Restoring to an Earlier Point
If you have used Windows 7 or earlier, you may have stumbled upon the System Restore feature. Windows 10 has full support for System Restore and restore points; it just hides all the pieces from you.
Because Microsoft spends a fortune every year answering phone calls and email messages from people who work System Restore. Instead of trying to handle all the picayune questions - and there are hundreds of thousands of them - Microsoft said, "That's enough!" and invented Reset, with and without Keep My Files.
With a few exceptions, Reset takes you all the way back in time to when you first set up your PC; it adds the Windows 10 Universal apps that ship with Windows, and it's careful not to step on your data. Aside from a few Windows settings, that's about it. Reset is a sledgehammer, when sometimes the tap of a fingernail may be all that you need.
Smashing with a sledgehammer is easy. Tapping your fingernail requires a great deal more finesse. And that brings me to System Restore in Windows 10. If you've enabled System Protection, Windows takes snapshots of its settings, or restore points, before you make any major changes to your computer - install a new hardware driver, perhaps, or a new program. You can roll back your system settings to any of the restore points.
A restore point contains registry entries and copies of certain critical programs including, notably, drivers and key system files - a snapshot of crucial system settings and programs. When you roll back (or restore) to a restore point, you replace the current settings and programs with the older versions.
Windows 7 created restore points for your system drive (usually C:) by default. Windows 10 doesn't. Restore points take up space on your hard drive, and Microsoft would rather that you just trust in its cloud-based recovery options. But if you want to take your system into your own hands, properly maintained and used restore points can change a gut-wrenching Refresh or Reset into a simple rollback to an earlier restore point.
Tip:
When Windows can tell that you're going to try to do something complicated, such as install a new network card, it sets a restore point - as long as you have System Protection turned on. Unfortunately, Windows can't always tell when you're going to do something drastic - perhaps you have a new CD player and the instructions tell you to turn off your PC and install the player before you run the setup program. So it doesn't hurt one little bit to run System Restore - er, System Protection - from time to time, and set a restore point, all by yourself.
Creating a restore point
Here's how to create a restore point:
- Wait until your PC is running smoothly.
No sense in having a restore point that propels you out of the frying pan and into the fire, eh? - Down in the search bar, where Cortana lives, type restore point.
The first result in Windows Search is Create a Restore Point. - Tap or click the Create a Restore Point link.
Windows brings up the System Properties Control Panel dialog box, and opens it to the System Protection tab. (Cool, huh? Sometimes it's much easier to use Cortana.) - If Windows hasn't enabled restore points yet, click the Configure button, click Turn on System Protection, and click OK.
That sets the Protection column to On and activates restore points for that particular drive. - At the bottom, next to Create a Restore Point Right Now, tap or click the Create button.
The Create a Restore Point dialog box appears. - Type a good description, and tap or click Create.
Windows advises that it's creating a restore point. When it's finished, it tells you that the restore point was created successfully. - Tap or click Close, and then tap or click the X button to close the System Properties dialog box.
Your new restore point is ready for action.
Rolling back to a restore point
If you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty, the next time you think about running Refresh, see whether you can roll your PC back to a previous restore point, manually, and get things working right. Here's how:
- Save your work, and close all running programs.
System Restore doesn't muck with any data files, documents, pictures, or anything like that. It works only on system files, such as drivers, and the registry. Your data is safe. But System Restore can mess up settings, so if you recently installed a new program, for example, you may have to install it again after System Restore is finished. - Down in the search box, type restore point.
The first result in Windows Search is Create a Restore Point. - Tap or click the Create a Restore Point tile.
Windows flips you over to the desktop, brings up the System Properties Control Panel dialog box, and opens it to the System Protection tab. Protection for your main drive should be On. (If it isn't On, you don't have any restore points.) - Near the top, tap or click the System Restore button.
The System Restore Wizard appears. - Tap or click Next.
A list of recent restore points appears. - Before you roll your PC back to a restore point, tap or click to select the
restore point you're considering and then tap or click the Scan for Affected Programs button.
System Restore tells you which programs and drivers have system entries (typically in the registry) that will be altered and which programs will be deleted if you select that specific restore point. - If you don't see any major problems with the restore point - it doesn't
wipe out something you need - tap or click Close, and then tap or click Next.
System Restore asks you to confirm your restore point. You're also warned that rolling back to a restore point requires a restart of the computer and that you should close all open programs before continuing. - Follow the instructions to save any open files, close all programs, and tap or click Finish.
True to its word, System Restore reverts to the selected restore point and restarts your computer.
System Restore is a nifty feature that works very well. The folks at Microsoft figure it's too complicated for the general computer- and tablet-buying consumer public. They may be right but, hey, all it takes is a little help and a touch of moxie, and you can save yourself a Refresh - as long as System Protection is turned on.