If Windows 10 is not working as it should, you can restore it to a previous time. Here is how to restore Windows 10 using System Restore.
Today’s computers are pretty robust and reliable, unlike the old days where a strong breeze can crash the system and make it act funny. Windows 10 especially is very stable compared to all other older versions. The OS generally doesn’t crash unless there is a fatal error. Even if it crashes, a simple restart will make the system run as if nothing happened, in most cases.
However, that may not be the case in some situations. For example, if you have installed a buggy driver or Windows update and it is causing constant crashes, restarting the system is not a viable option. In those cases, you can restore the system to a previous time to return to a know good state. i.e., a state before installing the driver or the Windows update.
Restoring the system eliminates the need to troubleshoot and uninstall problematic drivers or updates manually. The good thing is, Windows 10 makes it easy to restore a system using the System Restore tool. As long as a restore point is created before making the changes, you can revert to that time with just a few clicks.
Let me show you how to restore Windows 10 to a previous time using System Restore.
Important note: System Restore feature is generally disabled by default. You have to enable it manually to create restore points. If there are no restore points, you cannot revert to a known good state.
Note: If you are wondering, system restore will not delete your personal files when restoring.
Restore Windows 10 with System Restore
If you can boot into Windows 10, follow these steps to restore Windows 10.
Press the “Start” key to open the Start menu. Search for “Create a restore point” and open it. This will open the System Restore tool.
In the System Protection tab, click the “System Restore” button under the “System Restore” section.
The above action will open the “Restore system files and settings” wizard. Here you have two choices to make. You can either use the “Recommended restore” option or “Choose a different restore point.” The first option will use the latest restore point. The second option shows all the available restore points you can use. I’m selecting the “Choose a different restore point” option.
Select the restore point you would like to use. I’m selecting the restore point I created manually. To see what programs, drivers, and updates are affected, click the “Scan for affected programs” button.
As soon as you click the button, System Restore will scan the system and shows what it is deleting and reinstalling as part of the restore process. Click the “Close” button and then click the “Next” button in the main window.
Finally, click the “Finish” button.
System Restore will now reboot the system and restores Windows 10 to a previous time. The complete restore process will take some time to complete. Once done, the computer will restart automatically.
Restore Windows 10 from Advanced Startup
If you cannot boot into Windows 10, you have to open the Advanced Startup screen and restore the system from there. Here is how to do it.
To open the Advanced Startup menu, turn on the PC and when you see the Windows boot logo, press the power button to interrupt the boot process. Do the same thing four more times. So, in total, you have to interrupt the boot process five times.
On the sixth time, Windows will take you to the Automatic Repair screen. Here, click on the “Advanced Options” button.
Next, select the “Troubleshoot > Advanced Options” option. Click on the “System Restore” option.
For security reasons, Windows will ask you to select a user account and type the password. Do it and click the “Continue” button.
Windows will now open the System Restore tool and show you all the available restore points. Select the restore point you want to use and click the “Next” button. To see what changes are being made, click the “Scan for affected programs” button.
Finally, hit the “Finish” button.
As soon as you do that, Windows will start the restoration process. It will take some time to complete. Once done, Windows will automatically reboot and take you to the lock screen. From here, you can sign in to your account and start using the computer normally.
That is all. It is that simple to restore Windows 10 using the System Restore tool.
I hope that helps.
If you need any help, comment below.
