Restoring Your Operating System From A Created Restore Point
Restoring Your Operating System From A Created Restore Point
Do you realize how important it is to learn how to do this? We last talked about creating a restore point, and I showed you how to create one in my post called “The Importance of Creating System Restore Points On Your PC“. Now, we will walk through the steps you will need to take if you ever need to restore your system to a previous state using the available restore points made through the System Restore user interface.
OK, your PC is acting up – now what? It’s freezing, locking up, or maybe you downloaded a file you shouldn’t have. System Restore can fix many of these issues. This is why it’s vital to create a restore point at a time when your PC is in a good state and free from any malware or virus. I can’t tell you how many times System Restore has saved the day for me personally.
I especially found it handy when I installed software that for one reason or another wasn’t compatible with windows. Maybe, I didn’t read the software specs closely enough, or maybe the developer had a glitch in the software they weren’t aware of. Even if you update a driver you can unknowingly create an issue on your PC. This can happen quite frequently if you install beta software as well. As I mentioned in my earlier post about creating a restore point, be sure to create them right before you install any new software or hardware for your system. This way, if there is an issue you can restore your PC right back to the state it was before the install.
Here are the steps you need to take to restore your PC to the restore point of your choosing.
Note: I’m using Windows 7 so if you are operating on a different OS (operating system) be sure to check the net for the correct restoring procedure as it might be a tad different.
Step 1: Just like last time, click on your Start menu and this time you are going to type the words ” System Restore” and press enter – as shown in the image below.
Step 2: Once you see the System Restore icon highlighted in blue as above image, click that.
You will see this message:
Step 3: You will be prompted to click the “next” icon as shown below. Click that.
Step 4: You will see a screen with Restore Points available – be sure to check the box that says, “Show more restore points” per the below image.
Step 5: Once you tick that box, additional restore points will become available. Choose the one that works best for you – depending on your situation. As you can see below, Windows automatically created restore points because there were some critical updates. These occurred after I manually created a restore point. If you choose a restore point before the critical update, you will have to update Windows manually again unless you have Windows set to update automatically – then it will install those updates for you.
Step 6: You can scan your PC for any programs that might be affected by the system restore – programs that will have to be reinstalled or updated. Click the “Scan for affected programs” icon to continue – or not. It all depends on if and when you have installed any new software or made any important changes since your last restore point.
Step 7: Now, you will confirm your restore point by clicking the “finish” icon.
You will see a warning message letting you know once you start this process there is NO going back.
Now your system is preparing to restore itself back to the date you chose.
Once completed, you will see another message telling you that System Restore is completed!
Don’t be afraid to do this – most folks see system utilities and become a train wreck! There is no need to fear. System Restore is your friend :) Now, your system should be functioning exactly how it was during the time it was restored.
Just be sure to always back up your important documents, music, or any other files of value to you. Oh, and when you do a System Restore, your documents will not be deleted! It only affects your OS and software! With that said, it’s always a best practice to backup your data weekly if not daily – depending on the changes or additions you make to it.
If you aren’t backing up your data, then you must check out my earlier post on one of my favorite backup utilities called Bvckup 2 The Simple and Fast Way To Backup Your PC – all the links and info you will need to understand how it works and where you can download this software, can be found at that link above.
Conclusion: Now you know how to create a restore point, and use that restore point to fix any PC issues as well as the overall health of your computer. This utility will make your life easier when you need to get your computer back up and running efficiently again!
If you have any question, please leave them in the comments below.
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