in recovery utility. Some models may even have a separate key for these purposes, for example, OneKey Recovery from Lenovo, but this is rather an exception. In other cases, it is important to know which hotkey is for your laptop, since it tends to differ among manufacturers.

Hotkeys for laptop manufacturers:

F3– MSI;
F4– Samsung;
F8– Fujitsu Siemens;
F8- Toshiba;
F9- ASUS;
F10- Sony VAIO;
F10- Packard Bell;
F11- HP Pavilion;
F11- LG;
F11- Lenovo ThinkPad;
Alt+F10- Acer (before this, select Disk-to-Disk (D2D) in the BIOS);
Ctrl+F11- Dell Inspiron;
Hold [ Alt] - Rover.

Factory Utility will restore the device to its original condition, as if it had just come from the store. This will delete all programs with settings, all files, including favorite photos, which it makes sense to store in cloud services just for such cases. However, the device will be able to work again, and in some cases this method will simply help prepare the laptop for subsequent resale or transfer to relatives.