Tanks are driving after restoring Windows 8. Windows System Restore

When asking about rolling back Windows 8, different users often mean different things: some undo the last changes made when installing any program or drivers, some remove installed updates, some restore the original system configuration or roll back from Windows 8.1 to 8. Update 2016: .

I have already written on each of these topics, and here I decided to put all this information together with explanations in which cases specific methods of restoring the previous state of the system are suitable for you and what procedures are performed when using each of them.

The next most common task is to roll back Windows 8 or 8.1 updates in cases where, after installing them, certain problems with the computer appeared: errors when starting programs, loss of the Internet, and the like.

This is usually done by uninstalling updates through Windows Update or using the command line (there are also third-party software for working with Windows updates).

Step-by-step instructions for removing updates: (two methods).

Windows 8 and 8.1 provide the ability to reset all system settings if it is not working properly, without deleting your personal files. This method should be used when other methods no longer help - with a high probability, the problems can be solved (provided that the system itself starts).

To reset your settings, you can open the panel on the right (Charms), click Settings, and then Change PC settings. After that, select “Update and Recovery” - “Recovery” from the list. To reset the settings, you just need to start restoring your computer without deleting files (however, your installed programs will be affected, we are only talking about document files, videos, photos and similar ones).

Using recovery images to roll back the system to its original state

The Windows recovery image is a kind of complete copy of the system, with all installed programs, drivers, and, if desired, files, and you can return the computer to exactly the state that was saved in the recovery image.

Such recovery images are available on almost all laptops and computers (branded) with pre-installed Windows 8 and 8.1 (located on a hidden partition of the hard drive, containing the operating system and programs installed by the manufacturer)
You can create a recovery image yourself at any time (preferably immediately after installation and initial configuration).
If you wish, you can create a hidden recovery partition on your computer’s hard drive (if it doesn’t exist or has been deleted).

In the first case, when the system on the laptop or computer was not reinstalled, but the original one is installed (including one updated from Windows 8 to 8.1), you can use the “Recovery” item in changing the parameters (described in the previous section, there is also a link to detailed instructions), but you will need to select “Delete all files and reinstall Windows” (almost the entire process occurs automatically and does not require special preparation).

The main advantage of factory recovery partitions is that they can be used even in cases where the system does not start. I wrote how to do this in relation to laptops in the article, but the same methods are used for desktop PCs and all-in-one computers.

You can also create your own recovery image, which contains, in addition to the system itself, your installed programs, settings made and necessary files, and use it at any time if you need to roll back the system to the desired state (at the same time, you can store your image on an external drive for safety). I described two ways to create such images in the figure eight in the articles:

And finally, there are ways to create a hidden partition to roll back the system to the desired state, working on the principle of such partitions provided by the manufacturer. One convenient way to do this is to use the free Aomei OneKey Recovery program. Instructions: .

In my opinion, I didn’t forget anything, but if you suddenly have something to add, I will be glad to see your comment.

Recently, Microsoft has been constantly improving the reliability and stable operation of its OS. However, situations often arise when, for one reason or another, the PC does not work correctly. In such cases, users can only perform a hard restore of the entire system.

This guide will help solve the problem. Follow the detailed instructions below and you will definitely succeed!

Step 1. To access the environment, you need to enter "advanced" into the system's search text box. Next, click on the “Settings” icon, as shown in the screenshot.

Step 2. Click on "Advanced startup options" and you will be taken to the "General PC Settings" screen. Scroll down to the “Advanced startup” section and click on the “Restart now” button. The computer will reboot into the system settings menu.

Step 3. Now click on the “Troubleshoot” button, then on “Advanced options”. You will be taken to a new section where you click on “Automatic Repair”. The computer will prompt you to select an account. To restore the system, you must have access to the administrator account.

Step 4. Select an account and click “Continue”. An automatic system check will begin.

Step 5. The process may take some time; on slow computers it may take up to 15 minutes. Be patient and do not perform any manipulations with the PC during this time. The system can be rebooted multiple times.

Step 6. After the check is completed, the system will notify you of its results and offer options for further action: if problems are detected, you will be asked to initialize the recovery process, but if no errors are found, turn off the PC or use other tools.

If the problem is not resolved, proceed to the next part.

Part 2: System Restore

This function takes copies of your operating system daily and creates a rollback file from them. If automatic troubleshooting does not help, follow the script below.

Step 1. Everything is similar to the previous section. Repeat the first two steps in exactly the same sequence.

