How to set a restore point. Create a system restore point manually. How to roll back the system if there are no points available
Some operating system (OS) changes are undesirable. Using a restore point is one of the key features of Windows 10. It allows you to undo system changes that have a destructive effect on the OS. Information on how to create a restore point in Windows 10 is publicly available, but it wouldn’t hurt to describe this function in detail once again.
The essence of undoing the next changes is to roll back the drivers, registry and other components to the previous state. Windows 10 restore point - the OS before its unwanted transformations. This is not a return to the previous OS image, but a cancellation of critical changes to its key elements. Creating a Windows 10 restore point occurs automatically or manually. The second is recommended before optimizing OS startup and disabling some of its services in order to free up RAM.
The automatic generation of recovery points occurs as a result of special settings of the Windows 10 security system. The OS allows the elimination of some and the use of others at the user’s discretion. Read more about how to roll back Windows 10 to a restore point.
Setting up OS security
First of all, it is recommended to study the nuances of restoring Windows 10. To do this, by entering “Start”, you need to select the corresponding menu line “Control Panel”, and then “Recovery”. Then click “System Recovery Settings”. An alternative method of getting to the required window is to press the Win + R keys and enter systempropertiesprotection and confirm with the Enter button.
As a result, the settings menu will open, where it is checked for which drives protection is activated. Restore points are generated only for those that are marked, so the user can independently control the degree of OS security. In particular, if the protection of drive “C” is inactive, you can start it by clicking on it and clicking on “Configure”.
To continue, click “Enable system protection” and indicate the area required to form recovery points: the larger the space, the more of them are saved. As the virtual territory is filled, old data is deleted and automatically replaced with new ones.
Creating an OS restore point
To perform this operation, you must again enter the “System Protection” tab. Creating a restore point begins by clicking on “Start,” then “System,” and finally, “System Protection.”
Then press the “Create” key and set the name of the new element, then select “Create” again. After a few seconds the process ends automatically.
At the end of this procedure, data will appear on the computer’s hard drive that allows you to roll back the OS, if necessary, undoing changes that have occurred in system files that are critical for the normal operation of Windows 10. This feature will be extremely useful if the OS does not work correctly due to the installation of some software or other IT product.
The created recovery points are located in the closed System Volume Information folder in the root of the disks or their partitions selected in “System Protection”. However, the owner will not have access to them.
Rollback the OS to a restore point
It is important to remember the order in which the presented system capabilities are implemented. There are several ways to implement it: in the OS interface, using diagnostics in special boot modes and in safe mode, via the command line.
The standard method involves using a control panel. A prerequisite is that the OS must boot. You need to select “Recovery”, then click “Run system recovery”.
This will load the recovery wizard. The first window of its interface offers a recommended, automatically generated point. The second option is “Select another recovery point”, where in the list that appears you can click another one, formed in any way. After this, click “Finish”, after which the process of rolling back the OS to the selected state is completed.
An alternative method of using a restore point is to use special boot modes, which you can access through “Options”, “Update and Recovery” and “Recovery”.
It’s even easier from the lock screen: you need to click on “Power” in the lower right corner, and then, while holding Shift, select “Restart”.
In the special boot modes interface, select “Diagnostics”, then “Advanced options” and “System recovery”. Next, the user has the opportunity to roll back to the created restore points, for which they may need to enter the account password during the process.
The third method is to begin restoring the system to the selected state from the command line. This option will be indispensable for the only OS boot mode - safe. Enter rstrui.exe into the command line and press Enter. Next, the recovery wizard is launched in the graphical interface.
Eliminating Windows 10 restore points
The whole procedure will not take much time. To eliminate the created restore points, the user will again need to enter “System Protection”. Select the disk, click “Configure” and “Delete”. As a result, all points for the selected element are deleted.
Another option is to use the Windows 10 disk sanitization IT product. To load it, press Win and R, then enter cleanmgr, and after opening the software, click “Clean up system files.” Afterwards, select the disk for sanitization and go to the “Advanced” tab. All restore points are deleted there, except the final one.
And, finally, the final method of eliminating them from a computer’s hard drive is using the IT product CCleaner, which is provided to everyone absolutely free of charge. Its interface is simple and understandable to the Russian user, and the sequence of necessary actions is logical. To do this, find “Tools” in the program, click “System Restore” and select the restore point that needs to be deleted.
