How to create a restore point in Windows and perform a system rollback. System rollback and recovery System rollback on Windows 7

A user who encounters problems with Windows 7 can try restoring the system registry or, for example, cleaning the hard drive. Usually these measures are enough, but sometimes you need to take a more radical step: roll back Windows 7 to a good point. Let's try to figure out how to get your computer back a few days ago.

If the computer turns on

If the computer or laptop on which Windows 7 is installed basically starts and the only problem is its not entirely correct operation, rolling back the system settings back to a certain date will be quite simple - no more difficult than. Below are three methods to restore Windows 7; Having studied the instructions, the user can easily determine which option is suitable in his case.

Rollback using a backup

To roll back your Windows 7 by a few days, hours or even minutes, the most logical option is to use such a useful option as “System Restore”. In Windows 7, as in later generations of Microsoft OS, it is activated by default; The essence of the process is creating backup copies of system settings and files before critical events: installing new programs, disabling or activating individual components - as well as at the user’s request.

Important: There are usually several options for system recovery, less often - just one. If the user, who carefully followed the instructions, did not see a single backup point, he should immediately move on to other methods.

To roll back Windows 7 to a previous state using System Restore:

• Enter the Start menu by clicking on the Windows 7 checkbox at the bottom left.

• Open "Control Panel" - finding the shortcut in the right column will be easier than understanding.

• Go to the "System and Security" section.

• And the “System” subsection.

• Click on the “Advanced system settings” link.

• In the new window, switch to the “System Protection” tab.

• Click on the “Restore” button.

• Click “Next”.

• And get acquainted with the list of system-created restore points that allow you to roll back Windows 7 back a few days.

• If the date after which, in the user’s opinion, is stronger is not in the list, check the “Show other recovery points” checkbox.

• To understand what exactly will happen after the changes take effect, just click on the backup version of interest, and then click on the “Search for affected programs” button.

• When the desired backup is selected, click “Next” again.

• Once again, familiarize yourself with the conditions for rolling back Windows 7, click “Finish”.

• And confirm your decision by clicking the “Yes” button.

• Now the user will have to wait from several minutes to an hour or more for the data to be prepared to roll back Windows 7.

• And during the reboot the changes will take effect.

• Upon completion of the procedures, the user will receive a Windows 7 system restored to a successful state; If this does not achieve a positive result, you should restore the computer to an earlier point - or look for the problem in another area.

Important: Rolling back the system some time ago can be canceled by again clicking on the “Restore” button located on the “System Protection” tab.

In addition, the user will see a display of the applied changes in the general list of recovery points - you can roll back the Windows 7 system from here.

Backup and recovery

A user looking for how to roll back Windows 7 to a few days or hours ago most likely does not use special backup software on their computer. Perhaps he does not know about the possibility of archiving important data - but since this option is a system one, it can be enabled, which will help to quickly and easily roll back the OS to a working version.

To perform a rollback using this method, the computer owner must:

• Open the Start menu again and expand the All Programs list at the bottom left.

• Go to "Maintenance".

• And run the “Backup and Restore” utility.

• Click on the “Recover my files” button.

• Next, to roll back the Windows 7 system, select “Browse Folders”.

• Click to select the desired directory with data - you should focus primarily on the time and date of its creation or update.

• And click on the “Add Folder” button.

• Make sure that the directory is added to the list for system rollback and click “Next”.

• Since the user needs to roll back Windows 7 “to live”, and not just restore old saved data, in the next window you need to select the “To original location” option - and click on the “Restore” button.

• The rollback process takes quite a long time. If it seems that the system has frozen during recovery, you should click “Cancel”.

• And confirm the termination of the process, and then find another way to roll back the operating system a few days or hours ago.

Did the applied method not bear fruit? Don't despair; It’s enough to return to the original “Backup and Restore” window:

• Click on the “Restore system settings or computer” link.

• And then - “Advanced recovery methods”.

• Click on the “Use system image...” button.

• Save all important data, including documents, photographs, audio recordings on removable media - otherwise they will be lost during the rollback process. There is no point in using the “Archive” system option: it will take much more time. In addition, if the data is stored not on the system drive, but on any other connected hard drive, there is no need to archive anything - just click the “Skip” button.

• Once again making sure that all valuable information has been copied and saved on other media, the user can safely “Restart” Windows 7.

• After preparing the files for recovery.

• You should select the interface language.

• And, if the system does not see the rollback image, manually specify the path to it.

The further process is no different from the first method to roll back Windows 7 a few days ago - having selected the data to be restored, the user must confirm his desire to roll back the system and wait a little. Upon completion, he will receive a working version of Windows 7 - and will be able to use it as usual.

Rolling back updates

Often the cause of problems with the operating system, including Windows 7, is incorrect installation of updates. A user who notices problems after another such event can easily delete the data that interferes with the correct functioning; for this you will need:

• Open “Control Panel” and go to the “Programs” section.

