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Windows 8 - Recovery Options

Article ID: 147
Last updated: 02 Apr, 2015
Article ID: 147
Last updated: 02 Apr, 2015
Revision: 10
Views: 2501
Posted: 26 Aug, 2013
by --
Updated: 02 Apr, 2015
by Andrew Sharrad

System Recovery Options

There are some new features that are available to use within Windows 8 if you are having system problems. Some of the options from previous versions of Windows are also still available.

If Windows won't start and you need to perform recovery, see this section.

To access the new feature, you first need to go to the Start Screen and then Open the Charms Bar (by hovering over the top or bottom right of the screen or pressing the Windows Key and C at the same time), then click on the Settings option > click Change PC Settings > click the General Tab (as below).

Refresh your PC without affecting files

This will do a reset of Windows 8 whilst keeping your user files and personalized settings; it will reset PC settings back to their defaults, Apps from the App Store will be kept, but third party apps from installation disk or downloaded from the internet will be removed. Note that a HTML document will be available on the desktop with a list of all the installed applications from the internet and installation media that was removed from the computer during the Refresh including a link to the site for re-download.

Remove Everything and Reinstall Windows

This will perform a complete reinstallation of Windows 8 - everything will be removed. It essential that you back up your data first before using this option as the system will be completey restored to default.

Other Recovery Options

From the general tab, select the Advanced start-up heading to bring up the following options:

Then click on Troubleshoot, which will display the page below.

(Refresh and Reset are explained above)

If you click Advanced options, you will get the options below.

System Restore – this will launch the system restore options so you can restore your system back to a previous state. This does not affect user data.

System Image Recovery – this will do a complete Image restore (if you have previously created a recovery image). This will remove user data.

Command Prompt – this will open a command prompt based system recovery console for you to solve specific issues.

Automatic Repair – this is used to automatically detect and solve any start up issues.

How Do I Recover Windows 8 if the System Won't Boot?

To recover Windows 8 when it won't start, the system will first start Automatic Repair. After following Automatic repair, if this is unsuccessful - i.e. it reports that it couldnt repair your PC, you will have the the ability to click Advanced Options.

  • Click on Advanced Options
  • Then Click on Troubleshoot

  • Then click on Reset your PC to completely reset Windows, or Refresh to attempt to leave user data in place.

Applies to:

  • Desktop, laptop and tablet systems running Windows 8.x

This article was:  
Article ID: 147
Last updated: 02 Apr, 2015
Revision: 10
Views: 2501
Posted: 26 Aug, 2013 by --
Updated: 02 Apr, 2015 by Andrew Sharrad