Select the restore point and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the system restore. If you want to create the System image on Windows 10, follow the below steps. Press Windows + X keys from the keyboard and select Control panel. Type Backup and Restore in the search bar and select backup and restore.
In Windows 10, launch Control Panel in Icon view and then click on the setting for Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Yes, it says Windows 7, but don't worry—the backup part of this feature works.
If you are not using the built-in Backup and Restore files feature in Windows 10 maybe you should start using it. Creating backups using File History is very easy in Windows 10. This tutorial will.
On Windows 10, System Restore is a feature designed to create a snapshot of your device and save its working state as a 'restore point' when system changes are detected. In the event of a critical problem after installing an update, driver, or app, or after modifying system settings incorrectly using the Registry or another tool, you can use a restore point to revert your device settings to an earlier point in time to fix the problem without losing your files.
Although this is a handy troubleshooting tool, there's one caveat: For some odd reason, System Restore comes disabled by default, which means that you must enable it before you or Windows 10 can create restore points.
In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through the steps to set up System Restore as well as the steps to recover your device from problems that may be affecting the normal operation.
How to enable System Restore on Windows 10
Backup And Restore Windows 10 Product Key
System Restore isn't enabled by default, but you can configure the feature with these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Create a restore point, and click the top result to open the System Properties experience.
Under the 'Protection Settings' section, select the main 'System' drive, and click the Configure button.
Select the Turn on system protection option.
Quick tip: Windows 10 can manage the space automatically, but under the 'Disk Space Usage' section, you can also use the slider to specify the maximum amount of storage to reserve for System Restore.
Click the Apply button.
Click the OK button.
Backup And Restore Windows 10 To Ssd
Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 will create a restore point automatically when applying a new update or when specific system changes are made.
System Restore isn't a feature that you can enable globally. It's only available for system drives (the one that has the OS installed on it).
How to create a System Restore point on Windows 10
System Restore will create checkpoints automatically when it detects system changes, but if you're about to make significant modifications to your installation, it's recommended to create a restore point manually.
To create a System Restore point manually, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Create a restore point, and click the top result to open the System Properties experience.
Under the 'Protection Settings' section, click the Create button.
Type a descriptive name for the restore point — for example, before modifying Windows Update settings with Registry.
Click the Create button.
Click the Close button.
Click the OK button.
After completing the steps, you'll have a way to undo changes if something goes wrong while installing a new driver or application, or after editing the Registry.
How to recover using System Restore on Windows 10
If you run into issues after making system changes, before spending time troubleshooting the problem, you can undo the changes using a previously created restore point. You can perform this task while you still have access to the desktop, or even if your computer won't boot correctly.
Undoing system changes using desktop experience
In the case that you still have access to the desktop, you can revert system changes using a restore point with these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Create a restore point, and click the top result to open the System Properties experience.
Click the System Restore button.
Click the Next button.
Select the restore point that you want to use on your computer.
Click the Scan for affected programs button to understand the apps that will no longer be available because they're added after the creation of the restore point.
Click the Close button.
Click the Next button.
Click the Finish button.
Once you complete the steps, System Restore will return your computer to the previous working state.
Undoing system changes using Advanced startup
If the device isn't starting correctly, and you can't access the desktop, you can use Advanced startup to access System Restore.
Boot into Advanced startup
Before you can use System Restore, you need to know the steps to access the Advanced startup environment, which you can do with these steps:
Power on your computer.
As soon as the Windows logo appears on your screen, press the power button to interrupt the boot sequence.
Repeat steps No. 1 and 2 two more times. (Or until the device boots into the recovery experience.)
After completing the steps, you can use the steps outlined below to access System Restore.
Alternatively, if you can't access the recovery environment with these steps, you can start your device with a Windows 10 installation media, and while in the 'Windows Setup' experience, click the Next button, click the Repair your computer button from the bottom-left corner, and then follow the steps below.
Backup And Restore Windows 10 Start Menu Layout
Using System Restore
To access System Restore when your computer doesn't start, use these steps:
Click the Advanced options button.
Click on Troubleshoot.
Click on Advanced options.
Click on System Restore.
Click the Next button.
Select the restore point that you want to use on your computer.
Click the Scan for affected programs button to understand the apps that will no longer be available because they're added after the creation of the restore point.
