Use System Restore to Fix Your Windows Computer
There are plenty of glitches that can plague our Windows computers, malware being just one. Programs break, drivers break, we users make unhelpful changes, etc.
System Restore - the magic undo
The good news? There is a magic “undo” feature in Microsoft Windows – it’s
called System Restore. It’s bailed me and my clients out of difficulties many
times. And when you've been hit by malware you can use this to repair your computer before removing the infections with a security scanner.
If you’ve used System Restore, you may recall your delight
when it did its magic. If it’s new to you, let me explain.
A simple approach
Of course there are more detailed ways of diagnosing and
remedying hardware and software problems, including malware infections. But if things were fine one day, and
the next they’re not - and you don’t recall changing anything - System Restore
is a handy tool.
To use it, locate the Run box after clicking your
Start button (Windows 7), or type Run in the Windows search box (Windows 8 or
10). Then in the Run box type rstrui.exe, then click OK.
No change to data - but back up anyway
System Restore will launch. Click Next, then locate
a recent restore point prior to the day you started having issues. Note: any
programs or updates you installed after that date will be removed, but none of
your data will be changed. (Nonetheless, it’s best to back up important data before
running System Restore.)
Before running System Restore, close all open
programs and save all work. Allow anywhere from 5-15 minutes for the Restore
process.
The computer will
reboot and present your Windows login screen, and report whether System Restore
succeeded or failed.
Creating a Restore Point
A proactive approach to
take with System Restore is to set a Restore Point when things are working well. Open the Control
Panel, then type Restore in the Search box. Then select Create a restore point.
Choose your Windows drive (usually C). Then click Create and name the Restore
Point.
Once this Point is
created, you can roll back to this in the future should your computer be
throwing a fit. (If it’s throwing a big
fit, you may have to run System Restore from the command prompt in Safe Mode,
but that’s another story.)
Deeper malware removal
If you're running System Restore to aid in malware removal, after Restore is done, go to your Programs in the Control Panel and remove any suspicious characters, sorting by date - a clue being programs you didn't intend to install.
Then run malware removal scans by using programs like Malwarebytes.
Restore doesn’t fix all
problems, but it’s an easy “go-to” when you want a quick return to smoothing
sailing after rough waters.
Thanks for reading.
Sam
Sam
---
If you haven't already, you can subscribe to our email tips by visiting www.kokuadigital.com and entering your name, email, and "add to email list" in the request form, then click Send.
