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Original post : System Recovery Options: Guide for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10.
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This article is about the <strong>System Recovery Options set of tools</strong> available in these Windows versions: <strong>Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 </strong>and<strong> 10.</strong> For Windows XP systems, please see the <a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/recovery-console/">Recovery Console article</a> instead. [toc] These tools, grouped as System Recovery Options, can help you recover the Windows system from errors or restore your computer to a previous restore point. System Recovery Options contains the following tools available: <ul> <li><strong>Startup Repair.</strong> Startup Repair automatically scans your hard disk for errors and tries to fix the errors.</li> <li><strong>System Restore.</strong> System Restore can restore your computer to a previous restore point, if System Restore was enabled and a restore point was created.</li> <li><strong>Complete PC Restore</strong> or <strong>System Image Recovery.</strong> Complete PC Restore is available for Windows Vista systems (except the Windows Vista Home editions) and System Image Recovery is available for Windows 7 systems.</li> <li><strong>Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.</strong> This tool scan your computer's memory for errors.</li> <li><strong>Command Prompt.</strong> System Recovery Options allows you to access Command Prompt and run various command-line specific commands, such as bootrec or diskpart.</li> </ul> Depending on your Windows version, System Recovery Options can already be installed on your computer. If these tools aren't installed, you can access System Recovery Options with the original installation CD/DVD or USB (the media you used to install Windows). On most Windows 7 systems, these tools are already installed, while on Windows Vista systems are not. To check if you have System Recovery Options installed, follow these following steps: <ol> <li>Restart the computer</li> <li>As soon as your computer stars, press the <kbd>F8</kbd> key before the Windows logo appears</li> <li>When the <em>Advanced Boot Options</em> menu appears, check if you have a <strong>Repair your computer</strong> option listed:</li> <li>To continue, select <strong>Repair your computer</strong> and press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/09/Advanced-Boot-Options.jpg" alt="Advanced Boot Options on Windows 7" width="1024" height="768" /> Advanced Boot Options on Windows 7[/caption] The System Recovery Options screen can also have manufacturer-specific tools that can help you recover or restore your computer. For example, computers from Dell <a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/dell-recovery-partition/">can have the Dell Backup and Recovery Manager</a> tool installed: <img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/dell-backup-and-recovery-manager-system-options.png" alt="Dell Backup and Recovery Manager" width="430" /> Toshiba users <a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/toshiba-recovery-disk/">can have the TOSHIBA Recovery Wizard</a> tool: <img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/05/toshiba-windows-7-recovery-wizard.png" alt="Toshiba Recovery Wizard" /> <h2>System Recovery Options in Windows Vista</h2> <a href="#System_Recovery_Options_in_Windows_7">Similarly to Windows 7</a>, System Recovery Options can be accessed on a Windows Vista system with any of the following options: <ul> <li><a href="#Using_Advanced_Boot_Options">From Advanced Boot Options</a>, if the tools are already installed</li> <li><a href="#Using_the_installation_disc">From the original installation CD/DVD</a></li> </ul> <h3>Using Advanced Boot Options</h3> To boot into the Advanced Boot Options menu, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Restart your computer</li> <li>Press <kbd>F8</kbd> as soon as your computer starts to boot, but before the Windows Vista logo appears</li> <li>The <strong>Advanced Boot Options</strong> menu should now appear</li> <li>Select the <strong>Repair your computer</strong> option</li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> <li><strong>System Recovery Options</strong> should now be available <em class="">(You may need to select your time, keyboard and language preferences before the list of tools is displayed)</em></li> </ol> <h3>Using the installation disc</h3> If you still have the original Windows Vista disc, you can use it to access System Recovery Options: <ol> <li>Restart the computer</li> <li>Insert the Windows Vista installation disc</li> <li>At the "<em>Press any key to boot from CD or DVD...</em>" screen, press any key to boot from the DVD</li> <li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong> at the <em>Install Windows Vista</em> screen<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/windows-vista-repair-your-computer.png" alt="Install Windows Vista" /></li> <li>Choose the operating system from the list</li> <li><strong>System Recovery Options</strong> is now available: <em class="">(You may need to select the operating system from the presented list and click Next before the list of tools appears on your screen.)</em></li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/09/Advanced-Boot-Options-menu.png" alt="Windows Vista Advanced Boot Options screen" width="1024" height="768" /> Windows Vista Advanced Boot Options screen[/caption] <h2>System Recovery Options in Windows 7</h2> To access System Recovery Options on a Windows 7 system, you have the following options: <ol> <li>If the tools are installed on your PC, <a href="#Using_Advanced_Boot_Options-2">boot into Advanced Boot Options</a></li> <li>If you have the original installation CD/DVD, <a href="#Using_the_installation_disc-2">access the tools from the CD/DVD</a></li> </ol> <h3>Using Advanced Boot Options</h3> To access System Recovery Options using Advanced Boot options, you need to have the tools installed on your hard disk. Follow these steps: <ol> <li>Restart your computer</li> <li>Press <kbd>F8</kbd> before the Windows 7 logo appears</li> <li>At the <em>Advanced Boot Options</em> menu, select the <strong>Repair your computer</strong> option</li> <li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li> <li><strong>System Recovery Options</strong> should now be available</li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/09/Advanced-Boot-Options.jpg" alt="Windows 7 Advanced Boot Options screen" width="1024" height="768" /> Windows 7 Advanced Boot Options screen[/caption] <h3>Using the installation disc</h3> To access System Recovery Options using the original disc (installation CD or DVD), follow these steps: <ol> <li>Boot from the Windows 7 installation DVD</li> <li>At the "<em>Press any key to boot from CD or DVD...