Step 2. Click on the “Troubleshoot” button, then on “System Restore”. The computer will reboot again. After logging in, the system recovery process will begin.

Step 3. Follow the installer where you select the version you want to downgrade to.

Step 4. After the download is complete, the system will prompt you to reboot. Click on the "Restart" button.

Congratulations! You have restored your Windows 8 operating system.

Part 3. Tips for restoring the system from a disk or flash drive

Important! Do not use the same disk for different versions of operating systems. So, for Windows 8 it should be “Windows 8/8.1 installation DVD”

Parameters to check before using the function:

Try entering safe mode and running system diagnostics. In most cases, this will fix many problems automatically.
If Windows only starts and works correctly in Safe Mode, use the Clean Boot option, which will show whether the problem is caused by third-party software.
If the boot via Clean Boot is successful, use the System File Checker utility to restore damaged system files.
While Windows is running, open the “Free WhoCrashed” program to fix BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death).
Try using the Windows Update application if your PC does not install updates and/or prompts you to install them again.
If programs are not downloading from the Windows Store, click on the Start menu, type wsreset in the text field and press Enter. Repeat the operation again as an administrator.
To fix damage to the control panel, use the DISM tool as directed in the Windows 8 user guide.
Since the Windows Recovery Environment does not include a RAM testing module, you can use the Memtest86+ utility for this purpose. Use it to make sure that the components are working correctly, otherwise reinstalling the system will be pointless.

Video - How to restore the system on Windows 8

In just a few clicks, you will return the systems to their original state, getting rid of the problems that arose after installing faulty drivers or buggy software.

Recover Windows without losing data

A soft reset of Windows 8 is called " Recovery"(Refresh). To do this, first press the " Win+C» open « Miracle panel", and then call the menu " Options | Change computer settings" In the first version of Windows 8, the recovery function is located in the " Are common».

Here you will have to scroll far down the list. Windows 8.1 has better menu organization. In this system, click on " Update and recovery" and then to " Recovery" Function " Refresh"in Russian versions of Windows 8 and 8.1 was called " Updating your PC without deleting files" Click the mouse on the button " Further» will start the Wizard's work.

Recovery from storage media

In the next step, your computer will start in the so-called recovery environment (Windows Recovery Environment - RE). If this console is not configured on your PC, Windows will ask for an installation disc.

Insert the DVD or USB drive containing the Windows installation files. Windows RE will then analyze your hard drive, save your data, settings, and applications, reinstall Windows, and finally copy everything back to it. After the reboot, you will receive a “fresh” Windows with all the data saved during the update.

Hard Reset Windows

A real reset in Windows 8 is launched in a similar way. Open the Miracle Bar again and "Options | Change computer settings" On Windows 8, go to the " Are common", and in Windows 8.1 select " Update and recovery | Recovery" Function " Reset"here called" Removing all data and reinstalling Windows" Clicking on " Further" launches the Windows RE recovery environment, so keep the installation or recovery disk handy.

With such a reset, however, no data will be saved: Windows RE will erase and format all partitions, and also reinstall the system. Some manufacturers, such as Sony, have integrated a recovery feature into their laptop menus that uses a hidden Recovery partition. On some models there is a separate button for this.

Recovery Image Configuration

The “Refresh” function does not affect only “tiled” applications; installed classic programs disappear. On the Desktop, you will be prompted to view a list of uninstalled applications, which can be used as a starting point for later installation of programs.

Professionals can take advantage of the customizable recovery feature. First, configure the computer to your liking, select the necessary parameters and programs, and then press the " Win + X"call the menu in the lower left corner of the screen and run " Windows PowerShell (Administrator)».

Confirm the User Account Control prompt and enter " mkdir C:\RefreshImage" After this, the command “ recimg –CreateImage C:\RefreshImage» create a new image that will be used for recovery.

Photo: manufacturing company

The Windows 8 and 8.1 operating systems allow you to create a bootable recovery disk using standard tools. It is a regular USB flash drive that boots into the Windows recovery environment (that is, limited diagnostic mode), which allows you to repair startup, the file system, or fix other problems due to which the operating system will not boot or runs with noticeable problems.

A boot disk for Windows OS is useful because with its help you can run system recovery, update the system and reset your computer to its original working parameters.

It should be noted, however, that the disc or media cannot be used to install Windows. At the same time, the boot disk is very similar to the one used to restore Windows 7.