At first glance, the algorithm of actions is confusing, but in reality it turns out that it is only difficult at the beginning. Having tried several ways to create points and rolled back the system a couple of times, the user achieves the desired effect and sees the benefits of this indispensable function.
Windows 7 provides users with a convenient rollback to a checkpoint feature that allows them to quickly restore the system after a failure. But, despite its simplicity, the rollback procedure sometimes causes difficulties. The most common problem is finding a suitable restore point.
View available points
If you want to perform a system rollback, you will need a list of all available checkpoints to select the appropriate date. The built-in System Restore tool will help you get this kind of information and roll back Windows. The easiest way to find it is through the Start menu.
After launching the recovery window, a list will appear with checkpoints to which you can roll back Windows. To see all points, click "Show others". The list will show points that Windows automatically created, as well as points that you manually set. In the “Type” column you can see who is the author of the tag. Pay attention to the description - it helps you understand what changes will be made after a system rollback (if the point is created automatically). 
Be sure to run the “Search for affected programs” - this feature will help you determine which applications will be added/removed as a result of Windows recovery.
You can also view all restore points in CCleaner:
A list of all available Windows points appears along with the date they were created. You can manage markers by deleting unnecessary points (only the most recently created point will be unavailable for deletion).
System Volume Information
The check marks are displayed when running the standard system recovery tool and are detected and displayed by the CCleaner utility. But where are the points physically located?
Recovery files are stored in the System Volume Information system folder. It is located in the root of each hard drive partition and is created automatically when the system protection function is enabled. However, you won’t be able to get inside the directory - you first need to make it visible, and then also get special rights.
Open “Computer” and go to the partition where system protection is enabled. You will see the System Volume Information folder, but you will not be able to enter it - when you try to log in, Windows will inform you that the location is inaccessible and you are denied access. 
If you want to view the files in which system restore points are stored, you will have to give your account special rights:
The Permission Items window opens. Here you need to specify several access parameters:
After clicking OK, your account will appear in the Permission Items list. This means that you can now open the System Volume Information directory and see what is in it. 
First, let's figure out what a system restore point is and why it is needed.
System restore points are one way to undo recent changes to operating system settings. If something goes wrong with your computer’s settings after certain actions, a third-party user or your child messes with the computer’s settings, this function will help you.
Important! Please note that this is not another backup method, but only a feature for some settings. It will not be possible to completely restore the operating system.
For different versions of Windows OS, there are completely different ways to create restore points, so below we will look at each in turn. We have specially selected the optimal way to find the necessary menu items without going into details and without wandering through unnecessary directories.
In this version of the OS, a system restore point is created through a special tool in the system properties, which is similar in its simplicity to the standard boot wizard.
Windows 7 provides especially many ways to find this menu through various directories, but here we will describe the simplest and most convenient for the average user.
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
Video - How to create a restore point on Windows 7
Windows 8
Creating a restore point on this version of Windows is very similar to the previous one, but there are some features that appeared only on this system.
Windows 10
For this version of Windows, you should follow a simpler algorithm to get to the control window. This became possible thanks to a more convenient location of the search button in this version of the Microsoft operating system.
- In the search bar, which is located right on the toolbar, right next to the multifunctional “Start” button, enter the request “Create a restore point”, and click on the first option with the control panel icon, which will give a selection. Thus, we immediately find ourselves in the already familiar traditional “System Protection” menu.
- Select a point name that is convenient and understandable for you and click “Create”.
- We are waiting for the process of creating a restore point to complete.
So, now you can create on all modern versions of Windows.
Enjoy and convenient use!
Video - How to create a Windows 10 restore point
Let's look at how to create a restore point in Windows 7. You should also figure out how to disable the corresponding mode. Thanks to this approach, in the event of an unexpected situation, you can return to the previously specified settings.
How to create a restore point and restore the system in Windows 7
Let's start by clarifying what this is. This is a function that allows you to make a restore point in Windows 7. When recovery is active, a copy of the most important system materials and settings is automatically created on the computer before installing drivers or programs, as well as after a set period of time.