</em>" message, press any key to boot from the DVD</li> <li>At the <em>Install Windows</em> screen, select a language, time and keyboard</li> <li>Click <strong>Next</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong> or press <kbd>R</kbd></li> <li><strong>System Recovery Options</strong> is now available</li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/10/Install-Now-Windows-7.jpg" alt="Windows 7 Setup screen" width="800" height="600" /> Windows 7 Setup screen[/caption] <h2>System Recovery Options in Windows 8</h2> On Windows 8 and 8.1, the System Recovery Options set of tools is no longer called System Recovery Options. The recovery tools are available under the Troubleshoot > Advanced Options panel. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1100"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/windows-8-recovery-options-screen-troubleshoot.png" alt="Windows 8 Advanced Startup screen" width="1100" height="739" /> Windows 8 Advanced Startup screen[/caption] You can perform these 2 actions that can help you recover the computer: <ul> <li><a href="#Refresh">Refresh</a></li> <li><a href="#Reset">Reset</a></li> </ul> Other tools available, under the Advanced Options panel are: <ul> <li>System Restore</li> <li>Command Prompt</li> <li>System Image Recovery</li> <li><a href="#Automatic_Repair">Automatic Repair</a></li> <li>UEFI Firmware Settings</li> <li>Windows Startup Settings</li> </ul> If you can't boot into Windows 8 to perform a Refresh or Restore, you need to use the original installation DVD or USB key: <ol> <li>Insert the disc and restart your computer</li> <li>At the <em>Windows Setup</em> screen, click <strong>Next</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong> or press <kbd>R</kbd></li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="610"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/06/windows-8-repair-your-computer-screen.png" alt="Windows 8 Setup screen" width="610" height="430" /> Windows 8 Setup screen[/caption] If you don't have the installation media, you can try the following (note that these methods can work on some computer models, not all computers with Windows 8): <ul> <li>Press <kbd>F11</kbd> as your computer boots</li> <li>Press <kbd>F8</kbd> or <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>F8</kbd> as your computer boots</li> </ul> <h3>Refresh</h3> <p class="info">Refreshing your Windows 8 will not delete any of your personal files.</p> To perform a Refresh, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Go to <strong>Settings</strong> either by swiping in from the right edge of the screen or by pointing the mouse in the upper-right corner of the screen so that the Settings panel appears</li> <li>Click <strong>Change PC Settings</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Update and recovery</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Recovery</strong></li> <li>At the <em>Refresh your PC without affecting your files</em> section, click <strong>Get started</strong></li> <li>Follow the instructions on the screen</li> </ol> If you can't open the Settings panel, you can try this alternative: <ol> <li>Log in Windows 8</li> <li>Hold the <kbd>Shift</kbd> key</li> <li>Click <strong>Restart</strong> to restart the computer</li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="325"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-8-shift-restart.png" alt="Windows 8 Restart Menu" width="325" height="390" /> Windows 8 Restart Menu[/caption] <h3>Reset</h3> <p class="alert">Reseting your Windows 8 will delete all your personal files.</p> To perform a Reset, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Go to <strong>Settings</strong> either by swiping in from the right edge of the screen or by pointing the mouse in the upper-right corner of the screen so that the Settings panel appears</li> <li>Click <strong>Change PC Settings</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Update and recovery</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Recovery</strong></li> <li>Under the <em>Remove everything and reinstall Windows</em> section, click <strong>Get started</strong></li> <li>Follow the instructions on the screen</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_5051" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/W8_refreshreset-1024x768.png"><img class="wp-image-5051 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/W8_refreshreset-1024x768-1024x768.png" alt="Windows 8 Recovery Screen" width="980" height="735" /></a> Windows 8 Recovery Screen[/caption] If you can't open the Settings panel, you can try this alternative: <ol> <li>Log in Windows 8</li> <li>Hold the <kbd>Shift</kbd> key</li> <li>Click <strong>Restart</strong> to restart the computer</li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="325"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/windows-8-shift-restart.png" alt="Windows 8 Restart Menu" width="325" height="390" /> Windows 8 Restart Menu[/caption] <h3>Automatic Repair</h3> To open Automatic Repair on a Windows 8 system, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Boot into the recovery mode</li> <li>Click <strong>Troubleshooting</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Advanced Options</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Startup Repair</strong></li> <li>Select the operating system</li> <li>Select the Administrator account, if prompted to do so</li> <li>Wait for the Automatic Repair process to finish</li> <li>Click <strong>Shut down</strong> or <strong>Advanced options</strong>, once the process is complete</li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1100"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/windows-8-recovery-options-screen-troubleshoot.png" alt="Windows 8 Advanced Startup screen" width="1100" height="739" /> Windows 8 Advanced Startup screen[/caption] <h2>System Recovery Options in Windows 10</h2> Just like in Windows 10, the recovery tools in Windows 10 are available under the Troubleshoot > Advanced Options panel. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1100"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/windows-8-recovery-options-screen-troubleshoot.png" alt="Windows 10 Advanced Startup screen" width="1100" height="739" /> Windows 10 Advanced Startup screen[/caption] You can perform these 2 actions that can help you recover the computer: <ul> <li><a href="#Refresh">Refresh</a></li> <li><a href="#Reset">Reset</a></li> </ul> Other tools available, under the Advanced Options panel are: <ul> <li>System Restore</li> <li>Command Prompt</li> <li>System Image Recovery</li> <li><a href="#Automatic_Repair">Automatic Repair</a></li> <li>UEFI Firmware Settings</li> <li>Windows Startup Settings</li> </ul> If you can't boot into Windows 10 to perform a Refresh or Restore, you need to use the original installation DVD or USB key: <ol> <li>Insert the disc and restart your computer</li> <li>At the <em>Windows Setup</em> screen, click <strong>Next</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong> or press <kbd>R</kbd></li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_5053" align="alignnone" width="603"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/Win10_setup.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-5053" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/Win10_setup.png" alt="Windows 10 Setup screen" width="603" height="419" /></a> Windows 10 Setup screen[/caption] If you don't have the installation media, you can try the following (note that these methods can work on some computer models, not all computers with Windows 10): <ul> <li>Press <kbd>F11</kbd> as your computer boots</li> <li>Press <kbd>F8</kbd> or <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>F8</kbd> as your computer boots</li> </ul> <h3>Refresh</h3> <p class="info">Refreshing your Windows 10 will not delete any of your personal files.</p> To perform a Refresh, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Go to <strong>Settings</strong> either by swiping in from the right edge of the screen or by pointing the mouse in the upper-right corner of the screen so that the Settings panel appears</li> <li>Click <strong>Change PC Settings</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Update and recovery</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Recovery</strong></li> <li>At the <em>Refresh your PC without affecting your files</em> section, click <strong>Get started</strong></li> <li>Follow the instructions on the screen</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_5054" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/W10_recovery_screen.png"><img class="wp-image-5054 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/W10_recovery_screen-1024x768.png" alt="Windows 10 Recovery Screen" width="980" height="735" /></a> Windows 10 Recovery Screen[/caption] If you can't open the Settings panel, you can try this alternative: <ol> <li>Log in Windows 10</li> <li>Hold the <kbd>Shift</kbd> key</li> <li>Click <strong>Restart</strong> to restart the computer</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_5056" align="alignnone" width="262"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/Windows10_shutdown.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-5056" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/Windows10_shutdown.png" alt="Windows 10 Restart Menu" width="262" height="209" /></a> Windows 10 Restart Menu[/caption] <h3>Reset</h3> <p class="alert">Reseting your Windows 10 will delete all your personal files.</p> To perform a Reset, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Go to <strong>Settings</strong> either by swiping in from the right edge of the screen or by pointing the mouse in the upper-right corner of the screen so that the Settings panel appears</li> <li>Click <strong>Change PC Settings</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Update and recovery</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Recovery</strong></li> <li>Under the <em>Remove everything and reinstall Windows</em> section, click <strong>Get started</strong></li> <li>Follow the instructions on the screen</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_5054" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/W10_recovery_screen.png"><img class="wp-image-5054 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/W10_recovery_screen-1024x768.png" alt="Windows 10 Recovery Screen" width="980" height="735" /></a> Windows 10 Recovery Screen[/caption] If you can't open the Settings panel, you can try this alternative: <ol> <li>Log in Windows 10</li> <li>Hold the <kbd>Shift</kbd> key</li> <li>Click <strong>Restart</strong> to restart the computer</li> </ol> [caption id="attachment_5059" align="alignnone" width="262"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/Windows10_shutdown1.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-5059" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/12/Windows10_shutdown1.png" alt="Windows 10 Restart Menu" width="262" height="209" /></a> Windows 10 Restart Menu[/caption] <h3>Automatic Repair</h3> To open Automatic Repair on a Windows 10 system, follow these steps: <ol> <li>Boot into the recovery mode</li> <li>Click <strong>Troubleshooting</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Advanced Options</strong></li> <li>Click <strong>Startup Repair</strong></li> <li>Select the operating system</li> <li>Select the Administrator account, if prompted to do so</li> <li>Wait for the Automatic Repair process to finish</li> <li>Click <strong>Shut down</strong> or <strong>Advanced options</strong>, once the process is complete</li> </ol> [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1100"]<img src="/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/02/windows-8-recovery-options-screen-troubleshoot.png" alt="Windows 10 Advanced Startup screen" width="1100" height="739" /> Windows 10 Advanced Startup screen[/caption] <h2>More Information</h2> [partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="vista,7,8,10"]