Restoring your Windows
Microsoft may be on the cutting edge, but when Windows fails, there’s work ahead
Few computer problems can come close to the horror of having to re-install the Windows operating system and all of your programs. This unpleasant task can signal hours of work and frustration or plenty of money to get a technician to do it. How much time or money you’ll invest depends on how prepared you are for a computer disaster, and knowing how to use software and built-in tools.
This became abundantly clear to me recently when I fixed a Windows 10 computer rendered unusable by the removal of an adware program which hijacked the browser and downloaded intrusive advertising. Since it was not actually a virus the adware escaped detection by the resident anti-virus program, but when an anti-malware program was used to eradicate it, the Windows operating system was left critically damaged.
Restoring your Win 10 system may not require a lot of effort, but be prepared for much more work to follow. If you can start Windows 10 go into the Settings menu, click on Update and Security, then Recovery and finally Reset this PC. You can choose to have Windows 10 re-install itself and keep your Documents folder intact, or do a clean install with nothing saved. Either way you will have to reinstall all your programs.
But what will you do if Windows 10 can’t start or the Reset fails? If you upgraded from Windows 7 or 8.1 you did not get a disc and the free Win 10 upgrade period has long passed. Luckily, there are two solutions.
You can download a free version of Win 10 from Microsoft, transfer it to a disc or flash drive, and completely re-install the operating system. Win 10 uses a different method of activation than previous versions and, even if you change the computer’s hard drive, the reinstalled version of Win 10 will detect that there was previously an authorized version on the computer, and you won’t need a pass code to install it. You can use another computer to download the file and put it on a disc or flash drive if your computer is unworkable. The download and full instructions are at the Microsoft Win 10 site (http:// tinyurl.com/jr9wtgn).
The other alternative is to restore your computer to its factory condition. Every recent Windows computer or tablet has a hidden recovery partition that contains the original operating system. The recovery process differs by computer make but the PC Advisor Site (http://tinyurl.com/yd2kyt9l) has instructions and the possible key combinations needed to access the recovery partition.
Be aware that this will destroy all files and data on the hard drive and if your computer came with Windows 7 or 8 it will be restored to that version. If you want Win 10 you’ll have to download and reinstall it.
Needless to say, this task will become heartbreaking if you have not backed up your personal files, photos, music and videos. Before disaster strikes, get a flash drive or external hard drive and back up everything on your computer that you would hate to lose.
You also need to collect all of the discs that you used to install programs and store them someplace secure along with the installation codes needed to install the programs. If you downloaded software and paid for it then print out the receipts and record the installation keys since you’re going to need them to download new copies.
If you installed any version of Microsoft’s Office suite since 2010 and have lost the CD, or you downloaded the software, you can get a replacement version at the Microsoft Office Download site (http://tinyurl.com/jtw8ry9). However, you will need the installation product key written on the original CD case or online receipt. If you don’t know or can’t find the product key a free program called Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder (www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder) will scan your computer and find it, but do this before your computer crashes.
The only possible silver lining to this scenario is that a restored computer will run at peak efficiency and speed.