What to do when for some reason the system files have sunk into oblivion and the computer cannot work normally? Do not worry, as you can correct the situation.
Reasons for the disappearance of system files
It often happens that the Windows system files disappear. Their absence interferes with the normal operation of the system or even worse - does not allow to run Windows. The reasons for this may be different:
- the system file is deleted by a virus or blocked by an antivirus;
- by accident, through the fault of the computer user;
- due to Windows updates (if updates occur continuously for a long time, they begin to block each other).
Of course, you can go to extremes and reinstall the system. But this is not an option, if working documents that cannot be lost are saved on the desktop or folders of the system drive, because after reinstalling they will definitely disappear. Before that, you should still try to restore system files for Windows 7.
Virus work
It often happens that a virus has wound up on the computer, after which the system file turned out to be damaged and was deleted. In this case, you need to look into the antivirus logs. It will indicate how the file was deleted, when and by what virus it was infected.
Sometimes it happens that the antivirus itself, after updating the OS, blocks important data. In this case, you need to go to the "Quarantine" section of the antivirus and find the missing files, then restore and whitelist them or change the antivirus program.
Recuva
On Windows 7, system files can be restored by a third-party program, such as Recuva. It is completely free and easy to use even for those who will do it for the first time. Download it, install it. After launching it, the first thing you need to do is switch to advanced mode (the button on the top right), then select the directory for scanning (the Windows folder) and start scanning.
After checking the system files, files with colored circles next to each other will appear (green - excellent condition, yellow - damaged, red - cannot be restored). If the verification showed that the desired object is in excellent condition, it can easily be restored by highlighting the checkmark and clicking on “Restore”.
Doing rollback
Rollback restores the operating system using the control point, which was created before the error. The algorithm of work is as follows: Start / All programs / Accessories / Utilities / System Restore. We select the OS recovery point that was created before the loss of important data. We start the rollback, after which the system files and folders of Windows will be restored. However, installed programs after it will be deleted. You can view estimated losses by clicking on the “Search for affected programs” button.
Troubleshooting
If it is impossible to restore system files using a third-party program on Windows 7 and cannot be rolled back, you need to scan your computer for damaged and missing data. The command line will help in this matter .
Open it as an administrator. There are several ways to do this:
- Start / All programs / Accessories, right-click on cmd (command line) - "Run as administrator".
- We go into the system drive, the Windows folder, System32, right-click on cmd - "Run as administrator".
- In the search for Start, type cmd and press Shift + Ctrl + Enter.
In the window that appears, write sfc / scannow, after which the verification of the Windows 7 system files for integrity and restoration in case of failure of some of them will begin.
After recovery, you need to make a point to restore the OS, so that next time you can roll back, and not restore individual data. The algorithm is as follows: open the "Properties" section in "My Computer", on the right side select the "System Protection" section. In the "Protection Settings" section of the system drive, protection must be enabled. If this is not the case, select it, click "Configure" and put a dot in front of "Restore system settings and previous versions of files." Choose a place for disk space (1.5-2 GB is enough). Click OK. Next, click "Create", give a name.
Now you can do system file recovery on Windows 7.
Windows 7 does not load, restoring system files
During OS loading, you must constantly press F8 until the list and the inscription “Last successful configuration” appear. We click on it, after which the system should start from the moment when Windows successfully booted for the last time. If it doesn’t work, select “Computer troubleshooting”. In the list, click on “Startup Recovery”. Checking the Windows 7 system files for errors and faulty data will begin, and then restore them by clicking “Repair and Restart”.
Also, if a restore point was previously created, you can restore the OS to its previous state using rollback.
Boot disk
If, due to data loss, the OS does not load, you can return it to its normal state using a boot disk or flash drive. We insert the disk or flash drive into the computer, reboot it. Next, bootable media must be put in first place in priority. You can do it this way:
- In the BIOS settings. We go into the BIOS (key F2, F11 or del) and look for Boot Manager. There we put the flash drive or drive in first place in priority. If the flash drive is not displayed, in the settings you need to activate USB support. For each BIOS version, these settings look different.
- Before starting the OS, press the boot menu call key (F8, F11 or F12), after which Boot Manager will exit with a list of drives in which we select the one you need. If the boot "Windows" on the USB flash drive and it does not appear, you need to activate USB support in the BIOS settings.
If the desired drive is selected, the installation of Windows 7 starts. After selecting the language, click "Next", and then select "System Restore" at the bottom left. In the window that appears, select “Startup recovery” or “System recovery”. The following steps are already familiar.