The recovery disk (USB version) or system recovery disk (for CD/DVD version, available only in Windows 8) is intended for those who do not have an official Windows 8/8.1 boot disk.

I strongly recommend that you create a disk or flash drive to restore the system before you get into an unpleasant situation - if you cannot start Windows 8 or 8.1, you can easily and playfully return the OS to a working state using the prepared kit.

Keep in mind that the 32-bit (x86) recovery disc can be used to repair the 32-bit version of Windows 8/8.1. Accordingly, the 64-bit (x64) edition of the recovery disk only works with 64-bit Windows 8/8.1.

The good news: you can repair any edition of Microsoft Windows 8/8.1 from this disk, as long as it is designed for the same hardware architecture (32-bit or 64-bit). One last note: do not try to use the Windows 8.1 recovery disk to resuscitate Windows 8 and vice versa!

Requirements for creating a Windows 8/8.1 boot disk or system recovery disk

First, make sure you have a blank CD/DVD (this is a requirement for Windows 8 environment only) or USB drive with a minimum size of 256 MB (megabytes) of the total disk space. Many OEM computers have highly customized recovery partitions—they can require up to 32 gigabytes of disk space on the recovery drive.

The CD or DVD disk in Windows 8 must be truly empty, because the program will not be able to write data to rewritable media. You can erase the contents of a CD or DVD by opening My Computer (Windows key + E), right-clicking on the CD/DVD drive logo in the list and selecting “Erase this disk”.

A USB drive can be a simple portable flash drive or a hard drive with a similar USB interface. Please note that this hard drive will be formatted and you will lose all files on it. Therefore, it would not be a bad idea to do backup of all important files! Be careful. If you delete valuable files, you will have to restore them (about resuscitating a flash drive to a website).

After creating the recovery disk, you need to make sure that your computer is able to boot normally. Some older USB flash drives do not support booting. Also be sure to check your computer's boot order in the BIOS to make sure booting from USB devices is enabled and listed before booting hard drives.

If your computer is equipped with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 interfaces or later, plug the recovery drive into the USB 2.0 port - this may solve some problems with booting the system.

Creating a bootable USB flash drive to restore Windows

To start creating a bootable disk, open the search settings using the Windows key + W and enter "Recovery" in the search box. Click on "Create a recovery disk".

As expected, the User Account Control window appears. Click "Yes" to make sure you know what you're doing.

The “Create a recovery disk” window will appear in front of you. First, check the box next to “Copy the contents of the recovery partition to disk.” Then connect the USB drive, wait about 10 seconds and click Next.

If you cannot enable the "Copy the contents of the recovery partition to the recovery drive" option when creating a recovery drive in Windows 8 or 8.1, you need to copy the Windows installer instll.wim to your hard drive or SSD drive. Please note that this will increase the default recovery disk space requirement from 256 megabytes to 4 gigabytes respectively.

If, when creating a Windows recovery disk, the message "We cannot create a recovery disk on this computer. Some required files are missing" appears, the winre.wim file or the system-reserved partition is missing.

Select the correct drive letter from the list, select the USB flash drive in the window. Then click the "Next" button.

Windows will warn you that all contents of the selected drive will be erased. To continue, click the Create button.

The process of formatting the drive and copying files may take several minutes, depending on the speed of your USB drive. Once the disc is ready, click the "Done" button.

Completing the process of creating a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 8

Now check that your device is actually capable of booting from the recovery disk: some older USB drives do not support booting. In this case, make a newer recovery disk on the flash drive and retest the drive for bootability. Now open the flash drive in any file manager and make sure that the content matches what you see in the screenshot below:

Creating an "old school" bootable CD/DVD for system recovery in Windows 8

If you want to create a bootable system recovery CD or DVD (this is only possible in Windows 8), search for Windows key settings+W, type "recovery" and click "File recovery in Windows 7" (yes, that's a thing) glitch, in fact the option has that name).

If you can't find the item you're looking for, open a command prompt window (use Windows keys+X), type sdclt.exe and press Enter to run the program.

On the left side of the Microsoft Windows 7 File Recovery window, click the “Create a system repair disc” button.

The “Create a system repair disc” window will open. Select the desired successor and click the "Create Disk" button.

If you insert a non-blank CD or DVD, you will see an error dialog like this: "The system repair disc was not created, there is no media in the device (0xC0AA0202)." Click OK, insert a blank disc and the burning process will start automatically.

Right-click on your CD or DVD drive and select the "Erase this drive" option.

