One Important Setting to Check

I recently replaced the power jack on a laptop, but when I finished replacing it, I found that the computer would not completely boot.  While I do not know the exact reason for the problem, my suspicion is that Windows was in the process of performing an update when the system lost power.  There would have been a simple way to fix the boot process, but unfortunately, this computer had that feature disabled.

The System Restore feature will allow your system to recover from many problems, including malware, a corrupt registry, or a failed update.  However, if it is disabled, you will find that you have no restore points available when you need to use it!

Unless you have a very good reason for disabling it, I highly recommend that you enable System Restore.  This feature may not only allow you to recover your system from a failure, but it may also save your important files from the Cryptolocker or Cryptowall ransomware.  These programs encrypt your files and require you to pay a fee to get the encryption key to decrypt them.  However, System Restore may save shadow copies of your files that will remain unencrypted.  They may not be the most up-to-date versions of your files, but they are better than either losing them completely or having to pay the ransom to get your files back.

To see if you have System Restore enabled, follow these instructions:

Windows Vista:

1) On the start menu, right click on Computer and choose Properties.

2) Click on System Protection on the left side.

3) Respond to a UAC box if it appears.

4) About halfway down the window, look for your main hard drive.  It will usually say "(System)" after it.  If the box in front of it is checked, you are fine.

5) If the box is not checked, then check it and hit Apply.

6) If you just enabled System Restore, click on the Create button to create a restore point right now.

Windows 7:

1) On the start menu, right click on Computer and choose Properties.

2) Click on System Protection on the left side.

3) About halfway down the window, look for your main hard drive.  It will usually say "(System)" after it.  If it says "On", you are fine.

4) If it says "Off", then select the drive and click on Configure.  Then select, "Restore system settings and previous versions of files".

5) If you just enabled System Restore, click on the Create button to create a restore point right now.


Windows 8/8.1:

1) Go to the charms bar, and select Settings, then PC Info.

2) Click on System Protection on the left side.

3) About halfway down the window, look for your main hard drive.  It will usually say "(System)" after it.  If it says "On", you are fine.

4) If it says "Off", then select the drive and click on Configure.  Then select, "Turn on system protection".

5) If you just enabled System Restore, click on the Create button to create a restore point right now.