Windows 7 system restore doesn't work. Restoring Windows after a failure. It is not difficult. Quick reinstallation of Windows.

Why and how do you need to create a Windows image? How to restore the system and everything installed programs without reinstallation? And also, what tools will be needed for all this? Read about this in the article below.

And again about our long-suffering Windows, which loves to break down and glitch in every possible way :) They say that the best “cure” for all failures is to reinstall the system. In principle, it is difficult to argue with this, since in this case we get a practically new OS, devoid of any “brakes”.

However, reinstallation always involves the need to install various drivers and programs, which, together with the settings, can take several times longer than the reinstallation itself! Therefore, most users do not like it, trying with all their might to delay the “demise” of Windows with the help of all sorts of other system utilities.

As for me, I believe that reinstallation is an extreme and most radical measure, which in most cases can be replaced by system recovery. How this can be done will be discussed further.

Windows recovery options

If a preliminary check shows that hidden section If you don’t have a system image, you will have to first create one, as described below. But under no circumstances try to reset the system, otherwise you will get a black screen and the need to really reinstall everything.

System restore points

I won’t say for sure, for more early versions, but already in Windows XP there was such a function as “System Restore”. It was located at “Start” - “All Programs” - “Accessories” - “System Tools” and allowed you to roll back Windows settings to an earlier state through the use of so-called restore points, which stored a “snapshot” of system settings at the time of their creation .

In new Windows versions this function is also available and can be used if system instability occurs after installing an update or some driver. You can access its settings from the Properties menu of the Computer icon on the desktop. In Windows XP, Vista and 7, in the window that opens, you will need to go to the “System Protection” tab, and in Windows 8, first click the button of the same name on the side toolbar:

On the tab that opens we will have two sections. In the first one, which is higher, there is a "Restore" button, which serves to launch the Windows recovery system. The second section is “Protection Options” (below). It displays a list of disks indicating their security, as well as buttons for setting parameters and creating manual recovery points.

In various illegal assemblies Windows function Creating restore points is disabled by default. To enable monitoring of the desired (usually system) partition hard drive, select it in the list, click the "Configure" button and set the size of disk space for recording recovery points. Since these points are not full-fledged system images, they require much less space (minimum 300 megabytes), therefore, 5 - 6 gigabytes for Windows 8 is enough to store several backups.

If the backup service is activated, the System Scheduler will periodically (by default once a week) create restore points. Also, points will be created when installing system components, drivers and some programs. Moreover, if the volume of stored data approaches the maximum specified in the settings, then the same Scheduler will automatically delete the oldest points to overwrite them with new ones.

Now for the rollback Windows settings to the previous state, we only need to launch the “System Restore Wizard” using the “Restore” button mentioned above or from the Toolbar and, following the prompts, specify the desired restore point:

The computer itself will perform all the necessary actions, reboot and return to previous settings without affecting your personal data and documents. Only programs that you installed in the period following the time the restore point was created can be lost.

This method of restoring the system will not give the effect of a complete update (as when reinstalling or rolling back to factory settings), however, it can be useful if problems arise caused by a conflict of drivers or programs.

Using a recovery disk

The recovery method described below is the most preferred, but, alas, is not available in Windows XP and earlier systems. Since Windows Vista, Microsoft company took a pretty good step forward to a simple user. They made it possible to restore not only temporary parameters (as is the case with restore points), but also the entire system, including personal data, as well as programs installed and configured properly.

We are talking about the standard ability to create a full-fledged image system partition hard drive. For this task, we will need a medium on which we can record our backup. The ideal option would be removable HDD or a flash drive with a capacity no less than our Disk C (or another one on which the system is installed). If desired, you can also use several DVDs, network storage, or a separate partition of your hard drive (unoccupied and completely formatted in NTFS).

Next I will describe everything in Windows example 8.1, and the differences for previous systems(where they exist) I will indicate in parentheses. So, we find the “File History” section in the Control Panel, wait for it to fully load and in the lower left corner click the “System image backup” button (for Win7: Control Panel - Backup and Restore - Create a system image):

In the dialog box that opens, we need to select the location to save our backup. As already mentioned, it is best for this to be an external hard drive, which you need to connect and select in the first drop-down list. Click “Next”, confirm everything and wait for the successful saving of your backup. It's so simple :)

Now about the recovery. If you have access to the system itself, then to enter the recovery panel on Windows Vista and 7 you will need to enter “rstrui.exe” in the Command Prompt without quotes and press Enter, then follow the prompts of the recovery wizard.

