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System Recovery

How to restore Windows to a working state. How to reset your Android smartphone, or your iPhone, to its factory settings. How to troubleshoot problems with your gadgets, and computers.

How to downgrade Windows 11 and revert back to Windows 10

How to downgrade Windows 11 and revert back to Windows 10

Some people decide to take Microsoft’s advice and upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 using Windows Update or the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. Then, after a couple of days, they discover they don’t might like the new user interface and have trouble adapting, or they need some of the Windows 10 features that were removed from Windows 11. Others may buy a new laptop
How to start Windows 11's Safe Mode with Command Prompt

How to start Windows 11's Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Being able to work in Safe Mode is essential when you have no other option for troubleshooting Windows 11 issues or boot failures. As Safe Mode loads only the most basic components required for the operating system to start, it can help you a lot in finding and resolving problems on your computer. Moreover, if you suspect some graphical user interface issues affect the loading
How to create a Windows recovery USB drive

How to create a Windows recovery USB drive

When Windows crashes because of a faulty update or when it doesn’t boot correctly, you can try fixing it with a recovery USB drive. Creating a recovery drive involves plugging a USB memory stick into a working Windows computer and running the Recovery Media Creator wizard. Here’s how it all works and how to create a recovery USB drive that works on any PC with
What is Safe Mode on a Windows computer?

What is Safe Mode on a Windows computer?

You may be familiar with the term Safe Mode in Windows, but do you know what it means and what it does? Do you want to learn more about it and how it differs from regular Windows? What about the differences between the three Safe Modes available on Windows operating systems? To get answers to all these questions, read this article: What is Safe
How to turn off Safe Mode in Windows

How to turn off Safe Mode in Windows

Windows Safe Mode is a great way to troubleshoot your computer or device. You can use it to uninstall problematic drivers or programs and to remove stubborn malware. Once you have fixed your Windows problems, you can exit Safe Mode and boot normally into the Windows operating system... or can you? Read this article to learn four methods of turning off Safe Mode in Windows
How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode with Command Prompt

How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode with Command Prompt

One way to troubleshoot Windows 10 problems or fix boot failures is to start the system in Safe Mode. Safe Mode only loads the essential components, which helps you isolate and solve the issues. However, some problems are so severe that they interfere with the graphical user interface, making Safe Mode with Command Prompt a better option, as it doesn’t run the Explorer shell. In
How to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode with Networking

How to start Windows 11 in Safe Mode with Networking

If your Windows 11 system is having issues or failing to start, booting into Safe Mode can be a lifesaving step for troubleshooting. Safe Mode is a specialized startup mode that loads only essential components, allowing you to identify problems and potentially resolve them. More often than not, you also need internet connectivity for that, which makes Safe Mode with Networking indispensable. In this guide,
How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode with Networking

How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode with Networking

If your Windows is acting up or not booting at all, you may want to try Safe Mode to fix it. Safe Mode is a special way of starting Windows that only loads the essential stuff, so you can troubleshoot and repair the issues. But sometimes, you need more than just the basics, like internet access. That’s where Safe Mode with Networking comes in handy.
How to boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode

How to boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode

One of the best ways to troubleshoot Windows 10 issues is to use Safe Mode, a minimal environment that allows you to run the operating system with only the essential drivers and services. However, the old methods of pressing F8 or SHIFT + F8 during boot are no longer effective because Windows 10 boots too fast, and Microsoft disabled them. Instead, you have to use
How to restore a backup made with Windows Backup

How to restore a backup made with Windows Backup

The Windows Backup app for Windows 11 and Windows 10 is not your regular backup solution. It doesn’t allow you to restore your entire system or any specific files, settings, apps, or credentials. The folders you’ve backed up are available directly in your OneDrive cloud storage. And, the other things you’ve backed up - settings, apps, credentials - can be restored only during the installation
How to make a backup with the new Windows Backup app

How to make a backup with the new Windows Backup app

One of the most important tasks that every computer user should do regularly is to back up their data. Backing up your data means creating a copy of your files and settings in a separate location, such as an external hard drive, a cloud service, or a network drive. This way, if something happens to your computer, such as a malware infection, a hardware failure,
How to restore files and folders from a Windows backup

How to restore files and folders from a Windows backup

Did you create a backup image of your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer using the built-in Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tool? If your PC broke down, you may have difficulties accessing your files and folders because data loss or corruption occurred. So now, you may wonder how to recover files and folders from that backup image you made a while ago. In this
How to recover Windows from a backup with System Image Recovery

How to recover Windows from a backup with System Image Recovery

If you’ve used the Backup and Restore feature to create a backup of your operating system’s files and settings on Windows 11 or Windows 10, you might wonder how to restore them in case of a system failure or data loss. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to restore a Windows backup image with System Image Recovery. Hopefully, by the end of it, you’ll
How to use Backup and Restore in Windows 11 and Windows 10

How to use Backup and Restore in Windows 11 and Windows 10

Windows’ Backup and Restore is a feature that allows you to create backups of your personal files, such as documents, photos, music, and videos. Moreover, you can also use it to back up a system image of your computer, which includes the operating system, programs, drivers, and settings. And once you’ve created a backup, Windows’ Backup and Restore can help you restore your files, as
How to clone a drive to an SSD (including the operating system)

How to clone a drive to an SSD (including the operating system)

If you’ve just bought a new solid-state drive and want to copy all your data from your old SSD or hard disk drive, you might be wondering how to do it or if it’s even possible. The good news is that, yes, you can migrate all your data from an old SSD or HDD to a new solid-state drive, and all it takes is a
Windows 11 Media Creation Tool: Create a setup USB stick or ISO file

Windows 11 Media Creation Tool: Create a setup USB stick or ISO file

Do you want to install Windows 11 2022 Update (version 22H2)? Unless you intend to upgrade from Windows 10 using Windows Update or the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, you’ll need to download an ISO file with the setup files and then write it on a Windows 11 DVD, or create a USB flash drive. This brings up the question: “Is there a Windows 11 Media
How to reinstall all the Windows default apps with PowerShell

How to reinstall all the Windows default apps with PowerShell

Some people do not like the universal apps installed by default In Windows 10 or Windows 11 and want to get rid of them. They can manually uninstall most of them using the Settings app or PowerShell. Apps like Calendar, Mail, Camera, Photos, or Candy Crush Soda Saga can be gone from a Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer in no time. So how do
Use Startup Repair to fix problems that keep Windows from loading

Use Startup Repair to fix problems that keep Windows from loading

Is your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer or device unable to load the operating system successfully? Is Windows reporting missing or damaged system files? If that's the case, you should try to boot from a recovery drive and use the Startup Repair tool. It’s a very helpful tool that can repair your system and save you from having to reset or reinstall the operating