System restore allows you to restore your computers system files to an earlier date or back to the computers original factory settings. The system restore feature for setting your computer back to an earlier date will allow you to recover your system from corrupt or missing system files without altering the data that is stored on your computer’s hard drive.
There are times when the installation of a program or a particular driver will create an unexpected change in your system and cause your Windows environment to become unstable. If uninstalling the program or driver does not repair the problem then you may need to perform a system restore to resolve the issue.
You can restore your computer back to a date when things were working properly, preferably before you installed the program that caused the issues. The system restore feature on your computer automatically creates and saves restore points and these contain registry information and settings as well as other system information that can be used as a backup to repair your system.
You will find your system restore feature by following these simple steps:
- Click Start
- Click All Programs
- Click Accessories
- Click System Tools
- Click System Restore
If you are asked for an administration password or are asked to allow the feature to continue, do so.
You will be walked through the prompts and then given the opportunity to choose a date in which you want to restore the system. Once you have made your selections and chose to continue with the restore your system will make all the changes needed and restart.
Complete System Restore
If you are unable to repair your system issues with the system restore feature you may need to restore your system to the factory settings. This means you will format your hard drive and lose all information that is stored on it, including pictures, documents and programs.
If your system came with a Windows recovery disk you would insert that and boot up to it. You select the recovery and repair options and will be walked through the steps on selecting the method of recovery you would like to accomplish.
If you are using Windows 7 and have suffered from a virus attack or other issue that has caused your system to be unstable you are not likely to have received any recovery disks. The recover features for Windows 7 is built in and will require you to know a few simple steps to get it back to factory settings.
When starting your system, hit the F10 key while booting to be brought to the built in recovery section; choose Advanced Option and then destructive recovery to begin restoring your computer back to factory settings. This process will take several minutes and once it is completed your system will boot up and will only contain the files, programs and other applications that were included on your system when you purchased it. Be sure you back up your files before using this recovery method.
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