In the first article of this series on Windows 7 backup, I explained How to create a Windows 7 system restore. This article is the follow-up to demonstrate how to use that restore point to recover a problematic PC as well as How-To recover or use a restore point on a Windows 7 machine that won’t boot.
To recap, Windows 7 System restore is a common and fairly safe way to restore your computer and by default, System Restore is turned on and will create Restore Points whenever you install new software or make changes to Windows settings.
Okay, let’s get started on restoring Windows 7!
Note: If you’ve recently restored your computer to a system image, Windows 7 will automatically remove all system restore points that existed previous to your restoration.
How To Restore Windows 7 To A System Restore Point
1. On your Start menu, Type in system restore. Press Enter or Click the System Restore program shortcut.
2. On the system restore page, Click Next. Now you’ll be asked to Select a system restore point previously created. If you see multiple restore points, try to choose the one that’s dated BEFORE any problems started.
Optional: If you are unsure if doing the restore will cause some of your programs to lose data, you can Click the Scan for affected programs button to see if that is really an issue.
3. Confirm the restore point Time and Description and Click Finish
Note: I’ve highlighted below an important point. If you’ve recently changed your password, system restore will set it back to what it was at the time the restore point was created. If you can’t remember your old password, create a password reset disk before restoring.
All done!
But wait, what if Windows 7 won’t boot? How do I access system restore?
After a reset if you continuously Press the F8 key, you can go into Advanced Boot Options. At the top of the list you’ll see the option to Repair Your Computer.
This will take you into a Repair Boot mode on the System Recovery Options Menu. From here just Click System Restore and follow the tutorial above.
Yeah I know… VERY GROOVY MICROSOFT! Thank you!
Any questions, or comments? Feedback of all sorts is appreciated below or in the groovy technical community!
Yeah, the system restore I knew about however the BOOT recovery I had no idea. Is that new with Windows 7 or was that in Vista?
I love the F8 Repair tool, I didn't see it in Vista. Must be new.
Yeah, the advanced boot options w/system restore and system image options is new with Windows 7.