Operating systems of the Windows family can very often be subject to various kinds of failures and errors of such a critical level that they not only begin to work completely incorrectly, but may even cease to function. In order to bring the OS to life, the so-called Windows system recovery is used - a standard tool that has been present in all versions since the Millennium modification. Depending on the degree of damage to the operating system or the situation that has arisen, several options can be applied, which are further proposed to be considered in as much detail as possible.
What is Windows recovery and how does it work?
First of all, let's decide what constitutes restoring a Windows system or, as it is also called, rolling back to a previous state. In no case should this function be attributed, so to speak, to indicators of the “reasonableness” of the operating system, as some users do. In fact, Windows has a built-in tool that periodically creates copies (snapshots) of the operating state of the OS, called backups, places them in a specially designated untouchable place on the hard drive, and, if necessary, accesses them or through a standard call in a functioning system , or through the bootloader (if it is not damaged), when a normal start is impossible. Thus, each user must understand that in the case of performing a hard disk maintenance with cleaning, in which the removal of control points can be involved, system recovery by standard means will become impossible. The only option is if backups and images of a working system were saved to a removable device. In this case, there will be no problems.
Rollback Options
But let's see exactly what actions may be required in a particular case. The options for action are very diverse, but the following are considered to be the main ones:
- standard recovery in a working system;
- automatic rollback in case of failures;
- Using the latest working configuration
- recovery in safe mode;
- recovery using command line tools (both in a running OS and when starting from removable media);
- rollback using third-party programs.
Not all of the above methods of system recovery are equivalent to each other, and some of them may not give the expected positive result. Looking a little ahead, I immediately want to note that the most powerful tool of all is the command line toolkit (depending on the situation, there are also several options here).
Standard System Restore Procedure in Windows 7
First of all, let's deal with the standard tools of the system itself, for starters, take Windows 7 and earlier systems as an example (in the latest versions, this process is slightly different from the one that will be described later).
How to start system recovery in a running OS, if for some reason it began to produce crashes and errors?
To do this, use the appropriate section located in the “Control Panel”, activate the start of the process, and then select a control point. As a rule, the system itself offers to roll back to some state. If this does not suit you, you can expand the list by pressing the button for displaying all the points, select the desired one and wait for the end of the process. Please note that this is only a preparatory phase. In fact, the rollback is activated when the computer system is restarted, which will be announced during the restart process.
System Restore Tool in Windows 10
In principle, in the tenth modification of Windows, you can use a similar tool when accessing it through the standard "Control Panel", which is most easily accessed through the "Run" console with the control command. But, since in this version of the OS there is also a section of parameters, which by default is considered to be the main one for the system settings, you can also use its tools (security and update section). Here, the recovery of the Windows 10 system starts as follows.
In the menu on the left you need to select the appropriate item, and on the right - your preferred action. The option to return the computer to its original state corresponds to the so-called “clean” installation of the system, in which all installed programs will be automatically deleted (although you can save user files).
The second step is to select specific boot options where you can launch the standard rollback tool for this particular version, select the safe mode entry, load the last working copy of the system, call the command line for rollback, boot from removable media, etc.
Automatic rollback in case of failures
Now let's look at the recovery process of the Windows 7 system or any other modification, if the OS itself for some reason crashed or the user incorrectly completed its work.
As a rule, for OS versions below the eighth, when critical errors and failures occur in the event of a reboot, automatic recovery starts (in the latest versions, it works in the background). Depending on the nature of the damage to Windows, the result can be either positive or negative. There are no problems with short-term failures that do not concern system files, but in case of serious damage even some cardinal methods will have to be applied.
Using the boot menu at system startup
But suppose that the standard system recovery did not work, or there were violations and errors in the process of performing the necessary operations. In this case, you can try to roll back yourself. For Windows of the seventh version and below, you can use the standard start menu, which is called up by pressing the F8 key directly at the beginning of the download.
Here it is best to refer to the download point of the last successful configuration, of course, provided that previously created backups of the system by the user have not been deleted. This option usually works very successfully.
How to return a start menu call in Windows 10?
But the real problem for all users who switched to using the tenth modification of the system was the inability to use the F8 key to call the corresponding menu. Now, in order to get to it, you will have to try very hard (use special launch options, go to different menus when booting from removable media, etc.).
Thus, in order to use the standard method if necessary, it is better to immediately return to the combination used. To do this, call the command console (required with administrator rights) and set the bcdedit / set {current} bootmenupolicy legacy command in it to execute. It can be used in a running system, and when you call the command line at startup from external media.
Using Safe Mode
If it is not possible to access the system recovery tools provided for operating OS cases, you can try to perform similar actions by launching Windows in the standard Safe Mode, which is selected from the above boot menu.
Incidentally, this applies not only to tools that can be called up through the graphical interface, but also to actions performed on the command line, which will be discussed later.
Recovery through the console with DISM
The command line with its unrivaled tools can reanimate the system even in the case of its most serious damage. True, the tools used differ in their functionality and purpose quite strongly.
One of the most cardinal methods is the use of a special DISM recovery tool.
It is enough to complete only two commands, one of which is presented in the image above, and the system will come to its senses. The first command checks.
After its implementation, it is desirable to use the second command, which is very similar, but is intended to be restored already. Some experts argue that in order to achieve a positive result, it is enough to enter only one of the two teams. But, I think this is not the best solution. If you seriously think about applying the best options, it’s better to use both lines. It takes time decently, but here it is necessary to be patient. But the result is not long in coming.
Removable media on removable media
Now let's see what actions can be taken if there is a system recovery disk or media with the installation distribution recorded on it. By and large, after booting from external media, which must first be set in the BIOS / UEFI parameters first to start in a section with names like Boot Sequence, Boot Device Priority or something else like that, you need to click on the recovery link, after which follow the instructions of the corresponding "Wizard".
Actions resemble the standard procedure to a rather high degree and should not cause any difficulties for any user.
Command Line Actions
Finally, let's see how to start system recovery through the command console. Again, the steps below can be performed both on the working system (for example, in safe mode), and when starting from a bootable external device. The only difference is that in a functioning OS, the command line itself must be run without fail only with administrator rights.
First of all, you must try to use the restrui.exe command, after which after a while a message will be issued indicating a successful rollback.
Based on the fact that the operating system may not load due to damage to important system files and components, you must use the tool for checking and restoring them in the form of the universal sfc / scannnow command.
Finally, for especially serious cases where even the bootloader with its entries necessary for starting Windows can be damaged, the Bootrec.exe / FixMbr and Bootrec.exe / FixBoot commands are sequentially entered.
Typically, executing them gives an immediate bootloader recovery result. If this does not help (you never know what happens), you can use the command to completely rewrite the boot sectors Bootrec.exe / RebuildBcd. After that, usually the operating system can be loaded normally.
Please note that with this approach, the use of a system restore control point is not required, since in this case only one system component is restored that is responsible for the OS start and does not have any relation to the control points.
Using third-party utilities and the overall result
As additional tools and tools for system recovery, you can use specially designed third-party software packages for this, which, for example, is a small portable utility AVZ. It can only be used in a running OS environment. But the number of tools that can be used simultaneously is pleasantly amazing.
Regarding how to perform system recovery, you can give one more piece of advice - use specialized utilities like Windows Repair, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis Backup & Recovery, Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD), etc. Their use is the same as and in the case of AVZ, it allows you to restore any operating system of the Windows family quickly and efficiently, despite the most serious malfunctions and failures.
However, it is not necessary to give preference to third-party developments. As already mentioned, the Windows command-line toolkit, although many do not like it or are afraid to use it, looks like the most powerful tool, no matter what they say.