On many occasions due to update, stability, security problems or compatibility errors, we will need to restore our Operating System, in this case Windows. The restoration tool in Windows has several options that we will see later and allow us to take measures depending on the problem we want to solve, in a less or more aggressive way.
We will talk about what are the possible inconveniences that we may have at the time of restoration and how to prepare to face them without losing any important information.
Situations for which the restoration of our Operating System is necessary
Within the possibilities of corruption of an operating system we will find several causes that will force us to restore or in the worst case, have to reinstall completely.
Security Issues with Malicious Software
Security is one of the most controversial issues, especially for those who have the PC as their main work tool. If we work in the world of digital currencies or electronic commerce, the need to keep our computers safe is much greater, in this case, we will very possibly have sensitive information on which our funds and income in this market depend.
Let’s see what are the types of Malicious Software for which the restoration or reinstallation of the operating system could become a necessity.
Trojan
A Trojan is a computer virus that behaves like a normal application, but whose objective is to create a back door in the security of the computer, with the aim of having access to information on the hard disk or obtaining it by the attacker in a remote, to administration permissions within your computer.
Spyware
The elusive Spyware is a Virus capable of monitoring many of the activities we carry out on our computer on a daily basis, whether it be tracking the sites we visit in our browser as well as the applications we use the most, recording the screen or even installing new malicious applications. without our permission.
Ransomware
The well-known Ransomware is one of the newest but most dangerous of all Computer Viruses. Its objective is in a simple way, to encrypt all the files inside our hard drive in a subtle way. Kidnap all our information and request a ransom for it, using the purest and most dirty pirate method that we can find on the Internet.
Conditions that oblige us to a Restoration or Reinstallation
The red flags that usually alert us to the need to restore or reinstall our operating system are the following:
- Lack of performance of our computer below the ordinary
- Existence of suspicious background tasks that mainly use network resources
- Our Windows Defender or any of the Antivirus that we can count on, do not stop throwing us a warning of suspicious software.
In any of these cases, it is best to have a Windows Restore Point where it worked correctly and we can stabilize it by taking it to this state prior to the infection or corruption of our Operating System.
Hardware upgrade
When we want to improve the performance of our computer, many times we run into the need to update its components. Either adding expansion cards to expand the possibilities or changing some of the same components. Each component has a set of drivers that allow its correct operation, but in the case of a change at the hardware level, they can create conflict.
We can uninstall the drivers manually, but it is very possible that there are still traces in the Operating System that cause instability; either by a change in the processor or in the motherboard or Motherboard.
Component changes for which it is necessary to restore or reinstall the system to its native form
Microprocessor
The microprocessor is the brain of our computer and its operation depends on the technology in which it has been developed and to which it is compatible. In case of a processor change in terms of generation, for example an 8th i5 to a 9th i5; It is advisable to restore the computer at the time where you had not configured the drivers. Either due to a generational change within the same manufacturer and even more so if the change is between processors from different manufacturers, as is the case with AMD.
Motherboard
The motherboard is the most important component of our computer, it is the one who allows us some compatibility with different parts to improve in certain aspects. Be it the PCIe for the connection with expansion cards, M2 ports, hot Sata ports, Type C and many others that are non-modifiable specifications that differ greatly from each other.
We will also find that the control of variables such as voltage, the bandwidth between the RAM and the Microprocessor as well as the working frequency of both, are issues that can be modified in the ROM memory called BIOS. Many times the BIOS is integrated with applications that allow us to control all these variables to our liking, all this together with the drivers that allow this communication to occur. In the case of not restoring our Operating System before the change of this component, we run the risk of causing instability in our computer.
Restoring the Windows Operating System will undo all changes
As the word indicates, a restoration is to transform something that currently has certain characteristics to a previous state where all the changes suffered do not exist. In this case, the Windows Operating System in which we work. The native Windows Restore tool is very well developed for this purpose. This tool provides us with several easy-to-use options for less advanced users.
By reverting all the changes made to our system, during a certain period of time, we make sure that everything that may affect the correct functioning of our computer from a point in time can disappear in the simplest possible way and in the case If we need an application that is not found before this point, we simply install them new in the operating system, allowing us to solve any problem in the case of files that are corrupted by different causes.
Storage Device Affected by Restore
It is essential to bear in mind that a restoration of our Operating System only affects the files of the partitions where it is hosted, so it does not affect the others that do not intervene in the functioning of the system. This can generate some problems in the case that we have applications installed in the non-primary partition of the system, for which the operation of some applications will be affected, since most of them write files to the main partition to perform certain tasks, therefore that we advise to take this into account.
How to use System Restore in Windows 10, 8 or 8.1
- Open the Control Panel. Check out the help if it’s your first time, or just search for it in the Windows 10 search box or Windows 8 / 8.1 charms bar. We are trying to access the System applet in Control Panel, which can be done very quickly from the power user menu, but it’s only faster that way if you’re using a keyboard or mouse. Press WIN + X or click the button right on the button Start and then select System . Go to Step 4 if you end up going this way.