• Next, go to the “Programs and Features” subsection.

• Click on the “View installed updates” link.

• In a new window - move by moving the slider at the bottom of the list to the right.

• And set the updates to be sorted by installation date.

• Find the Windows 7 update, after downloading which the problems supposedly started, right-click on the corresponding line and select the “Uninstall” option - usually it is the only one in the list.

• To roll back Windows 7 a few days or hours ago, confirm the removal of the update.

• And after waiting a few minutes.

• Reboot the system. As a result, the user, without risking any of his data, will be able to restore Windows 7 to a working state - and subsequently correctly download the required updates.

Advice: To optimize the performance of a computer running Windows 7, a user who already knows where the “Programs” section is located can remove unused applications, as well as disable unnecessary system components.

If the computer does not turn on

It’s worth making a reservation right away: if a personal computer or laptop does not start at all, the reason should be sought in the hardware component - rolling back the system will not help here. If Windows 7 “refuses” to turn on at one of the early stages, the user should try one of the two recovery options below.

Rollback in Safe Mode

As a rule, if the system is working but needs to be rolled back, the user will see a prompt on a black screen after the next startup. In this case, to roll back Windows 7 a few days ago, it is recommended:

• Agree to run Windows 7 in any of the “safe” options.

• Do not turn off your computer or laptop while drivers are loading.

• Launch “Control Panel” - it will now open in the “Icons” category.

• Go to the “Recovery” item.

• Click on the “Start System Restore” button.

• Roll back Windows 7 in the same order as described in the first section.

The computer will automatically restart; If, upon completion of the recovery, the problem is only partially solved, you should manually, while remaining in safe mode, remove unnecessary programs and system updates. To do this you will need:

• After starting Windows 7 in safe mode again, go to the “Control Panel” and open the “Administrative Tools” section.

• Select "System Configuration".

• And check the “Safe Mode” checkbox, and then successively click on the “Apply” and “OK” buttons.

• Now, by clicking on the “Restart” button, the user will be able to make changes to Windows 7 as long as necessary; To disable cyclic entry into safe mode, you should repeat the manipulations on the “Boot” tab in the reverse order.

Running the recovery tool

As a result of several unsuccessful attempts to boot Windows 7, the screen will prompt you to run the system restore tool. To roll back to a previous state, the user needs:

• Agree to launch the utility.

• Wait until the system detects the problem and prepares a means to solve it.

• Click on the “Restore” button.

• And then - “Done.” In a few minutes, Windows 7 will be in working order again.

Advice: the user can view a list of errors that led to the inability to start Windows 7 by clicking on the “Display diagnostics and description of the fix” link.

Using the installation disc

If you don’t succeed in starting Windows 7 using the methods listed above, in order to roll back the system, you should use any media with an OS installation image: an optical disk, a flash drive, an external HDD, and so on. Having a disk in hand, the user must:

• Insert it into the drive (for a flash drive - into any USB connector) and, after restarting the computer, select startup from the installation media by pressing any keyboard key.

• Select the language for interacting with Windows 7, keyboard layout.

• And, once in the “Installation” section, click on the “System Restore” link.

• When the computer detects all operating systems present on the hard drive.

• Select the one you need - in this case it is Windows 7.

• And by running “System Restore”.

• Proceed with the procedure described in detail in the previous section.

Advice: If the previously created image of Windows 7 is not saved, the user can click on another link located under the first one: “Restore system image”.

In the future, to make it easier for yourself to try to roll back Windows 7, it is recommended to use special backup programs like Acronis True Image - or do not forget to archive data in a timely manner and regularly create restore points.

Let's sum it up

You can roll back Windows 7 a few days both in a running operating system and if it does not start properly. In the first case, the user will be helped by the “System Restore”, “Backup and Restore” options, as well as the removal of incorrectly applied updates. In the second - switching to safe mode, launching the system recovery tool and, finally, a rollback made from the installation disk.

An unsuccessful update or a “crooked” installed program can damage the operating system. Fortunately, Microsoft engineers foresaw the possibility of such a development. Since the Millennium version, users have been able to roll back Windows to a stable state.

The System Restore service is designed to create shadow copies of system files. It works automatically, but the user can create a rollback point manually if desired. Windows performs the copy itself in the following cases:

• when installing new drivers or programs, if the installer supports working with System Restore;
• when restoring the OS from a selected checkpoint;
• when installing operating system updates;
• according to the schedule, once a week. If another point was created during this time, the task is skipped.

By default, 3 to 5% of disk space is allocated for storing shadow copies, but not more than 10 GB. The settings in different OS versions are almost identical, but there are serious differences in the operation of the recovery environment. Let's look at them using specific examples.

Windows 7

You can access recovery options through the Control Panel. We find the section indicated in the screenshot.

