Backup, restore, and recovery in Windows

Windows Backup offers a comprehensive solution for safeguarding your important data. Windows Backup allows you to back up a wide range of items, including files, themes, settings, installed apps, and Wi-Fi information. This feature is designed to make it easier for users to transition to a new device by restoring their backed-up data seamlessly.

To use Windows Backup, you need to sign in with your Microsoft account. This ensures that your backed-up information is stored securely in the cloud, making it accessible from any device you sign into with the same account. The backup process is straightforward: you can select which folders to back up, such as Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos, and Music, and these will be synced to your OneDrive account. This integration with OneDrive not only provides a convenient way to back up your data but also ensures that your files are always up-to-date and accessible across all your devices.

To learn more, see Back up and restore with Windows Backup.

File History is a Windows feature designed to automatically back up your personal files, such as documents, photos, and videos. It continuously protects your files by saving copies of them to an external drive or network location. This allows you to easily restore previous versions of your files if they are lost, damaged, or accidentally modified.

To set up File History, you need to connect an external drive or configure a network location where the backups will be stored. Once enabled, File History will periodically scan your files for changes and create backups of the modified files. You can access these backups through the File History interface, where you can browse through different versions of your files and restore them as needed. This feature provides a simple and effective way to ensure that your important data is always protected and recoverable.

To learn more, see Backup and restore with File History.

System Protection is a feature designed to help safeguard Windows' system files and settings. It works by creating restore points, which are snapshots of the system's state at a particular moment in time. These restore points can be used to revert the system to a previous state in case of issues such as software malfunctions, driver problems, or other system errors. If enabled, System Protection automatically creates restore points before significant system events, like the installation of new software or updates, ensuring that you have a fallback option if something goes wrong.

In addition to automatic restore points, you can manually create restore points whenever you wish. This is particularly useful before making major changes to the system, such as installing new hardware or modifying system settings.

You can configure the amount of space allocated by System Protection for storing restore points, providing flexibility in managing system resources. By enabling System Protection, you can maintain the stability and reliability of your PC, minimizing the risk of data loss and system downtime.

To learn more, see:

• System Protection

• System Restore​​​​​​​

The Recovery area of the Settings app in Windows provides various options to help you troubleshoot and recover your system. Here is an overview of the key features available in this section:

• Fix problems using Windows Update: This feature reinstalls the current version of Windows on your device. The reinstall process preserves all your apps, documents, and settings, ensuring that you don't lose any important data

• Reset this PC: This option allows you to reset your PC to its factory settings. You can choose to keep your personal files or remove everything. This is useful if your system is corrupted or you want to start fresh

• Go back to the previous version of Windows: If you recently upgraded to a new version of Windows and are experiencing issues, this option allows you to revert to the previous version

• Advanced startup: This option restarts your computer to the Windows Recovery Environment, which includes various troubleshooting options such as System Restore, Startup Repair, Command Prompt, and more

To access Recovery Settings:

In the Settings app on your Windows device, select System > Recovery or use the following shortcut:

Recovery

To learn more, see:

• Reinstall Windows with Windows Update

• Reset your PC

• Go back

• Windows Recovery Environment

Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) is a powerful recovery platform that automatically activates when your PC fails to start. It includes tools like Startup Repair, which diagnoses and repairs unbootable Windows installations, and System Restore, which reverts your system to a previous state without affecting personal files. Additionally, it offers System Image Recovery, Command Prompt access for advanced troubleshooting, and the option to reset your PC to factory settings. Windows RE provides both automated and manual recovery options, making it a comprehensive solution for resolving a wide range of system issues.

To learn more, see Windows Recovery Environment.

The Media Creation Tool is a utility provided by Microsoft that allows users to create installation media for Windows. This tool can be used to download the latest version of Windows and create a bootable USB drive or DVD, which can then be used to perform in-place installations or brand-new installations of Windows.

To learn more, see:

• Create installation media for Windows

• Reinstall Windows with media

The Recovery Drive utility in Windows is designed to back up the essential files needed to restore your PC to its original state. It creates a USB recovery media that can help you restore your Windows device to its factory settings, even if you need to replace the hard drive (bare metal recovery).

Using the built-in Windows files, including the latest updates and any customizations from the PC manufacturer, the Recovery Drive creates a reliable backup. This media can later be used on the device it was created for, ensuring an efficient recovery process.

To learn more, see ​​​​​​​Recovery Drive​​​​​​​.

With System Restore you can revert your PC's state to a previous point in time. This can be particularly useful when troubleshooting issues caused by recent changes, such as software installations, driver updates, or system settings modifications. By using System Restore, you can undo these changes without affecting your personal files, providing a safe way to resolve problems without losing important data.

System Restore works by utilizing restore points, which are snapshots of the system's configuration and settings at a specific moment. These restore points can be created automatically or manually by the System Protection tool.

When a restore point is selected, System Restore reverts the system files, registry settings, and installed programs to the state they were in at the time the restore point was created. This helps maintain system stability and can be a valuable tool for recovering from unexpected issues.

To learn more, see:

• System Restore

• System Protection

A Windows repair disc is a bootable CD or DVD that contains tools to help troubleshoot and fix problems with your Windows operating system. It can be used to access system recovery options when Windows is unable to start normally. These options include System Restore, System Image Recovery, Startup Repair, and Command Prompt, which can help you restore your system to a previous state, recover from a system image, fix startup issues, and perform advanced troubleshooting tasks.

To create a system repair disc, you need a CD/DVD burned, a blank CD/DVD, and a computer running Windows.

To open Windows Repair Disc you can use one of the following methods:

• From Control Panel, under the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) section, select Create a system repair disc

• Use the command recdisc.exe

Once the repair disc is created, you can use it to boot your computer and access the recovery options, even if your system is unable to start normally.