It may take several minutes to create a system repair disc. After the process is complete, specify the name of the disk and click the “Close” button.

Summary. I hope that these instructions helped you create a bootable USB flash drive to restore Microsoft Windows 8. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments, I will definitely answer them (see below).

Answers to readers' questions

After restoring Windows 8, files and some programs disappeared. How to return/restore them?

Answer. You must understand that restoring Windows 8 from a disk or other media assumes that all installed programs will be removed and will need to be reinstalled. However, if you installed Windows on a different drive, you can go to the user folder (Users - [username]) on the system drive used by the previous OS. In the Application Data subdirectory, look for user files with application configuration files; they can be copied to the user’s current folder. But the actual Windows applications will need to be installed from installation files.

If you installed Windows 8 on the default system drive and overwritten the old version of the OS, look for the Windows.old folder. It stores copies of previously installed programs.

The laptop crashed after uninstalling Windows 8. There was no archiving before either. And now, having returned some things, I can’t find some files: the office program, my notes, etc. The update center does not work. It is impossible to find deleted files, the default is everywhere. How to restore windows 8 to normal like before?

Answer. It looks like you used a restore point a few days ago. However, the question is formulated in such a way that it is not clear what you wanted to ask. Let's try to answer point by point.

1. The easiest way to install an office suite is by downloading the installation package on the developer’s website.

2. Windows Update 8 operation Depends on the Windows Update service. Start - Run - services.msc. Find the specified service, switch to the “Automatic” state, and reboot the system.

3. To recover deleted files, use specialized programs, we have written about them many times.

If I restore the system via a USB flash drive (on Windows 8), will the system be restored to factory settings or to the time the recovery disk was created?

Answer. Burning Windows 8 to a USB flash drive is just a convenient reinstallation option without using a disk drive.

You can write Windows 8 onto a USB flash drive and reinstall it from scratch, but you will need to configure, install programs, etc. again. If you use Windows restore points, you return to the state in which the OS was fixed at the time this point was created.

Rollback Windows 8 without disk or with recovery disk

1. How to restore Windows 8 without a disk

2. How to restore Windows 8 from a disk (flash drive)
3. Important!!!

How to restore Windows 8 to Windows 7 or Windows XP- clean installation of Windows only

How to restore Windows 8 without a disk

PC won't boot - OS startup or recovery without OS startup
Refresh, Reset
The PC boots - system recovery function without disk for system rollback - System Restore
How to create a Windows 8 recovery disk (flash drive)
Restoring Windows 8 via BIOS using a flash drive or disk
How to partition your hard drive after installing Windows 8

1. Starting a Windows 8 computer

If Windows 8 no longer boots, then we try to boot the computer in safe mode Safe Mode.
To start in safe mode, even before loading the Windows 8 operating system, straightaway After pressing the computer's power button, press Shift+F8 (Shift we hold and F8 press periodically) or F8(1,2 points) or through the popup menu (3 points):
1. for two-year-old computers and older until the list of modes appears (if it does not start in safe mode, then point 3). Select with up and down arrows Safe Mode and press Enter. In the window that opens, click the picture with the administrator’s name, if necessary, enter the password - a window appears: Desktop with recording "Windows is running in safe mode", press OK
2. for newer computers, a new recovery menu appears, where we click See advanced repair options - Troubleshoot - Advanced options - Startup Settings - Restart. The PC is rebooting, we see Startup Settings menu where we click F4(Point 4 corresponds to Safe mode), the PC boots in safe mode.
3. if that doesn’t work, then press the button to select boot modes (popup menu) when you start the PC - the name of the button appears when you start the PC, it can be for different PCs (Esc for Asus, F12 for Acer, for others it can be any F1-12), then select boot from CD/DVD (no disc needed), click Enter and immediately F8. The PC begins recovery, buttons for recovery will definitely appear. Then we perform point 2.
Windows 8 won't boot and there is no disk- reliable recovery method for experienced ones - begin