Note that you can create Windows 7 manually. We will discuss how to do this in more detail later. You may have a question - why is a Windows 7 restore point created? It should be noted that this is a very useful function. If a certain problem occurs during the computer boot process, you can perform a full or partial system rollback.
In other words, you can restore system files using Windows 7 checkpoint recovery, created, for example, a couple of days ago, at a time when the computer was working perfectly.
This solution will save your time, and in some cases may even save you money. We recommend that you enable the recovery function and, if necessary, manually create points.
How to create a restore point and activate the process in Windows 7
First, let's check the settings; most likely, initially you have all the necessary functions enabled. Right-click Computer and select Properties. Next, on the right, use “Advanced system settings”, then in the window that appears, go to the “System Protection” tab.
If the protection settings next to one (at least) local drive is marked “Enabled,” then the system restore function is enabled and a Windows 7 restore point will be created. However, if it says "Disabled" all over, the above feature needs to be enabled. To do this, specify one of the listed local drives, and then click the “Configure” button.
You can, for example, select the partition in which you have the most memory. A window will open, and in it you need to point to “Restore system settings”. Next, use the slider below to specify the maximum amount of hard drive space that you want to allocate for creating recovery points. When new points are created, old ones will be deleted. Click “Apply”. After this, the system will inform you that recovery is enabled. This means that if a problem occurs with your personal computer, you will be able to restore Windows, even if the system does not boot.
Disabling System Restore
If you want to disable it, you can do this without much difficulty. Specify a local drive with recovery enabled and click Configure. Note that the Windows 7 system restore point can also disappear at your request.
In the window that opens, simply check the box next to the item that disables system protection, and then click “Apply.” You will see a special warning, in it you should click the “Yes” button. This will disable System Restore.
Create a restore point manually
Remember that you should create a restore point before installing certain programs or before making significant changes to the settings. If for certain reasons you are not sure that your actions are “harmless”, it is better to create a restore point in order to be able to return the system parameters to their original position.
To manually create a point, you need an active system restore state. You need to go to system properties, switch to the tab called “System Protection”. Click the “Create” button. Next, enter the name of the restore point. You should wait a bit for the system to complete the setup. Click the "Close" button. Now everything is ready, you can safely install a new driver or program.
Restoring the "Eighth Version" system
If we talk about the means of restoring this operating system, then first of all it is necessary to make the initial protection settings. Make sure that System Restore is enabled for the partition that contains the Windows files (usually Drive C). Specify the amount of space required for System Protection to work.
It is worth noting that this system now has the ability to restore using a disk or installation CD specially created for this purpose. You can also restore Windows 8 without deleting user files. At the same time, you can run a special program designed for this purpose directly on a running system or in the case when Windows 8 refuses to boot.
Recovery Images
We emphasize that using the system you can create 2 recovery images. The first one works with the “Refresh” program. If you use this tool, a complete Windows 8 recovery procedure will occur; personal files will not be touched, but installed programs will be deleted, and system settings will be reset to their original settings.
If you decide to create an image using the command line, Refresh will use this image for recovery, and will not need the Windows 8 installation disk. In this case, the system settings and programs you installed will not be reset. They will return to the state that was current at the time of creation of this image.
An image created using this method will not be suitable if you need to perform a recovery when the main disk partition is completely formatted or the system partition is accidentally deleted.
File recovery
The second method is suitable for creating a full backup image. This solution involves creating a second image using a tool in the Control Panel called File Recovery. In this way, you can restore a new Windows system completely to an empty hard drive.
In practice
For example, you create a Windows 8 system image and put it on the drive (D:), then remove Windows 8 completely from the main drive (C:) to install Windows 7. Having used the previous system, you realize that you do not like it completely least. Then you can easily restore the original Windows 8, which will include all your programs and files.
All this is possible thanks to a pre-prepared image. The new system has changed the options for logging in. There are now many ways to do this. For example, the transition is possible directly from a running operating system. This is also possible if you were unable to boot Windows at all.
Note that the ability to restore previous versions of files, which are familiar from Windows 7, has been replaced by a special tool called “File History”.
Windows 8
The recovery tool is significantly different from the one that must first be enabled for the partition in which the system is installed. This feature should be enabled by default. The operating system independently creates a restore point before events that are significant to it.
For example, the specified action will occur before installing a driver or program. Using restore points can help even if the operating system is infected with a virus.
