Surely at some point you have found yourself in a situation in which your computer has stopped working. Generally, and ignoring any hardware problem, this is due to a it fails in the operating system. In very few cases we can recover from this problem and generally the solution is to carry out a complete installation of the system. This could be somewhat uncomfortable, as we would remove all settings already established in the computer. A good practice to avoid a complete installation of the operating system and all the inconvenience that comes with it, is to periodically perform a system restore point. What are these restore points? How to do it and what use can they have? These are questions that we will answer in the next article.
Salvas to restore the operating system.
A system restore point, as it is also known, is nothing more than a collection of files that are critical and important to the operation of the operating system. These files are saved by specifying an exact date and time and they can be used to restore the system to a state in which it was working correctly.
Once the save is made, we have greater security against possible failures. These failures can be caused by entry of viruses, faulty updates, drivers not working fully or some hardware change.
Operation of a restore point.
The performance it is quite simple. Windows has a feature called « Create a restore point ». When executing this functionality, the operating system basically saves the files and basic system configurations, as well as drivers, settings, installed programs and registry keys. If at any time there is a problem in the operation of the operating system, we can simply load one of these restore points and return to that state of the system that worked correctly.
It is valid to clarify that they can make any quantityd of restore points, and it is recommended to perform them periodically. Nevertheless, the space dedicated to storing this information is limited. This means that once that space has been filled and we proceed to make one new, the oldest will be removed. This can be inconvenient since if we want to return to that specific state it will no longer be available.
On the other hand, the operating system also performs some of these system state saves automatically. This can also influence the reduction of disk space.
Furthermore, the space dedicated to this functionality is not fixed. As total disk space fills up, the space dedicated to restore points shrinks as well. Because it is advisable to always keep 10% of the disk space dedicated to the operating system free. You can use system cleaning and optimization tools to remove saved temporary and cached data.
How to create a restore point.
In order to successfully create a restore point, we must take into account several factors. First of all, we must check that the system works correctly at the time of the restore point creation.
- Check that all installed peripherals are working properly and there is no conflict in the drivers.
- If you have made a new update to the operating system, check that thenew applications and features are working properly.
- Verify that you have a antivirus and that this is updated.
- Perform an anti-virus scan of the operating system drive to verify that there are no malicious programs infesting your computer.
Once these checks are made, we can now go on to create the restore point. The steps to follow have been carried out using Windows 10 operating system, but as we said before, the procedure is quite similar for other versions of Windows.
Steps to follow to create the restore point.
To create the restore point we must check that the feature is activated for the disk partition that contains the operating system. To do this we go to the start menu and write in the search bar “Create a restore point”. We select the option in the menu and continue.
In this window we can see the disk partitions and which ones have the protection option activated.
We select the partition of the disk assigned to the operating system, and if the option is deactivated, we activate it by pressing the button “Set up”And selected the option Enable system protection in the next window. In this step we can also select the disk volume assigned to the space where the restore points associated with this unit will be saved. In addition, all previously saved restore points can be deleted.
Once these settings have been made, we are ready to create the restore point. We press the create button and assign a description that allows us to identify the state of the system when the restore point was made or the cause of the creation of the restore point. This is the choice of each user, however, It is advisable to write an intuitive description that will allow you to choose the indicated restore point in the future.
Once we press create in this last sale, the system will show a confirmation screen that the restore point has been created correctly.
How to use a restore point.
If at any time you find an annoying error in the system that prevents its proper functioning, you can restore any of the restore points created by you or created automatically by the operating system.
In the same system properties window select the option “Restore system”. The system restore wizard will appear before you. Pressing the next button we will see a table showing all the restore points that we have created manually or automatically by the operating system.
You simply have to select the restore point you want to load and finish. Before proceeding, the system displays a window where you can see the description of the restore point that you are going to load. This allows them to verify that you have selected the correct one or else go back and choose another.
Once the restoration is complete, the system will restore the settings, files, drivers, programs and registry keys in the state they were in when the restore point was created. It is advisable to carry out this restoration process connected to an electrical source that is backed up against possible failures. This would avoid errors in the disk writing process that could lead us to have to reinstall the operating system and lose all the saved settings.
Conclusions.
Without a doubt the restore points they are an extremely useful tool when it comes to maintaining the integrity of our operating system. It is advisable to do them regularly and always at a time when the system is working properly.
If you are going to carry out a system update, or install new drivers, first create a restore point in case something goes wrong and the system stops working correctly. Similarly, if you decide to install unreliable third-party programs, it is advisable to save the state of your system before proceeding with the installation.
You must bear in mind that using a restore point will not restore any type of personal document, such as emails, images, videos or music. For this reason, it is recommended to use this function in conjunction with backup copies, the latter being another essential maintenance function for the operating system.