Once you complete the steps, the changes causing the problem will be discarded, and then your device should be able to start normally.
We're focusing this guide on Windows 10, but this feature has been around for a long time, as such you can also refer to these instructions even if you're using an older version, including Windows 8.1 or Windows 7.
Just be aware that while it might look similar, System Restore isn't a replacement for a backup or an option to reset your computer to its default factory settings. If the hard drive on your computer is experiencing physical issues or unrepairable file corruption, you won't be able to recover, and you may even lose your files.
Updated March 14, 2019: We revised this guide to make sure it's current with the latest version of Windows 10.
More Windows 10 resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
Device Drivers are software which lets you use anything on PC with the OS. There are drivers for graphics card, keyboard, mouse, and everything else. Now it may so happen that for some reason a device has stopped working, or is not responding as it should. In that case, the only option to remove the driver, and reinstall it. In this guide, we are sharing some of the best methods to Backup and Restore Drivers in Windows 10.
While it sounds easy, not everyone has their device drivers available right on the Windows PC. One may have to download it from OEM or let Windows configure it by downloading through the updates. The only solution is to backup the driver so you can use it anytime. This becomes very useful for the old device for which OEMs don’t have the device driver anymore.
How to Backup & Restore Drivers in Windows
Before we start, to get all of these done, you need Admin privilege with your account. You should know that unless you are very clear about these, do not attempt them. We will start with Windows inbuilt methods, and then suggest some third-party software which has an easy to use interface.
Backup Drivers using Command Prompt & PowerShell
Create System Image Windows 10
We will use the popular tool DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) here. It can both export, and import drivers in bulk.
Create a folder “Driver-Backups” in your PC anywhere on a drive other than where Windows is installed.
Open Command Prompt with admin privileges, and execute the following command-
Here and later elsewher in this post, “Driver-Backups folder path” is the path of the folder you created. If you created this folder on your D drive, then the path would be D:Driver-Backups.
This will export all the drivers in your Windows 10 PC in the folder. It should say – The operation completed successfully. Make sure to keep a backup of that folder in one of your cloud drives.
The driver servicing command supports only .inf files. Windows Installer or other driver package types (such as .exe files) are not supported.
Now here is the deal. While this tool lets you export all drivers, it doesn’t help you installing those drivers back to Windows. The command has an option /add-driver, but it will work with Windows 10 ISO image. If you are creating an ISO and then planning to install it, you can use the following command.
Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Navigate to the Backup Driver folder.
Execute the following command-
If you are used to PowerShell than the command prompt, you can use that too. It offers a command, Export-WindowsDriver -Online -Destination “Driver-Backup folder path”, which lets you take backup. Please read out the detailed post about exporting Device Drivers using PowerShell here.
Restore Device Drivers in Windows 10
It is best to install the driver manually if you are following this method. You will have to do it one by one, but in case something goes wrong, you will have a better understanding of what caused the problem. Make sure to keep the path of your Backup-Driver handy.
Open Device Manager using the Win+X Quick Link menu.
Now right click on any of the devices for which you want to install the driver, and click on Update driver.
You will have two option, automatic, and manual. Select Browse my computer for drivers software.
In the next screen, you need to copy paste the folder path, and also select the option include subfolders.
Click Next.
The Device Manager will now search for driver that is available for the hardware and install it. It is possible that Windows might have updated it with the new version, but if you want to rollback or keep an old one, you can do so.
Software to Backup & Restore Drivers
If you are looking for an easy way to backup drivers in Windows 10, then you may also use third-party software which can do that for you. This software can create a backup, and later restore them on demand.
Free Driver Backup is one such software which can do that for you. Apart from drivers, it can also backup cookies, registry, and other things as well. It also offers recommendations, or you can choose to backup all the drivers. Restoring is easy as well. Just point out to the backup folder, and it will pick up, and install it one by one.
Some others you may check out are Driver Sweeper, DriverBackUp, Free Driver Backup and Double Driver. If you are specifically looking to update AMD driver, check out AMD Autodetect, and for Intel, check out Intel Driver Update Utility.
Backup And Restore Windows 10 Not Working
Let us know if we missed anything.
TIP: Download this tool to quickly find & fix Windows errors automatically