System rollback in 10. How to perform a system restore on Windows 10. Instructions for recovery via system rollback

Definitely one of the most successful in the Windows line. However, even this is not suitable for everyone. If you are also not happy with this operating system and want to roll back to the previous one, then this article is just for you. Here we will talk about how to downgrade Windows 10 to Windows 8 or Windows 7.

In order to roll back Windows 10, you need to open the Settings window. This can be done in several ways, for example using the Start menu.

After opening the settings window, you need to go to the “Update and Security” section, and then open the “Recovery” subsection. In this section, the option “Return to Windows 7” or “Return to Windows 8” will be available, depending on the operating system you were using before. In order to roll back Windows 10, you need to activate this function by clicking on the “Start” button.

After clicking on the “Start” button, the system will ask you to indicate the reason for returning to the old operating system. Select one or more proposed options and click on the “Next” button.

The next step is the rollback information screen. Read through and click on the “Next” button.

The last screen before the Windows 10 rollback begins thanks you for using the new version of Windows. Here we simply click on the “Return” button.

After this, the system will begin to roll back. The further process will be performed automatically and does not require your intervention.

I don't have a "Return to Windows 7" or "Return to Windows 8" option. What to do?

If there is no “Return to Windows 7” or “Return to Windows 8” function in the settings, then you will not be able to downgrade Windows 10. This function is only available for 30 days after upgrading to Windows 10. After that, the system in which the old files are stored system, and rollback becomes impossible. In this case, you can return to using the old operating system only through a complete reinstallation.

I don't plan to downgrade Windows 10. How do I delete the Windows.old folder?

The Windows.old folder takes up quite a lot of space on the system disk. Therefore, if you like Windows 10 and do not plan to downgrade to Windows 8 or Windows 7, then you can delete this folder and free up the space it occupies.

The easiest way to do this is through the Disk Cleanup function. Right-click on your system drive and select “Properties”. After this, the “Disk Properties” window will open in front of you. Here you need to click on the “Disk Cleanup” button.

Once the analysis is complete, a window will open to clean up the disk. In this window, you need to click on the “Clean up system files” button and wait until the system analyzes your disk again.

This will open the Disk Cleanup window again. In this window, the “Previous Windows installations” item will be available. Activate it and click on the “Ok” button.

After this, the system will warn you about deleting files and, if you agree, will begin cleaning the system disk. After this process is completed, only the empty Windows old folder will remain on the disk. If you wish, you can delete it too. To do this, open a command prompt with administrator rights and run the command rd /s /q c:\windows.old.

The widespread fragmentation of devices using the Windows 10 operating system means that on some computers, its updates can lead to various types of problems. Microsoft regularly releases updates for Windows, trying to adapt the system to all devices, but the system does not always work as it should after a major update. If errors occur after updating Windows 10, you can roll back the system to the previous stable version, and in this article we will figure out how to do this.

What errors may occur with Windows 10 after updating

After updating your computer, various errors may occur in the operation of the system on your computer. Most often, users encounter the following problems:

• Some applications do not launch due to incompatibility with the updated version of the operating system;
• The drivers of the video card, sound card and other computer devices do not work correctly;
• The system is very slow during operation - applications launch slowly, Internet speed is significantly behind the levels before the update.

If you encounter problems with your computer after updating Windows 10, the first thing we recommend is to try updating the drivers by downloading them from the official websites of hardware developers. When problems arise with specific applications, it makes sense to try updating the program.

In a situation where updates do not help solve problems, you can roll back Windows 10 to a previous stable version.

Important: After updating, the Windows 10 failover feature to the previous stable version is available for 10 days.

How to roll back Windows 10 after updating through settings

Microsoft has moved many operating system options that were previously hidden away in system utilities into the Windows 10 settings. Through them, you can, among other things, roll back the system to the latest stable version. To do this, follow these steps:

After this, the process of rolling back Windows 10 to the previous stable version will begin.

How to roll back Windows 10 after updating through the recovery environment

Another way to restore a stable version of the operating system after an update is to use a recovery environment.