In Windows 8, everything takes a little longer. First of all, call up “Settings” in the miracle panel and, while holding down the SHIFT key, press the “Shutdown” button, and then “Update and restart”:

The computer will reboot, and after turning on it will go to the diagnostic mode launch menu. Here we need to sequentially press the buttons "Diagnostics" - " Extra options" - "Restoring the system image". The computer will reboot again, and after turning on it will prompt us to select our account, confirm logging in using a password and only after that the recovery wizard will launch backup copy with the ability to choose the desired image.

Actually, then everything is the same as in previous Windows: we indicate the path to the image, confirm our intentions and wait until the system is restored. Once the recovery is complete, the computer will reboot again, after which it will turn on in normal mode and like new :)

I recommend creating a system image immediately after installing Windows itself, drivers and the necessary set of software. So after restoration you will always get the fastest possible system without unnecessary “brakes”, as if you had just reinstalled it! The only thing you need to remember is that before restoring, copy and save all the necessary documents and files on another partition, since the system one will be formatted!

Third-party programs for backup and recovery

As I already said, standard Windows recovery tools will satisfy the needs of most users. However, there will always be those for whom existing opportunities are not enough. Therefore, there are many third party solutions for a complete system backup and recovery.

The most popular of these solutions is Acronis True Image:

The principle of operation of the program is essentially similar to the principle of operation of the standard recovery system described above. The only difference is that we are not tied to the operating system, since all actions are performed using the boot disk.

However, True Image can also work in conjunction with its own Windows client. In the latter case, the user has the opportunity to create an incremental backup (which is automatically updated when new files appear in the specified folders).

And everything would be fine, but Acronis True Image is a paid program and, if you don’t want to piracy, you’ll have to shell out 1,700 rubles for it... Therefore, as an alternative, I recommend using free analogue Acronis - :

Compared to yours paid analogue, Clonezilla is clearly inferior in terms of usability. Firstly, it does not have a window interface ( GUI at the DOS level, although the program itself is developed on a Debian basis), which may scare away beginners who are accustomed to mouse control. Secondly, Clonezilla does not have a Russian-language interface, which makes it somewhat difficult to understand what needs to be done in a given situation. Thirdly, the speed of creating and deploying an image of this instrument slightly lower than that of the standard recovery system and the same Acronis.

However, the advantage of Clonzilla is that it is completely free, platform independent and can be used in any organization. In my time, this program made my life a lot easier when I was working at a local vocational school as a PC technician. With its help, I quickly deployed Windows XP on several new computers purchased for accounting needs :) And my own old Windows I have “raised” XP more than once from a ready-made image, so the program definitely deserves attention!

In addition to such “giants” of backup and recovery as Acronis and Clonzilla, as usual, there are a number of small utilities that allow you to perform the same operations, but are much smaller in size. Among these, first of all, I would like to mention the program (short for Open Disk Imager in a Nutshell):

This program takes up less than a megabyte, but at the same time has two interface options: graphical (for launching in Windows environment and Windows PE), as well as console (for working in DOS or FreeDOS, for example). You can create a system image with ODIN directly from your working OS in graphical mode. To do this, simply indicate which partition of the disk and where it should be saved, and the program itself will quickly pack everything into a standard disk image in IMG format.

It is best to restore the system by booting from a LiveCD such as Windows PE, in order to maximally protect the recovery process from the influence of external factors from the installed OS.

For more advanced users, there are utilities, such as the original console program from MicroSoft ImageX and its graphical implementation GImageX:

Advantage using ImageX and its graphical implementation GImageX provides a large number of different fine-tuning options for creating and restoring an image. In addition, unlike its analogues, ImageX allows you to update your images, supplementing them with the necessary changed ones. system files with time.

