If you're having problems with your PC

[holdum333]

If you're having problems with your PC, the following table can help you decide which recovery option to use.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12415/windows-10-recovery-options

Problem	See this section
Your PC isn't working well and you recently installed an app, driver, or update.	Restore from a system restore point
Your PC isn’t working well and it’s been a while since you installed an app, driver, or update.	Reset your PC
Your PC won't start and you've created a recovery drive.	Use a recovery drive to restore or reset your PC
Your PC won't start and you haven't created a recovery drive.	Use installation media to restore or reset your PC
Your PC won't start, you haven't created a recovery drive, and resetting your PC didn't work.	Use installation media to reinstall Windows 10
You want to reinstall your previous operating system.	Go back to your previous version of Windows

 

 

 

[holdum333]

Hi there! The above are all good recovery options but here is my favorite when the repair and system restore point doesn't help!

If you're having problems with Windows 10 on your PC, you could use push-button reset to refresh or reset Windows.

Refresh your PC Fixes software problems by reinstalling the OS while preserving the user data, user accounts, and important settings. All other preinstalled customizations are restored to their factory state. In Windows 10, this feature no longer preserves user-acquired Windows apps.

Reset your PC prepares the PC for recycling or for transfer of ownership by reinstalling the OS, removing all user accounts and contents (e.g. data, Classic Windows applications, and Universal Windows apps), and restoring preinstalled customizations to their factory state.

The options above are great for what they are intended for, but you could also do a repair install of Windows 10 by performing an in-place upgrade without losing anything other than all installed Windows Updates.

This tutorial will show you how to do a repair install of Windows 10 by performing an in-place upgrade without losing anything.

http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/16397-repair-install-windows-10-place-upgrade.html

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do a repair install of Windows 10.

[holdum333]

Hi there! I just wanted to add this and make it a little cleaner! IMHO the best choice is the system restore point. Then try the repair(Never had much luck with that)

My next choice is repair install of windows 10. Then refresh and last choice is a reset. Your best offense is to create regular image back ups with a 3rd party image program on a external drive. There are several free programs out there. My favorite is Macrium Reflect!

[holdum333]

Hi! If you don't want to learn how to create a image with a 3rd party program, at least take the time to learn how to  create a image with this tutorial by our own @Brian I guarantee you there will be a day you will  glad you did this!

http://www.groovypost.com/howto/create-windows-10-system-image-backup/

 

[holdum333]

Hi! I thought I better back up what I preach. I just restored my PC with a W10 back up image that I created. It took about 30minutes. Every thing seems to be exactly like it was when I created the image. I still prefer a 3rd party image program rather than the the windows image feature in W10, but it does seem to work and is better than no back up!

 

[Rich-M]

I could not agree more with your post here with the exception I would rather try to fix the problem first before choosing all types of

restore situations I look as last resort, and not really fixes for issues and forums like this are a place to look for first solutions

so bring-em on and we'll try to help!

[holdum333]

1 hour ago, Rich-M said:

I could not agree more with your post here with the exception I would rather try to fix the problem first before choosing all types of

restore situations I look as last resort, and not really fixes for issues and forums like this are a place to look for first solutions

so bring-em on and we'll try to help!

Hi! @Rich-M LMAO. Don't mean to be disrespectful my friend, but I have just read some of your replies here on the forum, and you say you have rolled back all your PCs to W7, after having tons of issues with W10. Those restore options are for PC users that want a quick fix; and maybe they don't have the skills to fix the issues they are having like you do. LOL. It is my understanding that this forum deals mainly with W10 issues. If you aren't running W10 on your PC, IMHO it will be hard to suggest solutions to their problems.

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your input!

 

[Rich-M]

Rollbacks referred to are client unintended upgrades. My own were using Macrium image files as I make no major changes without making an image file of the existing system first and the change after done would be incremental.

Glad to be here.....oh and Windows is really Windows so regardless of what version you are on many things remain the same for a while as you well know and while I no longer personally run a Windows 10 pc, I have 5 new and rebuilt units recently built for sale I can refer to if necessary here.

[holdum333]

Hi! Macrium Reflect is a dear and old friend of mine. I have been using Macrium to create back up images for several years.

Instead  of rolling back a clients PC, have you thought about saving their data and doing a clean install. I have only had one PC in my village that I had to restore to factory and then upgrade it to W10. I have to confess, that one caught me by surprise and though I was able to complete the upgrade, I lost some data. That was very embarrassing to me, and from now on I will create a back up image before upgrading any more PCs.

http://www.groovypost.com/howto/windows-10-iso-download/

[Rich-M]

Sure I have and you can do a clean install of Windows 10 from the upgrade version available, but few want to pay for that after seeing Windows 10

in their failed upgrade version. They don't like it and it isn't what it was supposed to be. Remember the public was promised a compromise from Windows 8.1

and didn't get one. Shrinking the "Metro" page down to the size of a start menu still leaves the average user unsure how to us Windows 10.

[holdum333]

Hi ! I have no idea where we are in this conversation. If you have a verified W10 version of W10, there is no charge for doing a clean install, and you can do that as often as you like. W10 is a combination of W7& W8.1. What was it supposed to be? I haven't see any promise by MS of a compromise from W8.1. I'm thinking that's what you wanted it to be. Here's screen shot of my desktop. Looks just like my W7 did. The average user will see very little difference from their old OS!

[Rich-M]

I just meant Windows 10 was supposed to have a real start menu and all it has is a shrunken down "Metro" page

with no real lead in to programs available. You can empty it out and recreate it but I wouldn't buy it knowing I would need to spend a few hours

creating a proper Start Menu.

[holdum333]

Hi! @Rich-M I have no idea what you're saying! What is a real start menu? What is a "Metro" page?? How much time have you spent running W10?

Are you going to keep building new PC's for clients and not install W10 on them? There's no need to empty any thing out and recreate it. The W10 start menu is great like it is. Not that much different from W7 IMHO! What is a lead into programs??No need to buy it. The upgrade is free, but only for a few more days, and then W10 is 100$+

 

[Rich-M]

The Windows 10 Start Menu is nothing, repeat nothing like the Windows 7 Start Menu. You obviously never used Windows 8 and I didn't realize that but in Windows 8.0 you booted up to  a desktop filled with tiles (appeared to be icons) supposedly for every function you would want to do and that desktop was called "Metro". If you didn't find what you were looking for then you opened "All Applications" but for someone used to any other version of Windows, they were completely and totally lost. Windows 8.1 was promised to restore a program menu and while there was a slight one if you right clicked the "start" orb, it didn't include programs only centers of interest i.e. Device Manager, Control Panel, Disk Management and no programs making no real change other than the word "Metro" disappeared and was replaced with the word "Start" on that desktop.

New desktop units I have for sale have all been Windows 10 for some time though I do stock Windows 7 dvd's to use on desktops and laptop sales as my businesses want no part of Windows 8 or 10 for what they do. I have sold many Windows 10 units that were clean installs and only once  I was forced to do a new install of Windows 7 on as the hardware just wasn't working with 10. I had Windows 10 on my second desktop for almost 6 months before turning back to Windows 7 on that one. The laptops I have for sale all have Windows 7 and 8.1 on them as I cannot get a single sale with Windows 10 on them and most of my laptop sales this year were because I could put Windows 7 on them as those people who called me who I did not know, called me because word of mouth had spread I would give them whatever OS they wanted.

[holdum333]

You didn't have to boot into "Metro" No I never ran Windows 8, but I have worked on W8 here in my village. I will not reply further to your reply. Once again you have managed to hi-jack a thread and brag about you accomplishments and your repair business!