In the navigation area, select “System Protection”.

The properties window opens on the tab we need. Management of the System Restore service is concentrated here. The area indicated by the arrow shows the connected hard drives. There may be several of them in the system. To be able to roll back Windows 7, the service must be started for the disk on which the OS is installed. For others, its work is not critical, since user files are not affected by recovery. Let's look at the available control options.

Settings

At the top of the window we have three parameters. By default, the service is started and running in recovery mode. The middle point is unique in that it is present only in Windows 7. Other than that, it is not interesting in anything else. It is not recommended to use it, since the chances of successful recovery will be significantly reduced. The last item allows you to completely disable protection for the selected disk. The arrow indicates a slider that allows you to adjust the space allocated for shadow copies.

Creation

By clicking on the appropriate button, we start manually creating a restore point. The only thing the user needs to do is provide a name for it.

After some time, the system will issue a notification about the successful completion of the operation.

Recovery

Launch the recovery wizard. The first window is informational. We skip it and go directly to the procedure itself.

By default, Windows will suggest using the last created point. To get a complete list of all available in the system, put a tick in the place indicated by the arrow. Additionally, at this stage, you can view the list of programs that will be affected by the procedure being performed.

The window is divided into two parts. New software versions are displayed at the top, and those to be restored are displayed at the bottom.

Having opened the full list, we can select the appropriate point and roll back the changes a few days or a day ago. The choice will depend on how often new software is installed or manual copies are created. Having decided on the desired date, click the “Next” button.

The system will give us a brief description of the selected point and ask for confirmation.

The last window informs you that the operation must not be interrupted to complete successfully. By clicking on the “Yes” button, we start a Windows 7 system rollback.

The computer will automatically restart and the OS will return to the state we selected.

Windows 7 Recovery Environment

When the PC does not boot in normal mode, you can perform a recovery from the point by going to the Windows RE environment. In Windows 7, for this, at the boot stage we use the “F8” key. Select the item marked in the screenshot.

At this stage, you must select the layout needed to enter the password. To do this, we will use the drop-down menu in the location indicated by the arrow.

Enter the user's password. The input language is not displayed at this stage, so you need to set it in advance.

Select the item indicated in the screenshot.

The wizard we have already discussed will launch, with which you can perform a restore from the point.

The shadow copy and restore procedures take only a few minutes. By spending them, you guarantee yourself the opportunity to return the OS to a working state and will not waste time reinstalling it.

Windows 10

The System Restore function works slightly differently on this system. By default, the recovery service is always disabled. It does not depend on how the installation was performed. In other words, if you update a Windows 7 system in which the service was running, you will still get it in a disabled state. Automatic launch occurs when you receive the first update or when installing software with the MSI installer. This is where trouble awaits those who like to partition their hard drive. Various kinds of “installation specialists” practice this method to “increase stability.” As a result, the user discovers at the most inopportune moment that it is impossible to roll back Windows 10. The fact is that Microsoft has artificially limited the operation of System Restore on computers with a small hard drive. The service starts automatically only when the system partition is larger than 128 GB. To check the current protection status, go to the classic control panel. You can get to it using the “Run” menu by typing “control” in the text field.

We find the familiar “System” section.

In the navigation menu, open the indicated item.

Go to the protection settings by clicking on the indicated button.

We move the switch to the “Enable” position or make sure that the service is running. Using the slider, you can adjust the space allocated for shadow copying.

By creating a checkpoint, we can, if necessary, roll back the Windows 10 system. All other recovery operations in a normally working OS are completely similar to those described for Windows 7.

Windows 10 Recovery Environment

Acceleration of loading at the initial stage has led to the fact that selecting special options using the “F8” key no longer works. Let's look at how to roll back to Windows 10 using the recovery environment. Open a new system parameters menu. Select the marked section in it.

In the navigation area, go to the “Recovery” item. A button indicated by an arrow will appear on the right side of the window. Click on it to restart the computer in Safe Mode.

In the Windows Recovery menu, select the designated partition.

Open additional diagnostic options.

We find the item we need that allows us to roll back to a restore point.

The system will ask us for a password to confirm your account. After completing this operation, we will get to the desired recovery menu.

In very advanced cases, when the computer cannot boot normally, you will need to use the distribution media. At the initial stage, instead of installing, select the marked item.

As a result, we will again find ourselves in the Windows Recovery menu, only after booting from the installation media. Here we can roll the system back to a stable state by selecting the desired restore point.

In conclusion

With a working hardware configuration, you can almost always return Windows to a working state using restore points. To do this, you do not need to use system rollback programs. Most of them are distributed on a paid basis, and paying to duplicate the functionality available in the system is not the best way to spend your money.

