How to use a windows 8 restore point. Windows restore point: what is it

Windows 8 has elevated level security, as well as high stability. But, like any other OS from Microsoft, it is still vulnerable to viruses and can also crash. In order not to lose important information at the same time, the G8 is equipped with a special tool that allows you to restore the system. This requires a Windows 8 restore point. What is it? How to create it and how to use it?

What is a restore point

Before moving on to creating a restore point and rolling back the system, you should understand what it is. Everything is simple here. This is saving the PC settings in a file. As a rule, such a file is created automatically before making any global settings. Also, restore points in Windows 8 are often created before installing software. This is necessary in the event that the installed software can disrupt the correct operation of the computer and OS.

Users can create a Windows 8 restore point manually. It is recommended that you do this after you have installed a new operating system, installed all the necessary drivers, and configured it. Thanks to this, in case a failure occurs in the future or a virus attacks the computer, you can roll back the OS to a state where everything is already configured.

The file with the saved parameters is stored in hidden folders called "System Volume Information". However, even if you find this directory, you will not be able to open it, since it is protected by OS security settings.

How to save computer settings for rollback

This is done quite simply. First, we need to open a tool to manage the recovery system. You can do this in several ways:

• Through the management console.
• Through the entrance to the system properties.
• Through search.

In any case, we will get to the service we need. So, the first option is to find the required tool in the control panel. To launch it, simultaneously press the Start + X keys. A menu will appear in which select the appropriate item.

In the upper right corner of the panel, you will see a search bar. Write "Recovery" in it. Select the appropriate option from the search results. Next, we are interested in the "Recovery Settings" section. After that, the tool we need will open.

You can also run it through the properties of the computer. To do this, open the file explorer. Open the "Desktop" item, after which the "My Computer" subdirectory will appear. Right-click on it and select "Properties".

You can also find the My Computer shortcut on the desktop or in the tiled menu (Metro). After that, a window will open in which information about the computer will be displayed - the amount of RAM, the type and frequency of the processor, and so on. In the left part of this window, you need to select the item "Advanced options". In the window that appears, go to the "System Protection" tab.

Another method to launch this service is to open it via search. To do this, simply move the mouse cursor to the upper right corner and select "Search". In the line write "Recovery" and run the first option in the results. Next, select "Recovery Settings".

So, here we have opened the tool with which the Windows 8 restore point will be created. It is worth noting that here we can configure the service. To do this, click the "Configure" button. Here we can enable or disable protection, as well as specify the amount of memory on the hard drive, which will contain files with saved settings. As a rule, you will not need more than 2 GB. In addition, in this menu you can delete all existing restore points. However, this is not recommended.

After you have configured the service, you can proceed to create a rollback point. To do this, click the "Create" button. As a result, a window will open in which you need to enter the name of the recovery file. It can be absolutely any name, for example, "Rollback to 12/03/2014".

After entering the name, it remains to click the "Create" button. Windows 8 will automatically create a file with the current PC settings and save it. You will have to wait a little. At the end, a window will appear with a message about the successful completion of the operation. Everything, the file is created.

Now you know how to create a Windows 8 restore point, but?

Restoring Windows 8 from an installation disk or flash drive: Video

How to restore computer settings

This can be done using the same tool that we used to save the settings. Only this time we need to click on the "Restore" button. You can also start the rollback through the control panel. Open the service and write "Recovery" in the search bar. Open the result and open the "Start recovery" item.

In the menu that appears, click "Next". At this stage, Windows offers a list of files with saved settings. Choose the one you need. If you want to roll back the OS to the state in which the restore point was created manually, then find the name entered when saving.

After that, the computer will restart and boot only after the parameters are rolled back. There is no way to undo this action once you have started it. Therefore, carefully double-check whether you did everything correctly and save important information to a portable drive or other hard drive.

Now you know how to create a restore point in Windows 8 and how to use it.

How to do a system restore on Windows 8: Video

The antivirus installed on the computer, alas, does not provide a 100% guarantee of security, and it is unlikely that one can safely count on it when it comes to experimenting with installing various third-party software, studying the functionality of the system using the "poke" method or web surfing on dangerous sites. You can feel much more relaxed in these situations, when the protective arsenal also contains such a powerful tool as a return point to the previous state of the operating system - to its state with certain settings, when there were no problems yet. A point that will save the system both from any experimental actions of the user himself, and from dangers from outside.

Windows Restore Point: What is it?

The point of return to the past of the operating system is called a restore point. This is a fixed state of the system on a certain date, at a certain time, with certain system settings and installed programs. Windows creates its own restore points on its own: according to the schedule and before making changes to system settings, before installing drivers and significant programs.

Windows restore points can also be created by the users themselves - either for prevention (in case the problem comes from outside, from the Internet), or before they are going to carry out any risky operations such as installing unverified software.

In the future, system restore points will be used to roll back to them - in fact, to those dates and states where Windows 8.1 fully functioned and there were no problems with it.

