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7 Windows Recovery Options You Should Know for Easy System Restoration
While Windows computers are more reliable than ever, it's still wise to make sure you've enabled and understand the built-in recovery options. You'll then be ready if your PC fails to boot due to system file corruption, malware attack, or hardware failure. Here's an overview of what they offer, roughly from the least to most intensive.
Restore From a System Restore Point
System Restore is a Windows recovery feature that lets you restore your computer to an earlier point in time. Whether you made a critical change that caused your system to malfunction or a bad Windows update left your computer unusable, System Restore can undo the changes and get your system back online.
To use restore points, you must first turn on system protection for the installation drive. When enabled, Windows automatically creates a restore point when you install a new app, driver, or Windows update. Additionally, you can also create restore points manually or configure your system to create one daily.
If you haven’t configured system protection yet, follow our easy guide to set up and create a restore point on Windows.
Use the Startup Repair Function
The startup repair function is a Windows recovery feature that can scan and fix known issues that prevent your computer from starting up. These issues include missing or corrupted system files, incorrect boot sector or Master Boot Record, driver and app conflicts, and malware infection.
To use Startup Repair, first boot into the Windows Recovery Environment. Once you're in the Windows Recovery Environment, navigate to Advanced options. Then, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup repair > Restart. Windows will restart and try to repair your computer automatically.
We've covered how to use Windows’s recovery environment for file and system repair in more detail.
Go Back to Your Previous Version of Windows
If your computer is not working properly after a recent update, you can use the Go Back option to restore it to the previous Windows build. This is a handy feature for early adopters who install the latest Windows updates as they become available, which can sometimes go wrong.
By default, the go-back option is available for 10 days after an update is installed. However, if you frequently need to roll back updates, you can extend the Windows rollback period to 60 days using a simple registry tweak.
Fix Problems Using Windows Update
Fix problems using Windows Update is the newest recovery option for Windows and the easiest way to reinstall Windows 11. It allows you to fix system component corruption by reinstalling the current version of Windows—while preserving your apps, documents, and settings.
To access this tool, go to Settings > System > Recovery. Here, locate Fix problems using Windows Update, and click Reinstall now. Read the description to make sure you understand what's going to happen, then click OK to start the process. After the reinstallation is complete, restart your computer to complete the repair.
Reset Your PC
An easy way to factory reset your Windows computer is by using the Reset this PC option in the Settings app. As the name suggests, this will reinstall Windows to restore your computer to its factory default, removing all the apps that didn’t come with the system. However, you do have an option to keep your personal files and settings during the process.
But when is a reset appropriate? You can use reset if your computer is not working correctly, to fix performance issues, or if you simply want to start fresh without the hassle of a clean install. Because it's the most invasive option, you shouldn't use it unless the above failed to fix the problem.
To reset your PC:
- Go to Settings > System > Recovery, then Reset this PC under Recovery options.
- Now, you have two options. Choose Keep my files to remove all apps but keep your files. Or select Remove Everything to delete all the data from your computer and start fresh.
- Next, choose whether to reinstall using the existing copy of Windows or select Cloud Download to download the latest version and reinstall Windows.
Create a Recovery Drive to Restore or Recover Your PC
The above options cover most mishaps, but if Windows has a catastrophic failure, you obviously can't access those tolls within the OS. This is where the recovery drive comes in handy. It's a backup option that consists of a copy of your Windows environment, including troubleshooting tools and system files necessary to reinstall Windows if needed.
To create a recovery drive:
- Connect an empty USB drive to your computer. It must have at least 16GB of storage.
- Click Start, type recovery drive, and open the tool from the search results.
- In the Create a recovery drive dialog, ensure the Back up system files to the recovery drive option is selected, then click Next.
- Select the USB drive, then click Next.
- Click Create. As Windows needs to copy many files to the USB drive, this process may take some time.
To use the recovery drive, connect the USB drive to your computer and restart it. Windows will try to boot from the recovery drive into the recovery environment (you can manually boot from USB if not).
From there, you can choose advanced repair options we discussed earlier, such as startup repair, going back to the previous build, and performing a system restore. If all else fails, you can perform a reset to reinstall Windows.
Use Installation Media to Reinstall Windows 11
If all other recovery methods fail, you can reinstall Windows using a USB installation media. A clean install will remove all your data from the installation drive, including apps, settings, and personal files.
To clean install Windows 11, you need a bootable USB drive. Then, you can boot from the newly created installation media and continue with the installation.
While Windows offers many recovery solutions to recover from crashes, malware attacks, and hardware failures, it’s important to properly back up your PC to safeguard your data. These backup strategies include creating a full system image backup and cloning a hard drive on Windows that you can restore even after a major hardware failure.