Often, after installing a program, a computer running Windows 7 begins to behave strangely. Glitches, interface slowdowns, failure to start the system - all this indicates that you have installed malicious software or your PC has been subject to a virus attack. What to do in this case? How to perform a system rollback on Windows 7?

In fact, a system rollback is the only sure way to solve the problem with Windows glitches after installing any software. Windows automatically creates a restore point before installing programs. If automatic creation of restore points is enabled on the system, then you can roll back the system from Windows. If the computer does not turn on, you will have to restore the system from safe mode. In case of damaged system files, you will have to connect a boot disk with the Windows 7 distribution to Windows recovery.

Let's look at each recovery method separately and highlight their advantages.

1. System rollback from Windows

The easiest and fastest way to roll back the system is to use a special recovery program in Windows 7. But it has one significant drawback: you won’t be able to roll back the system without a restore point.

Open “Start”, select “All Programs” and follow the path “Accessories >> System Tools”. Find the “System Restore” program in the list and run it.

You can open “System Restore” in another way: click the “Start” menu and start typing the word “recovery” in the search. After 4-5 letters, Windows will offer you programs where we select “System Restore” from the list.

After launching the program, a window will open that briefly but clearly explains what system recovery is. Click “Next”.

If there are restore points on the PC, the system will offer the entire list. Select the latest point by date and click the “Next” button. If you need to view a list of programs that will be “affected” during the recovery process, click on the “Search for affected programs” button.

In the next window, confirm the system rollback with the “Finish” button.

The system will again warn you that the recovery cannot be interrupted. Click “Yes” and wait for the process to complete. During a system rollback, the computer may reboot several times.

2. Recover using Safe Mode

Most users roll back the system in “hopeless” cases. With them, the PC refuses to boot, but for this problem there is a safe mode that allows you to roll back the system to a working state. In order to enter the system’s safe mode, when starting the PC, you need to press the F8 button and use the up/down buttons to select “safe mode” and click Enter.

Windows will start with a black desktop and "degraded" graphics. After which you can begin the system rollback process described in the first paragraph.

3. Restoring Windows using a boot disk

The disadvantage of this method is that you always need to have a boot disk with Windows 7 on hand. But this method can restore the system in the most severe cases, even when safe mode is not working.

Insert the boot disk with Windows 7 into the drive. When Windows starts, press F12 on the keyboard and select the optical drive from the list. After loading the disk, select the Russian language and click “Next”. After which Windows 7 will offer installation. But you need to click on the “System Restore” link.

After searching for installed systems, select “System Restore” in the new window.

When you launch this program, the same system rollback process will begin as in the first paragraph of the article.

After restarting the computer, remove the disk from the drive and enjoy the restored Windows 7.

How to perform a system rollback on Windows 7 if a checkpoint has not been created? This question torments many people, but there is no solution to this problem. Without a checkpoint, Windows recovery is impossible. As a result, the only option left is to reinstall Windows.

Microsoft programmers have provided a convenient opportunity to roll back Windows 7 to the state before the day of the failure.

In what cases is it necessary to roll back Windows 7?

This is a last resort, because... refers to the way the system is debugged. Performed in cases of incorrect installation of applications that caused Windows to crash. It often happens that it is necessary to roll back the entire OS due to failures in only one specific software, which does not directly affect the functioning of Windows 7 as a whole, but is a very important utility for the user.

An example of such a program would be a licensed office, which is required for the daily work of the computer owner and, moreover, the purchase of which was spent on financial resources. There can be many such examples. A Windows rollback will entail returning all software to its original state, as it was on the day the restore point was created. The system rollback procedure is not difficult to do, and it does not take a significant amount of time.

The essence of the OS recovery procedure

The rollback principle is based on the operating system creating special restore points. To roll back, the computer owner needs to take several simple sequential steps described below. Carrying out the procedure is not difficult.

Restore points

This is what the saved versions of Windows were called. This process is carried out during the normal functioning of the operating system, which stores its state in memory during normal operation and makes a mark in order to return to it when errors occur.

Step-by-step OS recovery guide

The process does not require the use of specially installed individual applications, since the entire procedure is carried out using Windows 7 tools.

Where to start?

You will need to do the following:

How to choose a restore point?

After completing the initial four steps, a special menu will appear for the user to determine the OS restore point. In this menu, the algorithm for performing actions is as follows:

When performing the Windows 7 rollback procedure, it is not allowed to turn off or restart the PC, otherwise this will lead to the permanent deletion of all information from the system partition, because You may have to completely reinstall the OS.

Conclusion

Using the above guide, rolling back the OS will not be difficult even for an inexperienced user. If the computer owner is unable to do the above steps on his own, it is recommended to contact customer service.

It should be noted that there is no strict sequence of necessary steps that must be taken when there are no OS restore points. But, when the reason lies in the incorrect functioning of the drivers, it makes sense to take advantage of the opportunity to switch to the latest working version when starting the operating system.