Please note: The recovery environment can also be used in situations where Windows 10 stops loading after an update.

There are several ways to get into the recovery environment in Windows 10:

• With a working version of the operating system, this can be done through “Start”. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard, and then in the Start menu, click on the “Restart” option. The computer will boot into recovery mode;
• Using an installation disk or flash drive. To do this, insert the drive into the computer and set the BIOS to boot from it. You can also use a recovery disk.

Once in the recovery environment, follow these steps to roll back Windows 10 to the previous stable version:

After this, the process of restoring to the previous stable version of the system will begin.

If you have problems with the operation of your computer, or for some other reason it does not suit you, it is better to return to the previous version of the operating system.

Important! The user can roll back to the previous version of the OS within 30 days from the date of update, during which time the saved files windows.old and $windows.~bt cannot be deleted.

If you install incompatible software, roll back to a restore point. In this case, you will not remove Windows 10 from your computer.

To previous version

Microsoft developers have provided the ability to return from Windows 10 to the previous version if the user is not satisfied with the new OS. To do this, go to the Settings application.

Settings –> Update & Security –> Recovery –> Return to Windows 8.1 or 7

Healthy! You can click on the notification icon on the taskbar and select “All settings” -> “Update and security”.

After this, indicate why you refuse to use the new “OS”. The rollback will occur with the complete removal of the new OS, but the user's installed programs and saved files will remain on the computer. Only new settings and applications will disappear.

Important! This method will not be available to those who performed a clean installation.

Video instruction

You can learn more about how to return to the previous build or version of the operating system in the video.

To the restore point

This rollback will allow you to return to your computer's previous settings without uninstalling the new OS. Use this method if you have installed programs or drivers that have affected the performance of your computer, although it was functioning reliably before.

Creation

The OS automatically creates restore points on a schedule, or does it when changes are made (installing new software, drivers). If necessary, you can make the point yourself.

Control Panel –> System and Security –> System –> System Protection (on the left in the menu) –> Create

Important! This feature should be enabled by default for the drive with the OS installed. If not, then you need to activate it by clicking the “Configure” button.

Recovery

Control Panel –> System and Security –> System –> System Protection (on the left in the menu) –> Restore

In the window that opens, select the appropriate point and click “Next”.

See what date the rollback will occur by and click “Done.”

Video instruction

You can watch the video to see more clearly how to independently create and roll back the OS to a restore point.

To a restore point if the system does not boot

If after installing drivers or programs the operating system does not want to start, but you do not want to reinstall the OS or go back to the previous version, use the installation disk.

Healthy! You can use the installation disk with both the latest version of the OS and Windows 8.1, or even the test edition of Insider Preview.

Insert the disk into the drive and start the computer from it, setting the BIOS parameters to boot from the desired media. In the Windows Setup window that opens, click System Restore. After this, a blue screen will appear with options to continue working:

Select an action -> Diagnostics -> Advanced options -> System Restore

Conclusion

Use a rollback to a previous version if you are categorically unhappy with the performance of Windows 10 or it affects the stability of your computer. In other cases, if after installing programs or drivers the OS stops working normally, roll back to a suitable restore point.

Today we’ll talk about how to downgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 8.1 or even Windows 7. Many people know that Microsoft has given users the opportunity to upgrade Windows 7 and 8.1 to Windows 10 for free. But not everyone liked the new operating system, so they introduced the ability to return to the previous version of the OS. If this question interests you, then read on.

Instructions for downgrading Windows 10 to Windows 8.1/7

Before starting this process, there are several nuances to consider. Firstly, before going back to the previous version, you need to save all important documents and files. Make them. You can transfer them wherever you want, to another partition, a flash drive, or to the cloud. Never copy important files to the partition where Windows is installed. If you don’t want to lose documents and files, then follow this advice.

Roll back to Windows 8.1/7 using standard Windows tools

So, you upgraded to Windows 10, you didn't like it and decided to go back. The previous version is stored on the system disk in the folder; it does not need to be deleted, but it also takes up quite a lot of space.

Step 1: Go to “ Options”, to do this, click on the icon as shown in the screenshot.