In the settings window, select the drive (C:) or another system drive and click “Configure”. Next, you need to check the box to enable system protection and specify the parameters for maximum space use within 15%. This figure is enough for stable operation of the protection function of your system partition containing Windows 8 installed.
Don't forget to click "Apply" and then "OK". You can enable protection for other sections as well. You should periodically create new restore points yourself. In the appropriate section, click “Create”. Come up with a suitable name. Click “Create” again and you’re done. To apply the created point, go to “Settings”, select “Control Panel”, then “Recovery”, finally, launch System Restore by selecting the appropriate function. So we looked at how to create a restore point in Windows 7, as well as a similar option in Windows 8.
Restore points are quite useful. With their help, the user can roll back changes made to the system. This will help eliminate crashes and errors caused by newly installed programs or bugs. They are created automatically when installing programs and drivers, however, they can also be created manually. More details about backups in Windows will be discussed in this article.
How to enable the creation of restore points
The OS itself makes backup copies when installing utilities or at certain times, however, this service can be disabled by user or you need to create a backup yourself.
To begin with, you need to get into control Panel, after which you need to go to point Recovery. In the section that opens, click on Setting up system recovery.
After this, a menu will open in the section System protection, in which you can perform all the necessary actions.
There are several other ways to launch this menu. Firstly, you can right-click on Computer and go to its Properties, in a new window, on the left side you need to click on System protection.
The second method involves using the Run utility, which can be called by holding win+r, after which you need to enter the command systempropertiesprotection. Any of these methods will allow you to get into such a window. 
Here you can see whether backup is enabled and for which disks. Typically the default system disk enabled, and the rest are turned off unless otherwise configured for them. The user can click on the drive of interest, and then find the settings item. 
In this window you can select options— whether the backup option will be enabled or not, as well as what exactly will be restored. It is possible to set the saving of windows settings and files or only files. At the same time, you can see how much space such information takes up, and also determine the amount of space that will be allocated for saving system parameters.
How to create a restore point
In the same menu mentioned earlier, you can also immediately create new backup. To do this, you just need to click on Create. After this, a window will be displayed in which you will need to enter its description. Next, it will take some time to complete the process, after which all the necessary data will be saved. 
How to rollback to a previous state
If you need to roll back Windows, you can do this from the same menu, however, there are other ways to find the desired setting. You can go to the control panel, go to restoration, and then launch it. 
To get here through the utility, you should enter rstrui command. One way or another, after all the actions, such a window will open. 
In this window you should select next, but in the next window select the date on which the rollback will be made. 
By choosing to search for affected programs, you can see what data will be affected and which files will be reverted to the previous version. This action does not affect documents and data only files and parameters programs and OS. Searching for data can take a very long time, it all depends on the version of Windows and the speed of the PC.
After making your selection, click on next and wait for the settings rollback process to complete. The computer will reboot. After rolling back the OS, most problems and system failures can be eliminated if they did not appear before the time when the copy was made.
How to view available points
This section will describe ways to view saved backups.
Using System Restore
This method involves the use of standard utilities, as described above. The simplest thing is to hold down win+r and enter rstrui, in the window that appears, click Next, after which the user is taken to the list of available elements for rollback.
CCleaner application
You can also use this free utility. You will need to download it and install it on your computer. Next, in the left menu, you should select Service section, and then proceed to system recovery. From this menu you can view or delete all available copies. 
Checking storage location - System Volume Information
This folder stores all the data for Windows rollback, however, you won’t be able to get into it just like that; first you will have to do several steps. First of all, you need to go to the control panel and go to Folder options.
In this window you will have to go to the View tab, after which you need to find the item “ Hide protected system files" and uncheck it. 
This folder can be seen in the root of the drive for which parameter backup is enabled. 
You can get into it only by obtaining the necessary access rights. First you need to click on the RMB directory and select properties, in the new window you need to go to Safety. 
In this section you will need to select "Advanced". At point Permissions Click on the Continue button; for all these actions you must have administrator rights. 
In the new window you need to click on Add, then enter account name.
Next, you will need to set all the necessary rights, and also apply them to this folder and all subfolders. After this, you can go to the directory and see the data that is necessary to perform the rollback. You won't be able to delete them manually, but you can use the built-in disk cleanup utility.
