74 |^ |^ June 2019
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FileHistoryallowsyoutoback
upmultipleversionsofyour
filesformaximumflexibility.Updates and recovery
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ooking after Windows
shouldn’t be a full-time
job, but if you don’t keep
it well maintained, you
might find yourself
wrestling with error
messages and other strange glitches.
These days, one crucial aspect – keeping
Windows updated – is pretty much
automatic, but that hasn’t necessarily
made things easier, with updates being
pushed before they’re fully tested.
Up until now your options as a
Windows 10 Home user were pretty
limited – only after an update had been
downloaded and partially installed
could you tell Windows to delay the
restart for up to seven days (Start >
Settings > Update & Security > Windows
Update > ‘Restart options’). But that’s
partly changed with the introduction of
May 2019 Update – see this month’s
Support Squad section for details.
Windows 10 Professional users still
get a better deal, though. Under
Settings > Update & Security > Windows
Update, click ‘Advanced options’ under
‘Update settings’. You can defer ‘quality’
updates (security updates and patches)
for up to 30 days, and also block
‘feature’ updates (such as the May 2019
Update) for up to a year. A ‘Pause
Updates’ button also enables you to
temporarily stop all updates for 30 days.
One setting all Windows users should
check is Delivery Optimisation, which
enables you to stop Microsoft usingyour Internet connectiontodeliver
updates to other people.BDFNXS\RXU3&
We’ve been laughedatforourso-called
‘obsession’ with backingup,butnoone
likes a corrupt Windowsinstallor
missing data. Thankfully,Windows 10
has two tools can helpprotectyou
against data loss: Thefirst,FileHistory,is
the preferred choice,butthere’salsothe
old Windows BackupandRestoretool
from Windows 7.
Let’s start with FileHistory– setit up
via Start > Settings >Update&Security>Backup.Click‘Adda drive’toselectan
externaldriveornetworklocation.Once
done,copiesoffilesfromkeyfolderswill
bebackedupautomatically,oryoucanSystem Restore
What happens if you run into
problems and want to roll your
PC back to a working state?
System Restore is the obvious
choice here – a clever and
relatively painless way to roll
back Windows itself without
affecting your data, but it’s
disabled by default in Windows- Type V\VWHPUHVWRUH and
click ‘Take a restore point’ to
open its dialog box. Select your
system drive (typically C) and
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on system protection’ and
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SHUFHQWLVXVXDOO\VXIÀFLHQW
Click ‘OK’ followed by ‘Create...’
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Restore point.
From now on, Windows will
take regular Restore points
automatically and some
programs will offer to create
Restore points for you during
use, too. Should you need to
roll your PC back return to
this screen and click ‘System
Restore...’ to start the process.
System Restore can also be
accessed from the screen that
appears if Windows won’t
start up properly – click
Troubleshoot > ‘Advanced
options’ > System Restore.
It’s not foolproof, but System
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major problems without the
need for reinstalling or
resetting Windows.Windows 10 Professional users
can keep feature updates at
bay for up to a year.When selecting a Restore point,
Windows can display the effects
of restoring it, both in programs
removed and settings restored.