System Restore is a Windows utility first introduced in Windows Me OS. It allows users to roll back their PC files, installed programs, registry keys, and all other files to an earlier state without losing personal files such as photos, text documents, emails, videos, movies, etc. System Restore automatically creates restore points, which users can use to revert their computer to how it was earlier.
System Restore is an in-built troubleshooting tool. That is designed to restore your computer to a previous state, called a restore point. Windows creates Restore points automatically, or you can create them manually. When you restore your computer to a restore point, all your personal files will be preserved, but any apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was created will be removed.
When System Restore is Required:
When the operating system is used for a long time, there could be a chance of unpredicted issues; some of them are listed below:
- Virus attack on OS.
- Instability and OS running speed reduced.
- The system crashes due to logical or unforeseen reasons.
- Blue Screen or OS cannot be found errors
- When you have changed the system settings, your system is working incorrectly.
- When your system starts behaving incorrectly after updating or upgrading your existing OS to a new Version.
- Installing a new driver or application, at times, can give you trouble. In that case, restoring your system becomes necessary.
To overcome these problems, system restoration is necessary. Before performing a system restore operation, a backup of significant files is mandatory. If you fail to create a system backup, all data will get lost within a matter of minutes.
However, in addition to advantages, a disadvantage exists, like it requires a large amount of disk space. A complete system snapshot also takes up much space, even after compression. Windows dedicates a part of disk space to restore points, but this allocation can be changed by following these steps:
How To Configure System Protection?
- Open control panel.
- Next, open the system or search in the top right if you can’t see it instantly.
- Now click on “System Protection” on the left-hand side.
- Now click on the configure button.
- Move the disk space usage slider.
Once you have configured system protection. Now is the time to restore your system to an earlier restore point.
How To Use System Restore?
To perform a system restore on all versions of Windows OS, follow these steps:
- Open the Control Panel.
- In the Control Panel search box, type recovery and select Recovery.
- Click on the Open System Restore option.
- In the Restore system files and settings dialog box, click Next.
- Select the restore point that you want to use and click Next.
- If you have installed any updates or apps since the restore point was created, you will be prompted to scan for affected programs. Click Yes to scan for affected programs.
- Review the list of affected programs and click Close.
- Click Next to start the system restore process.
- Your computer will restart, and the system restore process will begin. This process may take several minutes.
- Once the system restore process is complete, your computer will restart again, and you will be logged in to your account.
Strategies:
Clear the System Restore points when your PC or laptop works well. After clearing all the points, generate one single point for the sake of reference purposes if the next time the same disaster occurs, then one can utilize it efficiently. It is good practice to do this regularly, along with other precautionary tips.
NOTE: If you did not create a system backup before restoring the system, there is a huge chance of losing all your vital data. However, you need not worry; you can easily recover files after a factory reset or system restoration in just a few minutes. Click on the provided link to learn more...