Restore Point Creator application for working with points
Much can be done in Windows using standard tools, however, not everything. There is a program for working with system backups Restore Point Creator. With its help, the user will be able to delete individual backups, and not all at once. There is also the ability to view the number of megabytes that are allocated for each copy of the Windows state, and it is also possible to configure not only the automatic creation, but also the automatic deletion of system backups. 
It is better to download it from the official website www.toms-world.org/blog/restore_point_creator.
How to roll back the system if there are no points available
This section provides some advice on what to do if the user does not have copies in the OS that can be rolled back to.
Required Tools
The user needs media with LiveCD or recorded Windows. You will have to do it on another device if this has not been done in advance.
Setting boot priority in BIOS
First, the user will need to go into the BIOS. To do this you need to press del orf2 at the initial stage of loading. If it doesn’t work, then you should look at what keys the computer asks you to press to enter bios. After logging in you will need to go to loading point or boot. In device priority, the first thing you should do is set a flash drive or other media with a LiveCD. After which you can press f10, which will allow you to save the settings and exit the menu. 
We use an archived copy of the registry
After booting from the drive, you need to copy all important data and documents to the media so as not to lose them in case of unexpected failures. After this you should go to the directory Windows\System32\config\RegBack, which contains a copy of the registry. You need to copy all files from it and move them to Windows\System32\config\. You can also rename the data in this folder to avoid losing it. This will give you a chance to cancel actions if replacing the data does not bring the desired result. 
What to do if restore points are missing
Typically, all data is erased by the user himself when he runs the Disk Cleanup utility or one of the utilities for optimizing computer performance. In this case, you should carefully study their settings and uncheck the boxes to delete this data. There may be an option that the creation of points is not specified at all, in this case you need to check everything, how to get to the desired point is described at the beginning of the article.
There is another option for data disappearance. This may happen due to paging file fragmentation. In this case, you should go to the computer properties, log in to the system, then go to performance and set a fixed paging file size for each disk. Then you need to find pagefile.sys and delete it. Next, you should defragment the disk. The problem may go away after deleting the old file and setting a new one with a specific fixed value.
If the user has installed two Windows OS, then the backups will exist only until the moment he logs into the second OS. Here you need to look for solutions for each case separately, and then they may not exist.
How to cancel recovery
It may turn out that the rollback will not solve the problems, in which case it can be canceled. To do this, you will need to run the same tool as for the recovery itself. When you launch it, the following window will appear. 
All that remains is to select the first option and wait for the end of the process, which is identical to Windows rollback. If such a window does not appear, then you should go to the list of points. Every time the system is rolled back, a checkpoint is first created, so you need to select it and carry out the same procedure again, which will return everything to its previous position.
No restore point is created
Here are several ways to solve the problem if it is not possible to create new points.
Using Safe Mode
When starting the PC, you should pressf8, and then start the system in safe mode. Only the most important functions work in it, so you can activate Windows rollback feature, all services and utilities, except system ones, will be disabled and nothing can interfere with the procedure.
Checking system protection
If the points are not created, you must first right-click on the computer, go to management and select services there. It is worth checking whether services such as Volume Shadow Copy And Windows Backup. They are responsible for storing the necessary data.
It’s worth going into the standard utility again and making sure that the function is enabled for the system drive.
Checking availability of free space
It is worth checking how much space is left on the disk for which the point is being created. Usually Windows itself deletes old data to save new ones, but anything can happen. If there is little space, then you should clean the disk manually or using one of the utilities.
Uninstalling ASRock XFast USB utility
The problem may also lie in this program from the manufacturer ASRock. It’s worth first removing it for a while, after which restart your computer and try again to manually create a backup.
Using System Restore
In the eight there was such a function as Refresh Your PC. It is capable of returning the system to almost its original state, while preserving settings, all applications and data. In fact, this is an analogue of recovery, however, not all settings and parameters are transferred, for example, the firewall and a few other things will have to be configured again.
You should press win+w and find . After it starts, most system files will be reset, then you can try to create a backup again, most of the problems can be solved by resetting Windows. 
Now the reader knows everything about how to use restore points in windows 7 and windows 8, and also knows about troubleshooting methods related to this service.