2. Restoring Windows 8 without data loss (Refresh) or with loss (Reset)

How to check if there is a recovery partition on your hard drive. Without it to use the functions Refresh or Reset You need an installation disk or a recovery disk. download
On the keyboard press WindowsLogo+F, mark Applications, enter in the text box cmd, the application name appears on the left Command line (cmd), right-click Command line (cmd), a blue line appears at the bottom, where we left-click Run as administrator - Yes. On the keyboard we type: reagentc/info and press Enter. You will see the following window, alas, but maybe for the Russian version with???, but it is important that in the indicated places there are: link (not empty space) and 1 (not 0), then you have a sector.
If the recovery status is disabled (Windows RE enabled:0 or Windows RE status: disabled), then you need to enable it.
To do this, on the command line we write reagentc /enable and press Enter
If you can't turn it on -
Now we repeat the sector check again, as described above:
If the PC boots - Refresh (recovery and cleaning) or Reset (reinstallation) functions
We return Windows 8 to the initial settings state, select
button Refresh(no data loss - leaves files and personal settings, PC settings are returned to default, non-Windows installed programs will be removed, Windows system files will be restored - this is an automatic recovery and cleaning process) or
button Reset(data will be deleted - returns Windows to its original state (original state), reinstallation occurs, everything will be deleted (complete) or partially deleted (quick)).
WindowsLogo+F Options refresh, buttons appear on the left side of the window:
for Refresh - Restoring your PC (Refresh Your PC)
and for Reset - Returning the computer to its original state (Remove everything and reinstall Windows).
Next, press one of the buttons, then Next, if it asks for an installation disk, it means there is no recovery partition on your hard drive and you need to insert the Windows 8 installation disk or recovery disk.
We continue the process for one of the functions - Refresh or Reset, see below:
Refresh (Recover without data loss)- leaves files and personal settings, PC settings return to default, non-Windows installed programs will be deleted, Windows system files will be restored:
By selecting the Refresh function Ready to refresh your PC. Click Refresh. We see the message Restarting. The PC reboots, we don’t press anything, we see Preparing to refresh your PC, then Refreshing your PC (0-100%). Will take (10-15 minutes). The PC reboots. We see the message Preparing, Then Getting ready devices (0-100%) And Getting ready. The PC reboots, we don’t press anything, we see Welcome.
Reset (return to original state - data will be deleted)- returns Windows to its original state, reinstallation occurs, everything will be deleted:
By selecting the Reset function, the computer shows a message Do you want to fully clean your drive.
Choose one of the options:
- Fast- Just remove my files;
- Full- Fully clean the drive.
Select the first option (fast) and click Just remove my files. We see the message Ready to reset your PC, press Reset. We see the message Restarting, Further Configuring (0-100%). Do not turn off your computer (do not turn off the PC). The PC reboots. If we use the installation disk with Windows 8, the PC will show the message Press Any key. We don't press anything. We see the message Preparing, Then Returning your PC to its original state (Resetting your PC (0-100%)). Will take (10-15 minutes). The PC reboots. We don't press anything. The PC reboots again. We don't press anything. We confirm the license by checking the checkbox and clicking Accept. Enter the computer name and click Next, we see a window Wireless, where the names of wireless WI-FI networks should be visible. If not, click Connect a wireless network later. Your WI-FI driver is not on the Windows 8 disk; you will need to install it later. If there are network names, click on your network (it has the highest signal level) and then click Connect, enter the WI-FI password and press again Connect - Use express settings. We see the window Sign in to your PC. We can enter an e-mail and Next or do not enter and press Sign in without a Microsoft account - Local account, enter your name or another name, but not the computer name entered earlier, a password (we will enter it every time you start the PC) and a question, for example. My password. Click Finish.

3. System Restore function - Windows 8 system recovery

4. How to create a Windows 8 recovery disk (flash drive)

The computer does not boot:
where to download the file and how to create recovery media - get started
The computer boots:
create - recovery disk- The CD/DVD disc must be inserted.
Press the keys on the keyboard WindowsLogo+F, a beautiful search window opens, where we mark Options
and enter in the search box restore, a button appears on the left side of the window Fixing computer problems,
clicking which opens the window Support Center, where in the lower right corner we click Recovery,
Further Create a recovery disk - Yes, a window opens Recovery disk,
where we put the bird in the window opposite the inscription Copy the recovery partition from your computer to the recovery drive,
if the window is active, click again Next, in the next window we connect flash memory
or click the inscription Create a system repair disc on a CD or DVD instead,
I click the last one, a window opens Create a system repair disk,
where we select the disk and click Create disc.
This disk will help restore the system in the event of a system failure when the system no longer boots.

5. Restoring Windows 8 using a flash drive or disk

6. How to partition your hard drive after installing Windows 8

If recovery failed, computer does not boot Windows, then before reinstalling the system you can try the last thing - creating a special boot disk, if you haven’t tried it, begin, otherwise, only reinstallation or repair of electronics.