The process of rolling back the system to a point from the past does not affect user files (photos, video, audio files, documents, etc.) located on the system disk. Reverting the system to a point in the past will only change system files, returning Windows settings to the date the restore point was created. And this means that problems will be eliminated, in fact, which caused the system to roll back - incorrect operation of drivers, the introduction of viruses and other malicious programs, the consequences of unsuccessful optimization of the system registry, the consequences of an unsuccessful installation of some program, braking and freezing of Windows, etc. d.

In our articles, we have repeatedly touched on this issue:

1. How to create and delete a Windows 7 restore point - the process of working with checkpoints for Windows 7 is described here, plus ways to selectively delete points and third-party software for working with them are listed;
2. Windows XP System Recovery - This article describes the Windows XP recovery system.

How to create a restore point in Windows 8.1, and then roll back to it if the need arises? Let's look at all this in step by step instructions below.

Enabling and setting system recovery options

The ability to restore Windows 8.1 by rolling back to a restore point is usually a pre-installed option. In any case, this function is active if the system was installed from the original distribution image from Microsoft. An exception may be distributions of pirated assemblies of Windows, where the assemblers specially package the version of the system for low-powered computer devices. In these cases, all possible options are often disabled that an ordinary user may not need, but at the same time will consume computer resources - for example, take up space on the system drive, as the same restore points do.

To check if the rollback function is enabled in the system, let's go to the "System Protection" section of Windows 8.1, where all this is located.

In Windows 8.1, unlike its predecessor - version 8, on the "Start" button leading to the home screen, it is possible to call the context menu, where you can quickly get to frequently used sections of the system. The "Control Panel" section is one of them. Let's take advantage of this opportunity.

A window with system parameters will open, here we are interested in the “System Protection” link option.

Next, the properties of the system will appear before us in the active tab "System Protection". We need her. In the "Protection Options" column, next to the system drive with Windows installed, there should be a "Enabled" mark. This means that the rollback of the system to a point from the past is possible. If the "Protection" parameter is marked "Disabled", select the system drive and click the "Configure" button.

In the window that appears, you must set the option "Enable system protection" to be active. In the same window below we will see the parameters for using disk space. The number next to the “In use now” indicator is the amount of memory that all system restore points currently occupy.

The "Maximum usage" indicator must be set based on how much free space is left on the system disk. After all, we recall that each restore point occupies a certain amount of space on the disk. Having reached the maximum disk space usage value, the system will automatically delete old restore points, thereby freeing up space for new ones to appear. Thus, cluttering up the system disk is prevented.

All restore points previously created both automatically by the system and manually by users can be deleted with one button, thus freeing up space on the system disk. To do this, there is a corresponding "Delete" button below.

The System Protection section provides the ability to create a restore point for non-system drives as well. This function is disabled in systems from original distributions, but each user can use it additionally. It turns on in the same way as in the case of the system disk. You must select a non-system drive and click the "Configure" button. Next, the “Enable system protection” option is set and the value of the maximum allowable limit for using hard disk space is set.

A restore point for non-system partitions is a rather impractical thing. As a rule, user files are placed on such sections - huge warehouses of photo, video and music collections, software installers and other data that, in fact, need to be stored there so that they survive after a system failure. Shouldn't be littered HDD recovery points of non-system drives, but it is better to store copies of files in cloud storage. This is a universal data protection tool that will save even if the computer's hard drive fails.

Create a system restore point

In order to create a restore point for it yourself before experimenting with the system, in the "System Protection" section, click the "Create" button. In the window that appears, you must enter a name and description, so that in the future, if there are several restore points, you can easily find the right one. In addition to specifying the date of the restore point, it is also recommended to specify some additional identifying parameters - for example, “Before installing a video card driver”, “Before installing such and such a program”, “Before visiting porn sites”, etc.

Set the name and description, then click the "Create" button. After that, we will see a notification that the point has been created. Everything - now you can start various experiments and random web surfing.

Reverting the system to a restore point

So, that ill-fated day came when experiments with third-party software were unsuccessful, a virus got into the computer, or the system just started to slow down and freeze terribly. It's time to return to a moment from the past in order to enable the system to follow a different vector of events. To roll back the system to a specific point, we can follow the same path to the "System Protection" section, as indicated above, and click the "Restore" button.

But we can choose another way - through the "Control Panel". We call it among the commands of the context menu on the Start button. Set the partition view option to "Small Icons" and select "Recovery".

In the window that appears, select "Start System Restore".

Here you need to select the item "Choose a different restore point". This will allow you to select a point that was not automatically created by the system, but one that was once created manually. We press "Next".

A list of possible restore points will appear, from which we select the desired one.

To refine the settings of the selected point, you can click the "Search for affected programs" button. There you can see a list of programs that will disappear from the system, since they have not yet been installed on the date the restore point was created. This is an additional identifier, with which you can, for example, refuse a manually created point and choose an automatically made by the system if it has a more favorable or more recent state.

