The System Restore feature in Windows 10 is designed to capture a snapshot of the computer's current working state and save it as a "restore point" when significant changes to the system are detected. This feature can be particularly useful if a critical problem arises after installing an update, driver, or application, or after making incorrect changes to the system settings in the Registry. With a restore point, you can easily revert the device to an earlier state and resolve the issue without losing any files.
It's worth noting that this feature is disabled by default, so you'll need to enable it before you can create restore points manually or have the system create them automatically.
To help you get started, this guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up System Restore and recovering from problems that may be affecting your computer's normal operation.
HOW TO ENABLE SYSTEM RESTORE ON WINDOWS 10
Follow these steps to enable System Restore on Windows 10:
1.Open Start.
2.Search for Create a restore point and click the top result to open the System Properties page.
3.Under the "Protection Settings" section, select the primary "System" drive.
4.Click the Configure button.
5.Select the "Turn on system protection" option.
6.Click the Apply button.
7.Click the OK button.
After completing these steps, the system will automatically generate restore points when applying new updates or making certain system changes.
Please be aware that System Restore doesn't enable automatically for all drives. If you have additional drives connected to your computer, you'll need to manually enable protection for each storage device. Additionally, it's essential to understand that this is not a backup solution, but rather a feature that allows you to undo system changes without losing your files.
HOW TO CREATE A SYSTEM RESTORE POINT ON WINDOWS 10
After enabling System Restore, it will automatically generate a checkpoint whenever it detects significant system changes. However, if you intend to make manual configurations, it's recommended to create a restore point manually.
To manually create a restore point on Windows 10, follow these steps:
1.Open Start.
2.Search for Create a restore point, and click the top result to open the System Properties page.
3.Under the "Protection Settings" section, click the Create button.
4.Type a descriptive name for the restore point — for example, Before modifying the Registry settings.
5.Click the Create button.
6.Click the Close button.
7.Click the OK button.
Once you have finished the steps, you will be able to undo system changes if any issues occur during the installation of new drivers, programs, or changes made to the Registry.
HOW TO RECOVER USING SYSTEM RESTORE ON WINDOWS 10
In the event of an error or unknown issue arising after installing or modifying system settings, you can use the recovery feature to apply a restore point and undo the changes to resolve the problem. If the computer fails to start properly, you can perform this task either from the Windows 10 desktop or from the advanced startup settings.
Undoing system changes from the desktop is possible by following these steps:
1.Open Start.
2.Search for Create a restore point, and click the top result to open the System Properties page.
3.Click the System Restore button.
4.Click the Next button.
5.Select the restore point to undo changes and fix problems on Windows 10.
6.Click the "Scan for affected programs" button to confirm the apps that will be removed because they were added after creating the original restore point.
7.Click the Close button.
8.Click the Next button.
9.Click the Finish button.
After following the steps, System Restore will restore your computer to the previous working state. If any apps were affected, you'll need to reinstall them once the process is complete.
If the computer fails to start correctly, you can also access the System Restore feature using the Advanced startup settings to recover the system.
Here's how to access the Advanced startup settings and use System Restore:
1.Start your computer.
2.When you see the Windows logo appear, immediately press the power button to halt the boot sequence.
3.Repeat steps 1 and 2 two more times or until the device enters the recovery experience.
Once you've successfully accessed the recovery environment, you can use the following steps to undo system changes with System Restore.
If you're unable to access the recovery environment using these instructions, you can start the device with a Windows 10 installation media. While in the "Windows Setup" experience, click the Next button, select the Repair your computer button from the bottom-left corner, and then proceed with the steps below.
Undo changes with System Restore
Follow these steps to undo system changes on Windows 10 using the Advanced startup environment:
1.Click the Advanced options button.
2.Click on Troubleshoot.
3.Click on Advanced options.
4.Click on System Restore.
5.Select the Windows 10 account.
6.Confirm the account password.
7.Click the Continue button.
8.Click the Next button.
9.Select the appropriate restore point.
10.Click the "Scan for affected programs" button to verify which apps will be removed as they were added after creating the restore point.
11.Click the Close button.
12.Click the Next button.
13.Click the Finish button.
After completing the steps, the selected restore point will undo system changes that may be causing problems, including those that prevent the computer from starting correctly.
It's important to note that System Restore is designed to be a quick recovery feature for configuration problems and is not meant to replace a backup solution or serve as an option to reset the computer to factory default settings.
