How to Refresh Windows 7 When Trouble Hits to go Spring Cleaning Maintenance

Windows 7: How to Refresh Windows 7 When Trouble Hits
Windows 7: Be Proactive in Maintaining Windows 7 on Your Machine

Yes, you can refresh or restore Windows 7 if you bump into problems. Here’s how.
Having difficulty with your Windows PC to the point where the OS itself isn’t behaving. Windows 8.1 and 10 offer options to refresh or reset your PC, which can usually clear up even the most vexing problems. But what if you’re still running Windows 7? There is no similar refresh or reset option. Are you out of luck? No, not if you’ve taken the necessary precautions.
Windows 7 offers a System Restore option, which can return your PC back to an earlier point in time before the trouble occurred. What if you can’t even boot up your PC? Windows 7 also provides its own Backup & Restore feature. Through this feature, you can create a startup and repair disc that boots up your PC if Windows 7 becomes unbootable. And by applying a system image from a disc or USB drive, you can restore Windows 7 back to its full glory. Let’s go over the steps for using the Windows 7 System Restore and Backup & Restore features.
System Restore
A system restore is a snapshot in time of your existing Windows environment. Windows itself creates restore points at certain moments, such as before installing the latest batch of updates. And you can create your own restore points whenever you like. Then if Windows starts acting up, you can restore a snapshot of your environment when it was working properly. One cool aspect of System Restore is that it restores your Windows system files and settings to a previous state but it won’t change your documents or personal files. So, the latest versions of your files remain intact.
Ideally, you should create a restore point before you make any significant changes on your PC, such as installing or uninstalling an application or applying new device drivers. The ability to create a restore point is available in Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 and works the same in all three versions. But for Windows 7 users, System Restore is an effective way to resolve a problem without struggling to figure out the cause.
To create a restore point in Windows 7, click on the Start button and then click on Control Panel from the right pane. In Control Panel, type the phrase restore point in the search field in the upper-right corner. The Restore Point feature appears among the search results. Click on the link to Create a restore point.
The System Properties window pops up. The protection for your hard drive should already be turned on. If not, click on the Configure button. Click on the button to Restore system settings and previous versions of files. Note: if you have more than one hard drive or partition (not counting a backup or recovery partition), make sure both have system protection turned on. You can also determine how much space to devote to restore points by moving the slider for Disk Space Usage. When done, click OK.
Then click on the Create button to create a restore point. When you create a restore point, all the hard drives and partitions with system protection enabled are included in the snapshot.



At the Create a Restore Point window, type a name for the restore point. Click Create. After several seconds, Windows should tell you the restore point was created successfully. Click the Closebutton.
Now let’s travel to a future date when Windows is misbehaving and you want to restore it from one of the snapshots. From Control Panel, type restore point in the search field, and click on the link to Restore system files and settings from a restore point. At the Restore system files and settings screen, Windows describes how System Restore works. Click Next. If you’ve created more than one restore point, select the one you wish to apply.



Click on the button to Scan for affected programs. Windows lists any programs that were added since the last restore point and that will be deleted during the restore or any that were removed and that will be revived. It also lists any programs or drivers that may be restored but might not work properly and may need to be reinstalled. Note the results in case you need to reinstall any programs or drivers. Close the window listing the programs and drivers and click Next. At the next screen, confirm the restore point you wish to apply and then click Finish.



Windows tells you that System Restore cannot be interrupted. Click Yes to continue. Windows brings your system back to the restore point you selected and then reboots when finished. Sign back into Windows. A message tells you that System Restore completed successfully. You’ll now want to snoop around Windows to make sure the initial problem you experienced is gone. If so, create another system restore point. You may need to reinstall any applications or drivers that were removed, but hopefully Windows will now behave itself.
Backup & Restore
Okay, System Restore can often fix a persistent and perplexing problem. But what if System Restore can’t do the trick, or you can’t even boot into Windows to access System Restore? That’s when you’ll want to make sure you’ve used Backup & Restore to create a recovery and repair disc and image.
You can use a CD or DVD for your recovery disc. You can also use a disc (or rather multiple discs) for the recovery image, but you may find it easier to store the image on a USB drive or a network drive. The safest and most accessible option is a USB drive. The major downside of using Backup & Restore is that your entire Windows environment gets replaced by the recovery image. That means you’ll lose any recent changes, including those to your personal files. So, for this to be truly effective, you’ll want to recreate the recovery image on a frequent basis.
To get started, make sure the drive for your recovery image is connected and accessible. Open Control Panel in icon mode and click on the icon for Backup and Restore. In the Backup and Restorewindow, click on the link in the upper-left corner that says Create a system image.
Windows looks for a backup destination on a USB drive, DVD, or a network location. Choose the backup location you want to use. Click Next.