The only drawback of GImageX is that it is only in English and has a rather extensive interface, which you may not be able to figure out right away. However, you will have to read the manuals in any case if you are committed to serious work.

conclusions

The proverb says that if a person knew where he would fall, he would have laid out straw in advance. So, creating restore points in advance and Windows image, just can become that saving “straw” at the hour when our system suddenly fails.

Agree that it is much easier and more convenient to let the computer recover itself than to manually install and configure everything you need for work. Therefore, I think that your immediate goal after the next reinstallation of the system will be to create its image. Is not it? ;)

P.S. Permission granted to freely copy and quote. this article provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

I would divide the system recovery methods into the following:
1 Using Last Known Known Configuration
2 Using the "System Restore" mechanism normally
3 Using the system recovery mechanism not normally (via safe mode or original installation disk Windows 7)
4 Using a previously created system backup.

1) Let's say you encounter a problem in Windows work 7 and wanted to restore the system, the simplest thing you can do is boot into Safe Mode and load the last known successful configuration, to do this, press the key when loading the operating system "F8" and select "Last Known Good Configuration", press "Enter".

Last Known Known Configuration is a recovery option designed to boot your computer using the last known working system settings. Booting in Last Known Known Configuration mode restores the system registry information and driver settings that were used the last time the system successfully booted. Use Last Known Good Configuration mode when booting Windows 7 into normal mode impossible as a result of incorrect changes.

We go into safe mode (by pressing "F8" at the very beginning of system boot) and select "Troubleshooting your computer", a window will open

- We insert the original installation disk with the operating system (it must match yours), boot from this disk (to do this, in the BIOS we change boot from the hard drive to boot from CD/DWD). Select the language, then in the window « Windows installation» , choose "Recoverysystems".

After this a window will open "Windows 7 System Recovery Options."

So, no matter which method you used, the result is the same - you have a window in front of you "Windows 7 System Recovery Options",

I propose to analyze a little the capabilities of this window.

Startup recovery- analysis of faults that interfere with normal booting Windows 7 and their further correction for normal loading and functioning of the operating system.

System Restore- this is why this article was written, with the help of this function we can use a restore point to return the system to an earlier period of time when there were no problems.

Restoring a system image- this tool allows you to restore the system from a backup. This method is described in more detail in recovery method 4.

Windows Memory Diagnostics- checks system memory for errors.

Command line- allows you to download command line and with its help you can delete files that interfere with loading Windows 7.

Click on "System Restore", after which a window appears stating that "rollback" system can fix problems... click « Further", select the required restore point.

After this, we agree with everything proposed, including rebooting, and as a result of all these actions, when loading Windows 7, we see a window

4) Restore using a previously made backup; creating a backup is described in more detail in the article. Connect USB device backup storage, click "Start" - "Control Panel" - "Recovery". If the system does not start and there is no way to boot the system, you must follow the third point of the article, just select Restoring the system image.

In the window that opens, select " Advanced recovery methods".

Then a window will appear asking you to reboot the system, click " Restart".

After restarting, you must specify system recovery settings. I recommend leaving everything as default and just clicking " Further".

In the next step, the system itself will find the system archive.

Next, you can specify additional parameters.

After that, confirm your choice and press " Ready".

Confirm system recovery by clicking " Yes".

If all of the above methods did not help you, then all that remains is to return the Windows system to factory settings, i.e. lose all your data and programs. I’ll say right away that this method This will work if you have a hidden recovery volume on your hard drive, it should be provided from the factory. You can see it if you right-click on the shortcut "Computer" and choose « Management- Management disks"

Below are the hotkeys for restoring laptops to factory settings:

• Acer- press the key combination Alt+F10
• Samsung- F4;
• Dell inspiron- when the dell.com splash screen appears, you need to type the key combination Ctrl+F11;
• HP Pavilion- when turning on, hold F11;
• Packard Bell - F10;
• Rover- when starting the laptop, hold down Alt;
• ASUS- when the ASUS logo appears, press F9;
• Sony vaio - at startup press F10;
• MSI- press F3 when starting;
• Fujitsu Siemens- after turning it on, press F8;
• LG- F11;
• Lenovo ThinkPad - F11;
• Toshiba- F8.

I hope this article has relieved you of your question. How to restore Windows 7 system and helped me get yours back operating system to the point of stable operation.