What is System Restore

If you are having problems with your computer causing instability, the ability to start or use your computer properly or your computers just running generally slow; System Restore might be a good option for you to use.

System Restore is a feature built in to Microsoft Windows Operating Systems which basically takes a snapshot of the state of your computer at a particular point in time.

These snapshots are called restore points and they are designed for if you have a problem with your computer, you can hopefully go back to a particular restore point in time when your computer was working properly without having to reinstall the whole operating system again and software.

System restore works around your personal files which by designed will not be effected. It concentrates more on the state of your operating system and the software installed on it.

An example of when System Restore can be used is if there is some corrupt software on your machine, damaged by other software or a virus. Using System Restore you might be able to rollback the state of your Windows computers to an earlier time before the damage had be done and continue using your computer.

Why System Restore is Not Working

There can be many reasons why System Restore doesn’t work.

The first and most common is there was already damage to your operating system and files when you tried to make the restore point in question.

Also, if there is too much damage the files on your computer, the operating system will not be able to function correctly and perform the restore operating, so it times out.

Another common reasons a System Restore point can not restore is you might not have enough space on your hard drive to continue the restoration.

What Can I Do If System Restore Does Not Work

If your restore point does not work and times out (fails) there are a few things you can do.

The first and easiest option is to look for an earlier restore point, one which is hopefully more compatible, less damaged and more likely to work.

Not: If you go back to an earlier restore point it will also remove and undo all the applications you have installed since making that restore point – so make sure you have everything backed up just in case.

If your restore points still do not work, another thing you can try is booting your computer into safe mode and try to restore the point there.

The theory behind this is there might be other things on your computer running in normal mode stopping the restore. Booting in safe mode ensures the bare minimum is running on your computer in the background and anything hindering the restore points.

If all else fails you might have to do a refresh or factory reset.

A refresh would be the better option of possible, specially if you do not want to loose any data. If your computer is still too damaged you will have no other option than to do a factory reset, but this will destroy all your data.

Another good reason to always back up. If you have data on your computer you want to save before doing a reset, please Ross at Townsville Nerds and we should be able to help you.