How to Perform a System Restore Without Booting Up

Perform a system restore without booting into Windows.

Many people will consider performing a system restore from the "System Tools" option, which is an easy task. However, performing a system restore without booting your computer to Windows is just as easy. The difference is that performing a system restore from the boot menu, without booting Windows, will restore your computer to its original settings, whereas restoring your computer through "System Tools" will allow you to choose a previous date to which to restore your system. Always remember to back up any important documents or media files to a CD or DVD before restoring your computer.

Instructions

1. Restart your computer.

2. Press down and hold the "F8" key while your computer begins to boot. This will stop your computer from booting to Windows. Instead, the boot menu will open.

3. Highlight "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" by using the "up" and "down" ARROWS.

4. Press "Enter."

5. Type in "%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe" at the command prompt.

6. Press "Enter," then follow any prompts in the restore wizard.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have an administrator password, you will need to enter it just before you type in the command prompt.

References

• Tech-Recipes: Execute System Restore from the Command Line / Safe Boot