We start the system rollback by clicking on the "Next" button and we see information about the recovery process itself. We press "Finish".

In the next window, once again confirm your desire to roll back to an earlier state of the system and the rollback process will start. It will pass for the most part in the pre-boot state of the computer.

In some cases (depending on the accumulated information), the rollback process can take far from 5-10 minutes, but perhaps as much as 20-30. After the system is rolled back, the computer will reboot and Windows from the past will appear before us - in the same state, with the same settings and installed programs, as on the day the restore point was created.

How to create a restore point in Windows 7,10 or 8 often arises after the bitter experience of data loss, but we will tell you how to make a restore point!

This happens automatically. Windows also does this when it detects major changes in its operation - for example, when you install updates for the OS, a driver, or some software.

These points represent the saved state of all files and registry settings - with their help, you can run . If at some point you need to undo some changes, you can quickly return the OS to the time period when these changes have not yet been made.

System Restore uses Windows function titled "System Protection". This feature regularly creates and saves information about the computer's system files, registry settings, and previous versions of files. Reverting the OS to an earlier state affects Windows system files, installed programs, registry settings, changes to scripts, batch files, and other types of executable files - but does not affect the user's personal files.

Creating a Wimdows System Restore Point

To create it manually, right-click on the "Computer" icon on your desktop, select "Properties" from the context menu, and in the "System" window, click on the "System Protection" link.

In the Properties window, click New. The "Protection" window will open.

Enter any name (name) and click on the "Create" button.

The process you started will take less than a minute.

When the process completes, you will see a message that the process completed successfully.

Click Close. Now at any time you can return the computer to this or any other time point.

Restoring Windows to a Previous State

If you have problems with your computer, you can return your PC to the "normal" period of its state, and this is done as follows. In the Properties window, click the "Restore" button.

Alternatively, you can open the recovery window using the Run dialog. Press Win + R on your keyboard, type rstrui.exe and press Enter.

The Recovery window will open. Click next.

Select the point to which you want to return your computer and select "Next".

Now you need to click on the "Finish" button, and then confirm the start of the process by clicking on the "Yes" button.

The process also includes restarting the computer. After the reboot, you will see a message confirming that your computer has been successfully restored.

More details in critical situations.

Have a great day!

The restore point will help you roll back the system, if it starts to freeze and slow down, to a working state. Such points are created either automatically by the system after a certain time, or automatically when the system restore tool detects changes to the computer configuration: installing a new program or driver.

The user can also create a restore point manually. If your operating system is working perfectly, then naturally it makes sense to create a restore point. In the future, when the system starts to work incorrectly, it will be possible to return it to working condition.

It is also better to create a restore point if you are going to install an unfamiliar program or new drivers on your computer. If, after installation, the operation of the system changes for the worse, then it will be possible to return it to the state when it was fully functioning. In this case, the system will return all system files and Windows settings that were at the time the restore point was created. This will help you get rid of incorrectly working drivers, programs, downloaded viruses or unsuccessful experiments with the registry.

Also note that all programs that were installed after the restore point was created will be removed from your computer.

First, let's see how we can create a restore point. We move the mouse cursor to the lower left corner, and when the "Start" box appears, press the right mouse button. A window will open with the most frequently used commands, select from the list "Control Panel".

Here we are interested in the point "Setting up system recovery".

A new window will open "Properties of the system" tab "System Protection". Here, pay attention that opposite the partition of the hard disk on which the OS is installed, in the "Protection" section, it is indicated "Enabled". Only in this case, the rollback of the system to the desired restore point will be possible.

If you have written "Disabled", click on the button "Configure", then mark the item with a marker "Turn on system protection" and click "Apply", "OK". In the same window, a little lower, you can see the maximum allocated hard disk space for recovery points and how much space they occupy now. In the event that the allocated volume runs out, the system will delete old restore points, by date, and create new ones.

To create a system restore point, click on the "Create" button. A window will appear "System Protection". In the field you need to enter a description for the point and click "Create". It is not necessary to write the creation date and time, as the system will do this automatically.

Then wait for the system to complete the process and the following window will appear.

Now you can carry out the necessary actions with programs, drivers and any other system components.

In the event of an unsuccessful experiment, consider what needs to be done to roll back the system to a working state.

We go "Control Panel" – "Recovery". In this window, select the item "Starting System Restore".

A window will appear in which it will be clarified that all user data will not be affected during recovery: photos, music, videos, but the last installed programs or drivers may be deleted. Click Next.

If you have system restore points created automatically, then you need to select the item "Choose a different restore point" and click "Next".

A list of available points will open, select the one you need. If in doubt, press the button "Search for affected programs". The system will analyze and show which programs and drivers will be deleted after recovery. When you decide, choose desired point recovery and click "Next". Wait until the end of the process. The computer will then restart and the system will return to a working state.

Now you know how you can create a restore point manually, and if you find problems with your computer, roll back the system to a working state.

Watch the video on how to create a restore point:

Watch the video on how to restore the system from a checkpoint: