This chapter covers the following subjects:
• Configuring a USB Recovery Drive: A USB recovery drive enables you to boot your computer and perform a repair should your computer become nonfunctional. This section shows you how to create a USB recovery drive.
• System Restore and Restore Points: This feature enables you to restore your computer to a previous point in time. You need to know how to recover your computer from problems caused by improper configuration, malware, or other situations. You can also refresh the Windows 10 operating system back to its factory settings. Push Button Reset is especially useful for Windows mobile and tablet computers. Windows 10 enables you to configure several options related to restore points, including the drives from which data is restored, the space used by restore points, and the ability to manually create or delete restore points.
• Resolving Hardware and Device Issues: This section discusses the use of Device Manager to resolve driver problem, including conflicts.
• Driver Rollback: When a faulty driver has been installed that results in problems with some hardware component, you can roll back the driver to a previous version. This section shows you how to perform driver rollback.
This chapter covers the following objectives for the 70-697 and 70-698 exam:
Configure system recovery: Configure a recovery drive, configure system restore, perform a refresh or recycle, perform a driver rollback, configure restore points, resolve hardware and device issues, interpret data from Device Manager, perform recovery operations using Windows Recovery.
As users work with their Windows 10 computers, increasingly large amounts of programs, data, and other items accumulate on the hard drive. As you
learned in Chapter 19, "Monitoring and Managing Windows," the computer's performance tends to slow down for a variety of reasons. Now we go a step further—any of a number of factors can cause a computer to become
unresponsive and result in the need for system recovery actions. Windows 10 offers several technologies for repairing and recovering computers that are responding slowly or that have stopped responding entirely. As a desktop support technician or network administrator, it is important that you are capable of performing system recovery, both for the real world and for the 70-697 and 70-698 exams.
“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz
The “Do I Know This Already?” quiz allows you to assess whether you should read this entire chapter or simply jump to the “Exam Preparation Tasks” section for review. If you are in doubt, read the entire chapter. Table 20-1 outlines the major headings in this chapter and the corresponding “Do I Know This Already?” quiz questions. You can find the answers in Appendix A, “Answers to the ‘Do I Know This Already?’ Quizzes.”
Table 20-1. “Do I Know This Already?” Foundation Topics Section-to- Question Mapping
Foundations Topics Section Questions Covered in This Section
Configuring a USB Recovery Drive 1–2
System Restore and Restore Points 3–9
Resolving Hardware and Device Issues 10
Driver Rollback 11
Caution
The goal of self-assessment is to gauge your mastery of the topics in this chapter. If you do not know the answer to a question or are only partially sure of the answer, you should mark that question as wrong for purposes of the self-assessment. Giving yourself credit for an answer you correctly guess skews your self-assessment results and might provide you with a false sense of security.
1. You want to ensure that you can fully restore your computer to its
operating system in the event of a hardware failure. Which of the following should you do to accomplish this objective with the least amount of
administrative effort?
a. Create a system recovery disc.
b. Create a system state backup.
c. Create a USB recovery drive.
d. Create a Complete PC Backup.
2. Which of the following items are included in a backup created by the System Restore applet in Windows 10? (Choose all that apply.)
a. Registry
b. DLL cache folder c. User profiles d. User libraries
e. Installed application executables f. COM+ and WMI information
3. You have downloaded and installed an application that you thought would improve your productivity, but you discover that this application has
overwritten several drivers and other essential files. You would like to return your computer to its status as of the day before you downloaded the
application. What should you do to accomplish this task with the least amount of effort?
a. Roll back the affected drivers.
b. Restore your user profile to that of the most recent backup created before the application was downloaded.
c. Restore your operating system from a system image backup.
d. Use System Restore and specify the desired date.
4. You want to fully restore your computer to the manufacturer's default functionality because of a virus infestation that has affected multiple
locations on the hard drive. Which type of recovery should you use for this restore?
a. Windows Complete PC Backup b. Push-button reset
c. Windows Backup and Restore d. System Repair Disc
e. System Restore
5. Which three of the following actions will enable you to choose Advanced Startup Options on a Windows 10 Pro computer that has no other operating system installed on it? (Each correct answer presents a complete solution.
Choose three.)
a. Restart your computer and press F8 after the POST sequence has completed.
b. From the Settings app, select Update & Security. Then from the Windows Update window, click Recovery and then click Restart Now under
Advanced startup.
c. From the logon screen, click the Power icon in the bottom-right corner of this screen and then hold the Shift key down while clicking Restart.
d. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select the Change PC Settings option. Then from the PC Settings window, click General and then click Restart Now.
e. Boot your computer from the Windows 10 installation DVD. When the languages preferences screen appears, click Next, and then click Repair Your Computer.
6. You use a USB recovery drive to start your computer and choose the
Troubleshoot option. Which of the following recovery options can you select to repair your computer? (Choose three.)
a. Refresh Your PC b. Reset Your PC c. Advanced Options d. Device Driver Rollback e. Recovery Console
7. You install a new video driver and reboot your computer. The display shows a large number of horizontal lines and nothing is legible, so you are unable to log on. You reboot your computer, access the Choose an Option screen, and select Troubleshoot to select troubleshooting options. What should you do to correct this problem with the least amount of effort?
a. From the Troubleshoot screen, select Refresh Your PC.
b. From the Troubleshoot screen, select Reset Your PC.
c. From the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced Options. Select Startup
Settings and then select Enable Low-Resolution Video. Then perform a device driver rollback.
d. From the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced Options. Select Startup Settings and then select Enable Safe Mode. Then perform a device driver rollback.
e. Use the system repair disc to reboot your computer and then select the System Restore option.
8. Your computer's hard disk has failed, and you have installed a new 1.5 TB hard disk. You are lucky enough to have created a system image backup a week ago. What should you do to get your computer up and running again with the least amount of effort and without losing your installed applications?
a. Start your computer with a USB recovery drive and choose the option to use a system image you created earlier to recover your computer.
b. Start your computer with a USB recovery drive and choose the option to reinstall Windows.
c. Start your computer with a USB recovery drive and choose the System Restore option.
d. Start your computer with a Windows 8.1 DVD and perform an in-place upgrade of Windows.
9. You have downloaded an interesting application from the Internet, but are afraid that it might contain a malicious component. Some of your friends have suggested that you not install this application, but you'd really like to give it a try. What should you do before installing the application so that you can recover your computer if necessary by using the least amount of effort?
a. Use System Restore to manually create a restore point.
b. Boot your computer to Safe Mode and install the application; then try running the application before booting back to a regular startup.
c. Use File History to create a backup of all your data files before installing
the application.
d. Use Windows Backup and Restore to create a system image backup.
10. You had a problem with your computer a few days ago and are afraid it may happen again. But you have not been able to find a solution and do not have any notifications that a solution has been found. Where can you go to check for a solution right away?
a. Action Center b. Device Manager
c. Security and Maintenance d. System Information
11. An update that you downloaded from the Internet has resulted in your sound card not working. Checking Device Manager, you discover that the sound card is using a problematic driver. What should you do to correct this problem most rapidly?
a. Roll back the affected driver.
b. Download and install a new driver from the sound card manufacturer's website.
c. Use System Restore and specify a date before the download occurred.
d. Use a system repair disc to repair your computer.
Foundation Topics
Configuring a USB Recovery Drive
You can use a USB recovery drive to boot your computer to the Windows Recovery Environment discussed later in this chapter should you need to
recover from a serious error or to restore Windows on your computer. This procedure relies on a recovery image found on many computers that can be used to refresh your computer. This image is typically stored on a dedicated recovery partition, and is generally 3–6 GB in size.
Use the following procedure to create a USB recovery drive:
Step 1. Click Start and scroll the app list to expand Windows System. Then choose Control Panel > System and Security > Save Backup Copies of Your Files with File History.
Step 2. In the File History applet, select the Recovery option.
Step 3. You receive the Advanced Recovery Tools dialog box shown in Figure 20-1. Click Create a Recovery Drive. If you receive a UAC prompt, click Yes.
Figure 20-1. Recovery Applet Includes Three Advanced Recovery Tools
Step 4. The Recovery Drive Wizard starts with the Create a Recovery Drive page shown in Figure 20-2. If your computer has a recovery partition, the check box shown will be available. Ensure that it is selected, and then click Next.
Figure 20-2. Creating a Recovery Drive
Step 5. After a few seconds, the Select the USB Flash Drive page appears, as shown in Figure 20-3. If more than one drive is available, select the desired drive and then click Next.
Figure 20-3. Selecting a USB Drive for Creating the Recovery Drive
Step 6. You are warned that everything on the selected drive will be deleted.
If you need to back up any files, click Cancel and copy these files before proceeding. When ready, click Create to proceed.
Step 7. The wizard tracks the process of formatting the drive, copying
utilities, and completes the process. When informed that the recovery drive is ready, click Finish.
Caution
Make sure that nothing of importance is stored on the flash drive before using it to create a recovery drive! The procedure given here will erase everything stored on the USB recovery drive, so copy any important data from the drive to another location before creating the USB recovery drive.
Note
For more information on creating a recovery drive, refer to "Create a USB Recovery Drive" at https://support.microsoft.com/en-
us/help/17422/windows-8-create-usb-recovery-drive.
Performing Recovery Operations Using Windows Recovery
Windows now includes many recovery operations you can use to repair a troubled system, and these operations are easier to perform and more reliable when you have prepared for issues by creating a USB recovery drive. The USB recovery drive is used to automatically recover a computer that will not start normally by loading a Startup Repair routine that provides several
recovery options. The following are some of the problems that Startup Repair can attempt to repair:
• Missing, corrupted, or incompatible device drivers
• Missing or corrupted system files or boot configuration settings
• Improper or corrupted Registry keys or data
• Corrupted disk metadata, such as the master boot table, boot sector, or partition table
Startup Repair provides a diagnostics-based, step-by-step troubleshooting tool that enables end users and tech support personnel to rapidly diagnose and repair problems that are preventing a computer from starting normally. When Startup Repair determines the problem that is preventing normal startup, it attempts to repair this problem automatically. If it is unable to do so, it provides support personnel with diagnostic information and suggests additional recovery options.
Use the following procedure to run the USB recovery drive and invoke Startup Repair:
Step 1. Insert the USB recovery drive and restart your computer. If
necessary, press a key to boot the computer from the USB recovery drive as opposed to the hard disk. If your BIOS does not support booting from a USB drive, you need to boot from the Windows 10 installation DVD and then insert the USB recovery drive.
Step 2. If you are booting from the USB recovery drive, the Choose Your Keyboard Layout screen appears. Select your desired layout.
Step 3. The Windows 10 logo and progress indicator appears. Then the Choose an Option dialog box, shown in Figure 20-4, appears.
Figure 20-4. Choose an Option Screen Appearing After Booting with the USB Recovery Drive
Step 4. Select Troubleshoot and then from the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced Options. The Advanced Options screen shown in Figure 20-5 is displayed. Select Startup Repair.
Figure 20-5. Troubleshoot Screen During Windows 10 Recovery
Step 5. On the Startup Repair screen, you are asked to choose a target operating system. Choose the one you want to repair, or the Windows 10 selection if there is only one available.
Step 6. The computer displays Diagnosing Your PC for a few minutes while it checks for issues.
Step 7. If Windows finds a problem that it can fix, it prompts you to restart the computer.
Step 8. Startup Repair searches for problems. If it does not detect any problem, it informs you and offers links to Shut Down the computer or to Advanced Options, which displays the options from Figure 20-5. It also displays the location of the log file created during the diagnosis procedure.
Step 9. If Startup Repair detects and repairs a problem, it displays a message informing you that it repaired the problem successfully.
Step 10. When you are finished, click Shut Down to shut down your computer normally. You can then start the computer from the normal boot drive.
System Restore and Restore Points
First introduced with Windows XP, System Restore enables you to recover from system problems such as those caused by improper system settings, faulty drivers, and incompatible applications. It restores your computer to a previous condition without damaging any data files, such as documents and email. System Restore is useful when problems persist after you have
uninstalled incompatible software or device drivers, or after downloading problematic content from a website, or when you are having problems that you cannot diagnose, but that have started recently.
During normal operation, System Restore creates snapshots of the system at each startup and before major configuration changes are started. It stores these snapshots and manages them in a special location on your hard drive. It also copies monitored files to this location before any installation program or Windows itself overwrites these files during application or device
installation. These snapshots include backups of the following settings:
• Registry
• DLL cache folder
• User profiles
• COM+ and WMI information
• Certain monitored system files
System restore points are not the same as data backup. System Restore can restore applications and settings to an earlier point in time, but it does not back up or restore any personal data files. Use the File History application to back up personal data files or recover any that have been deleted or damaged.
Configuring System Restore
You can run System Restore from the System Properties dialog box. The following steps show you how:
Step 1. Access the Control Panel System applet from the System and Security category. In Windows, you can also right-click Start and choose System> About, and then click System info under Related Settings. You can also click Open System Restore in the Recovery applet previously shown in Figure 20-1 (skip to Step 3).
Step 2. On the left pane of the System applet, select System Protection.
Step 3. If you receive a UAC prompt, click Yes. This opens the System Protection tab of the System Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 20-6.
Figure 20-6. System Protection Tab of the System Properties Dialog Box with a System Restore Option
Step 4. Click System Restore to open the System Restore dialog box, as shown in Figure 20-7. You can also access this dialog box by typing restore into the taskbar Search text box, and clicking Create a Restore Point.
Figure 20-7. System Restore Dialog Box Enabling You to Restore System Files and Settings
Tip
If your computer has System Protection turned off, the System Restore button will be grayed out, and you cannot select it. Turn on System Protection by clicking the Configure button shown in Figure 20-6, select Turn on System Protection, and then click OK.
Tip
If the System Restore dialog box informs you that no restore points have been created, click Cancel to return to the System Protection tab and then click Create to create a restore point. When informed that the restore point was created successfully, click Close. We discuss creating and configuring restore
points later in this chapter.
Step 5. Click Next to display the Restore Your Computer to the State It Was in Before the Selected Event page.
Step 6. If you want to restore your computer to the date and time mentioned, leave the default of Recommended Restore selected, and then click Next to skip to Step 8 of this procedure. To choose a different restore point, select Choose a Different Restore Point, and then click Next to display the
Restore Your Computer to the State It Was in Before the Selected Event page shown in Figure 20-8.
Figure 20-8. System Restore Enabling You to Select the Date and Time to Which You Want to Restore Your Computer
Step 7. Select a date and time to which you want to restore your computer, and then click Next.
Step 8. In the Confirm Your Restore Point dialog box shown in Figure 20-9, note the warning to save open files and then click Finish to perform the restore.
Figure 20-9. Confirming Your Choice of Restore Point
Step 9. You receive a message box informing you that System Restore may not be interrupted and cannot be undone if being performed from Safe Mode.
Click Yes to proceed. The computer performs the restore, and then shuts down and restarts.
Step 10. Log back on as an administrator. You receive a System Restore message box informing you that the restore completed successfully. Click Close.
Performing a Refresh or Recycle
Included in Windows 10 is the Push-Button Reset, which enables users to repair issues with their PCs in a quick and easy manner, while optionally preserving their files, data, and user settings. Added in Windows 10 is improved reliability, the ability to recover from failed resets, and imageless recovery.
There are three options available to users for the Push-Button Reset:
• Refresh Your PC: Allows you to reinstall the Windows 10 OS while preserving all user accounts, files in libraries and user folders, and Windows Store apps.
• Reset Your PC: Reinstalls the original Windows 10 image, but also completely clears all user accounts, passwords, data, and settings. This is especially useful if you are selling or recycling your computer.
• Bare Metal Recovery: Restores the partition layout for the system disk and reinstalls the OS and any preinstalled customizations from external media.