By launching your personal computer every day, you inevitably bring something new to it. And it doesn’t matter if you just surf the Internet or install new programs. After all, by accessing a web page, you can easily catch a virus there or install a malicious program without knowing it. Today we’ll talk about how to roll back Windows XP.
Forewarned - armed
A fairly well-known proverb takes a very clear and concrete meaning in the context under consideration. Remember, there is only one way to restore your system, and it requires mandatory preliminary preparation. This tool is the system recovery utility built into the OS . But, in order to return the computer to its previous state with its help, you need to take care in advance that such a point exists. Many users believe that backing up the system takes up a lot of hard disk space. This is partly true, but all dissatisfaction disappears at once when a situation arises in which recovery may soon be required. Therefore, before rolling back the Windows XP system, let's clarify how to create a recovery point.
Starting position
As already mentioned, we will need to create a certain starting point, to which we would like to return our computer in the event of a breakdown or virus infection. Of course, you can choose the moment the OS is installed on the computer, but what's the point if it is easier to reinstall the entire system?
So, to create a recovery point, do the following. Go to the "Start" menu - "Programs" - "Accessories" - "Utilities". There, select "System Restore." In the interface that opens, select the creation of a recovery point and wait until the computer performs the entire operation to the end. Now you will have where to return in case of problems with the computer.
If you are a user of a newer generation of OS, for example, Windows 7, then you should not care about this item in the question of how to roll back the system. Windows XP, unlike the seven, does not automatically create copies and during installation does not include the automatic creation of such backup states.
Recovery
Finally, we got directly to the question of how to roll back Windows XP. To do this, you will need to repeat all the steps indicated in the previous paragraph with the exception that you will need to select the sub-item "Restore the previous state of the computer" in the program itself. In this case, you will be offered a list of all available states for the past time. How to roll back Windows XP? You need to choose the right condition. By default, the latest available position will be in bold. Having selected the necessary item, click "Next" - "Finish".
In fact, no one knows what the personal computer is guided by when restoring the system. It can remove installed programs, or it can leave. Your recent photos will disappear ... Or they will not. In any case, do not forget to back up your files. This, by the way, is another way to roll back the system. Windows XP Professional allows you to use third-party utilities to save the state of the system.
Independent programs
There are several other ways to save and restore the system. In order to use them, you do not need special knowledge, but those who doubt their abilities, it is better to use the help of specialists.
- Data backup. There are many programs designed both to save part of computer files, and to create images of hard drives in general. For example, Acronis. By saving data with it, at any time you can reinstall the system completely and completely, and then restore the contents of your hard drives.
- Special programs for recovering deleted files. Of course, they cannot be used to restore the system to its true value, but it is very possible to return some files. It is recommended to use File Rescue Pro.
System disk
If you still have the installation disk of your operating system, you can perform a system restore using it. To do this, insert it into the drive and restart the computer from the disk. The operating system installer screen should appear in front of you. How to roll back the system? Windows XP itself prompts a solution. At the bottom of the screen we see the inscription "R - restore". Click the appropriate button.
The computer will search for installed OS. After that, a menu will appear in which you must select the system to be restored. We indicate the OS we need to restore, type its number and press Enter.
After that, enter the password, if necessary, and proceed with the recovery. To do this, we need to enter a command to restore Fixmbr partitions. Confirm the action. Then we need to restore the boot area with the Fixboot command. After that, enter exit and reboot.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that if you are looking for instructions on how to roll back the system to Windows XP through BIOS, then know that this is not possible. All changes that you could make using BIOS will not affect the OS directly. The maximum that you can advise is to remove the “tablet” battery on the motherboard. In this case, all BIOS settings will be reset, the password on the computer will disappear, and some recent changes will disappear.