Windows offers a selection of limited recovery tools. This should be your first port of call.With Windows repair tools, you may be able
to roll your system back to a working state.Lazesoft’s Recovery Suite is our go-to tool for identifying common boot problems.Windows problems come in all
shapes and sizes, so let’s start
by taking a look at the biggest
problem likely to come your
way: boot failure. If you’ve not yet created
any rescue media, you’ll be forced to rely
on Windows’ own troubleshooting tools,
so let’s see what’s available.
First, we’re going to assume your PC
has passed all basic hardware checks
on first boot, your UEFI or BIOS has been
able to detect your Windows boot drive
and handed control to it to start loading
Windows. If no bootable operating system
has been found, it’s possible the drive has
failed. You’ll need to boot to a recovery
environment to see if the drive is still
physically visible—Lazesoft Recovery
Suite is a good tool for the job, and we’ll
explain how to use it later on.
Assuming the drive is detected, and
you’re able to see evidence that Windows
has started to load before running into
problems, you should find Windows’ own
automatic startup repair tool has sprung
into action after a failed boot operation. It
may run several times, rebooting between
each attempt, so sit back and be patient.
If you’re lucky, Windows will now load; if
you aren’t, it should eventually bring up
the advanced start-up tool with the all-
important Troubleshoot button under
‘Choose an option’.
The next step depends on your
circumstances. For example, if you’re
unable to start Windows after installing
a recent feature or quality update—in
the case of Windows 10, the most recent
major update is the 21H2 update—then
try ‘Uninstall Updates’. First, choose the
type of update you want to remove, select
Windows 10, and click the uninstall button.
Failing that, if System Restore hasn’t
been disabled, you may be able to rollyour system back to a working state if
you suspect a recent driver or program
update or installation is to blame. Select
it from the menu, then click Windows 10
or 11 and wait for it to load. A list of all
available Restore points will be shown.
Choose the latest one and click ‘Scan for
affected programs’ to see what drivers
and applications will be affected. Make a
note, then click Next followed by Finish to
roll your system back.
The final ‘easy’ option available from
Windows’ own troubleshooting tools
relies on you continuing to use the Backup
and Restore (Windows 7) tool to back up
your hard drive via a system image. If so,
you can restore the last backup taken
using the System Image Recovery tool. It
should detect your latest image and roll
your PC back to a working state. If you’ve
backed up using Macrium Reflect, use its
rescue media to bring Windows back to
the point your last backup was taken.save our systems!
40 MAXIMU MPC FEB 2022
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