An important thing to know about Windows 8 is the options to reinstall or to correct a system installation in case of problems. Compared to Windows 7, in Windows 8, there are three ways to put the operating system back in case it has errors or if there were problems: Reinitialize, Reinstall or Restore the system.
The choice of Windows recovery method depends on each case, depending on the problem and the use that is being made of the computer.
For example, reinstallation is the automatic procedure to start over while recovery is a way of fixing the system without losing the installed programs.
1) Windows 8 Recovery is the same function already present in Windows XP and Windows 7.
Therefore, the guide to restore the system configuration remains valid if the Windows PC does not work today and is the first thing to do in case of sudden problems.
In Windows 8, the restore option allows you to restore Windows to an earlier state, which may be a day ago or ten days earlier.
Recovery does not change documents, images or other personal data and files saved after the recovery point was created.
The programs installed in that period and also the drivers are removed instead.
In addition, all changed preferences will be reset to how they were on the restore point.
To use this function in Windows 8, enter the Control Panel, open Restore and then choose the System Restore option where you can select a point created in the days before.
2) Reinitializing the PC means ( Refresh Option) allows you to repair the system without losing photos, music, videos or other personal files .
The option to reinitialize Windows 8 is a very welcome novelty because it allows you to correct any error from the unknown cause, without wasting too much time in diagnosing or looking for solutions.
No files are deleted, all system files are corrected and applications reinstalled.
The PC settings will be reset to the default values while Apps installed from external websites are removed (including desktop programs).
To refresh Windows 8, scroll the mouse on the edge at the top right of the screen, click on Settings -> Change .
In the General tab, click the Get Started button under the Reset PC item .
In this regard, I immediately suggest creating a backup image of the PC with Windows 8 that includes all the settings, data and applications, which can be restored using the automatic " Reinitialization " or "Refresh" function.
The advantage is that you can reset and repair the system while also keeping the programs installed on the desktop, which are instead removed from the normal Refresh.
Basically a backup is created to be used for total system recovery.
To create a backup image of Windows 8 you must open a command prompt with administrator privileges in Windows 8.
Go to the home screen, press the right mouse button anywhere to see all the applications, right click on the command prompt and choose the Run as administrator option.
From the command prompt, run the following two commands (press enter after writing each one)
mkdir C: \ RefreshImage
recimg -CreateImage C: \ RefreshImage
The backup process takes about 10 to 15 minutes and may take longer depending on the amount of data present.
If you go to the created directory, you can see a file with the .WIM extension, which is the Windows image file.
The Windows 8 Reinitialization operation will be performed using this new, more complete backup image.
In case the reinitialisation gives errors for missing files, you must insert the Windows 8 DVD in the player.
Another article explains how to create the Windows 8 ISO.
3) Reinstall Windows 8
The option to reinstall Windows 8 allows you to completely install the operating system without having to manually reformat the hard disk and without the need to use an installation disk .
When you reinstall Windows 8 with the Reinstall option, all Windows files, data, applications, programs and settings will be completely removed.
It is just starting from scratch and doing a new installation of the system as if the disk were formatted.
To reinstall Windows 8, move the mouse to the upper right corner of the screen, click on Settings -> Change.
In PC settings, go to General and click on Get started under the Remove all and reinstall Windows item.
These are the three main ways to restore the operating system in Windows 8 which becomes easy for everyone to repair and reinstall.
In another article: The guide to recovery or reinstallation options if Windows 8 no longer starts