- Select System and Security within the Control Panel. You will not see System and Security if the Control Panel view is set to Large Icons or Small Icons . Instead choose System and then go to Step 4.
- In the System and Security window that is now open, select System .
- On the left, choose System Protection .
- From the window Properties of the system that appears, press the System Restore . If you do not see it, make sure the tab Protection of the system .
- Select Next> in the System Restore window titled Restore System Files and Settings. If you have previously performed a System Restore, you may see the Undo system restore option and the Choose a different restore point option . If so, select Choose a different restore point , assuming you’re not here to undo one.
- Select the restore point you want to use from the list. If you want to view older restore points, check the Show more restore points check box . All restore points that are still in Windows will be listed here, as long as that checkbox is checked. Unfortunately, there is no way to “restore” older restore points. The oldest restore point listed is the last place you can restore Windows to.
- With the chosen restore point selected, use the Next> button to continue.
- Confirm the restore point you want to use in the Confirm your restore point window , and then select Finish . If you’re curious about what programs, drivers, and other parts of Windows 10/8 / 8.1 this System Restore will affect on your computer, select the Search Affected Programs link on this page before starting System Restore. The report is informational only, but may be helpful in troubleshooting if this System Restore does not fix the problem you are trying to solve.
- Choose Yes for Once started, System Restore cannot be interrupted. Do you want to continue? question. If you are running System Restore from Safe Mode, keep in mind that the changes you make to your computer will not be reversible. Don’t let this scare you; Chances are, if you’re doing a System Restore from here, it’s because Windows isn’t starting properly, leaving you with a few other options. Still, it is something to be aware of. Your computer will restart as part of a System Restore, so be sure to shut down anything that may be running at this time.
- System Restore will now begin to revert Windows to the state it was in at the date and time recorded with the restore point you chose in Step 7. You will see a small System Restore window that says Preparing to restore your system … , after which Windows will close almost completely.
- Then on a blank screen, you will see a message Please wait while your Windows files and settings are being restored . You will also see several messages appear below such as System Restore is initializing…, System Restore is restoring the registry… and System Restore is deleting of temporary files… . All in all, this will probably take around 15 minutes. What is sitting here is the actual system restore process. Do not shut down or restart your computer during this time!
- Wait while your computer restarts.
- Log into Windows as you normally would. If you don’t use the desktop and it doesn’t switch there automatically, go there next.
- On your desktop, you should see a small System Restore window that says “System Restore completed successfully. The system has been restored to [date and time]. His documents have not been affected.
- Select Close .
Once the restoration of the Operating System is finished, check if the problem has already been solved, otherwise you can restore to a previous point and if the problem persists, it must be identified in which partition the trigger is located, since it is not found hosted in the main.
To undo a System Restore in Windows, repeat steps 1 through 6 above and choose Undo System Restore .
How to use System Restore in Windows 7 or Windows Vista
- Go to the program group Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools .
- Click the icon for the System Restore program .
- Click Next> in the Restore System Files and Settings window that should have appeared on your screen. If you have two options on this screen, Recommended Restore and Choose a different restore point , select the Choose a different restore point option before clicking Next> unless you are absolutely sure that the preselected restore point is the one you choose. want to use.
- Choose the restore point you want to use. Ideally, you’ll want to pick the one right before you realize the problem you’re trying to fix, but no further back. All restore points that you have created manually , scheduled restore points that Windows created automatically, and those that were created automatically during the installation of certain programs will be listed here. You cannot use System Restore to roll back Windows changes to a date for which there is no restore point. If necessary, check the Show more restore points or Show restore points older than 5 days checkbox to view more restore points than the most recent. There is no guarantee that there will be any, but it is worth looking for if you need to go back that far.
- Click Next> .
- Click Finish on the Confirm your restore point window to begin System Restore. Windows will shut down to complete System Restore, so be sure to save any work you may have open in other programs before continuing.
- Click Yes on Once started, System Restore cannot be interrupted. Do you want to continue? dialog box.
- System Restore will now restore Windows to the state that was recorded in the restore point you chose in Step 4. The system restore process may take several minutes, as the message “Please wait while Windows files and settings are being restored » . Your computer will restart normally when complete.
- Immediately after logging into Windows after the restart, you should see a message that System Restore completed successfully . Click Close .
How to use System Restore in Windows XP
- Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools .
- Click the icon for the System Restore program .
- Choose Restore my computer to an earlier time and then click Next> .
- Choose an available date from the calendar on the left. Available dates are the dates a restore point was created and are shown in bold. You cannot use System Restore to roll back Windows XP changes to a date when there is no restore point.
- Now that you have chosen a date, choose a specific restore point from the list on the right.
- Click Next> .
- Click Next> in the Confirm Restore Point Selection window you see now. Windows XP will close as part of the system restore process. Make sure to save any open files before continuing.
- System Restore will now restore Windows XP with the registry, driver, and other important files as they existed when the restore point you chose in Step 5 was created. This may take several minutes.
- After the reboot is complete, log in as normal. Assuming everything went according to plan, you should see a Restore Complete window , which you can select Close on.