Step 2: Now click on “ All parameters”.

Step 4: The next window is the Update Center. On the left we see many points, we need to go to “ Recovery”.

Step 5: As we can see, it says “ Return to Windows 8.1” or can be written to Windows 7. All we need to do is click “ Begin”.

Step 6: If you have a laptop, then before restoring you need to connect it to a power source.

Step 7: A window will appear asking Microsoft why you decided to downgrade Windows. Select what you want and click Next.

Step 8: Now you need to wait until the system is restored to the previous version. You need to remember that everything you had on Windows 10 will return to the earlier version: files, passwords, some settings. If you suddenly forgot your Windows login password, then this article will help you.

After the process is completed, the computer will boot with Windows 8.1 or Windows 7.

How to downgrade from Windows 10 if there is no earlier version?

Let's say you have already bought a laptop or computer with a pre-installed version of Windows 10. In this case, returning to the previous version is impossible; you will need to purchase a licensed version of Windows 8.1 or 7 and install them from scratch, and then enter the purchased key.

That's it, this simple article should help you get back from Windows 10.

In any version of Windows, starting with XP, all crashes and problems could be fixed through the system restore function. You can learn more about this tool. But a little lower you can get information specifically about how to roll back the Windows 10 system and thus solve problems with its performance.

The tool that we will use to roll back the system will allow, if we want, to delete any Windows data during the process, including user account files and their personal settings.

As a result, upon completion of the process, you will have a completely cleaned and fixed PC in front of you, in the same form as it was immediately after installing the operating system. In order to achieve this result, follow our step-by-step instructions:

1. Launch the system parameters. To do this, open the Start menu and click on the little gear icon.

1. In the newly opened window, select the tile surrounded by a red frame.

1. Now, in the left half of the window, click the “Recovery” item, and in the right half, click the “Start” button.

1. Next we will be asked to save our files or delete them. Depending on what you need, click on a specific option. We don't need the data, so we delete it.

1. But you can also delete files in two ways. You can simply erase them or completely format the drive. We choose the second option.

• just delete my files. If the PC is installed at home, you can use this option. Typically, such computers do not contain any secret information, and attackers with special equipment will not hunt for your hard drive. But in principle, it is possible to restore such data;
• deleting files and cleaning up the disk. After choosing this option, no one will be able to restore the data. This is best done before selling or transferring your PC. Windows will completely format the system disk, “cut” a new file table, and there is no question of any file recovery.

Let's move on to the next step.

1. Before performing a system rollback, we will be asked again whether our intentions are correct. If everything is correct, then click on the “Continue” button.

1. The process of deleting all data and rolling back the Windows 10 system to its original state will begin. The process may require varying amounts of time depending on the overall performance of the computer, in particular, its disk subsystem, the degree of clutter and the size of the disks themselves.

1. Once the data erase is complete, the PC will reboot to begin the system recovery procedure.

1. The rollback of Windows 10 will begin, after which you will get the computer as it was immediately after installing it.

Return to a previous version of Windows

Microsoft has provided Windows 7 owners with the opportunity to upgrade to the new “Ten” for free. In this regard, users have a question: is it possible to roll back Windows 10 back to “Seven” after such an update? We discussed this topic in detail in our article.

Let’s just say that it’s possible to roll back a Windows 10 system; moreover, it’s quite simple. The only thing that is needed for this is that no more than 10 days have passed since the update. This is how long the system stores the Windows.old folder, so during this period of time you can perform a rollback.

If 10 days are up, you will have to reinstall Windows 7 again - we also wrote about this in the article, the link to which is a little higher. The material is presented in the form of detailed step-by-step instructions with screenshots and videos, it is impossible to get confused in it, and every user will be able to install Windows 7 on their computer.

How to roll back an update

Important! All actions described above must be carried out exclusively on behalf of the administrator.

Let's sum it up

In the article, we figured out how to roll back a Windows 10 system. In one of our topics you can also find out. But even if you have questions, you can ask them in the comments to this article and we will give practical advice in any current situation.

How to roll back Windows 10: video instructions