Windows is without a doubt the most used operating system on computers, for a long time. But along with it, it is accompanied by some drawbacks. Computer viruses are mostly designed to attack this OS. In the same way, users download other software harmful to their stability.
Despite the constant updates, to resolve small errors, we must not rule out the possibility that the system stop working or do it incorrectly.
The inconvenience increases when documents and important information are compromised. And while a format would fix the root problem, these important files would also be removed.
What are the differences between restoring the system and doing a format?
Basically, the main difference between these two procedures is that formatting will erase all the contents of the discs, including personal and system files alike. On the other hand, restore returns the settings to a previous point on the computer. Windows score points on every major event in the system. For example, updates or installation of third-party software. Perform a formatting to our computer, it means the elimination of all the data contained in a disk.
This change is permanent and everyone files are permanently lost. Restoration, on the other hand, is a system function with which the configuration returns to a previous one. Or to put it another way, roll back the changes made. It does this by relying on restore points. Which keep the previous state. Going back to them does not make changes to personal documents created by the user.
When is it better to restore the system than to do a complete hard reset?
It is important to mention that, although formatting is one of the last options to try to return the original performance of the system, does not mean that the restoration is the first. This is because restore points that we mentioned earlier do not create a copy of the entire disk, so it will not be used to recover personal files in case of damage or deletion. For this, we recommend making backups on a regular basis.
Taking this into account, we can say that, if your documents are not compromised and you are not happy with the current configuration of your system, perform a restoration. As long as you have a point to return to. These usually take up space on your disk. So, if you don't have enough, it is best to remove the oldest ones. If you don't want to give up free memory, you have no point to return to or simply the restore did not work as you expected, an alternative is formatting.
Learn step by step how to restore Windows 8 without losing files or programs
Windows 8 offers two ways to restore the system. The first one returns the configuration values to factory defaults. And although it doesn't affect your personal files like photos and documents, it will remove any third-party programs. The second is the most similar to previous versions, since we can choose which restore point to return to.
Let's see below:
First method
It is done from the configuration menu, as follows:
- Access this menu, moving the pointer to the right sector of the screen. When doing so, a panel will be displayed where you must click on "Setting".
- Then click on "Change PC settings".
- Once in this menu, select "General use", in the options on the left.
- Swipe down and press "Start" from the section "Restore your PC without affecting your files".
- While it is the simpler of the two forms of restoration, all installed applications and programs will be lost.
Second method
Like the previous one, access "Setting" by placing the pointer on the side of the screen. But with the difference that this time we will access "PC Information".
From there we will continue as follows:
- In the pop-up window, tap "System protection". Which is on the left. To access, you must have a level Administrator.
- Click on "Restore the system".
- In doing so, a window will appear with relevant information of what will happen when this function is executed. Press "Following".
- Then, choose the restore point you want to return to. You will find more of them enabling "Show more restore points". You can also see which programs will be removed by selecting "Detect affected programs". When you're done, press "Following".
- Confirm in the window that follows, pressing "Finalize". Doing so will restart your computer and return to the point you chose.