Confirm which drives or partitions will be included in the recovery file and then click the Start Backup button. After the recovery image is created, Windows asks if you want to create a system repair disc. Yep, you sure do. Make sure you’ve inserted a blank CD or DVD in your PC’s disc drive.



Choose your CD/DVD drive as the source and then click the Create disc button. After the disc has been created, Windows tells you to label it. Close all the open windows and label the disc.
Okay, now let’s say that at some point Windows stops acting properly and refuses to boot up. Make sure your backup media is available and that your system repair disc is in the drive. Boot up your PC and choose the option to boot off a CD or DVD. Windows loads the necessary files from the CD or DVD to boot up. You’ll be presented with a window for System Recovery Options. Make sure the keyboard option is set correctly and then click Next. Windows searches for installations, including those on your hard drive or a recovery partition. If Windows picks the wrong installation, click on the button to Restore your computer using a system image that you created earlier. Click Next.



At the Select a system image backupwindow, make sure the image you created is selected. Click Next.



At the window to Choose additional restore options, click Next . Then at the Re-image your computer window, click Finish. Windows be restored from the system image. After the process has completed, sign back into Windows and snoop around, and hopefully you’ll find Windows in working condition again.

Be Proactive in Maintaining Windows 7 on Your MachineWINDOWS 7: Michael Lasky
Considering Microsoft released the first version of Windows 7 in October, 2009 and its first and last Service Pack (#1) the following March, this OS can be considered, shall we say, mature. But the old boy still has plenty of kick left and Microsoft will not abandoned its support for it until January 14, 2020.
Considering Microsoft released the first version of Windows 7 in October, 2009 and its first and last Service Pack (#1) the following March, this OS can be considered, shall we say, mature. But the old boy still has plenty of kick left and Microsoft will not abandoned its support for it until January 14, 2020.
While Windows 10 is generally considered more secure due to its better architecture and continuous updates, the reason many people stay on 7 is its less cluttered and frankly easier to use Desktop, well-supported hardware drivers, and lower memory and power requirements. And, hey, with properly maintained security software, 7 is still safe without the Microsoft-imposed, mandatory updates in Windows 10.
With all the hype and push to Windows 10, you might think that you can’t still purchase a Windows 7 laptop or desktop. If you try at a brick and mortar retailer this is true. But online there are actually multiple choices. Both HP [site

] and Dell [site
] continue to do a brisk sales with Windows 7 Professional systems. The trick to finding them is to search their sites for business products. Many companies, quite happy with their existing Windows 7 PCs are still buying them. The main reason they do not invest in Windows 10 is the cost of training all the employees and maintaining a budget-busting, company-wide logistical upgrade (aka IT nightmare).
So corporations avoiding the IT nightmare is the consumer’s gain, at least for consumers who want to stay with Windows 7. Because the PCs for sale are geared to business the units for sale are solely Win 7 Professional OS. Actually, Win 7 Pro is the best version of the OS anyway.
The Care and Feeding of Your Windows 7 Investment
To keep your Windows 7 system purring, there a few tasks you need to proactive on. They include maintaining hardware drivers, security software, system maintenance, and data backups.
Hardware drivers – Win 10 users discovered that the drivers for their printers and other hardware were not compatible with the ones they were using in Windows 7. But as hardware adapts to Windows 10 requirements, even some of the drivers for Windows 7 may occasionally be need updates. If that happens to you, updating a hardware driver is relatively simple in Windows 7.
From the Start search bar type Device and choose Device Manager from the resulting choices. Find the device you need to update, right-click it and chose Update Driver Software. From the ensuing pop-up windows choose the Search Automatically option unless you know the driver is already on your computer, no doubt because you downloaded it from the manufacturer’s Website. In that case, select Browse my computer and select the location where you saved the driver.



A word of caution: Only if you are having difficulty with particular component should you even have to bother updating drivers. As the old cliché goes, If it ain’t broke, don’t fit it, applies here. Bigly.Security software – By default, Windows 7 includes Microsoft’s own security monitoring software, Windows Defender. If you are using another security program, Windows Defender will be turned off to prevent possible conflicts.
The best way to check your security settings – and to see if Windows Defender is running – is to go to the Action Center. Type Action in the Start search bar and select Action Center. This is Windows’ maintenance switchboard. All security settings can be checked on here. If Windows Defender is switched off, you can see which security software, if any, is in use and take appropriate actions.
In the example below, I replaced Windows Defender with Microsoft Security Essentials, [site

] a free download which does an efficient malware protection job and automatically updates virus definitions regularly. The Windows Firewall should also be running. If not, you can switch it on from this menu.



System maintenance and troubleshooting --The Action Center is also the one-stop shop for routine maintenance of the various under-the-hood systems which keep your PC humming. Issues such as disk fragmentation, volume issues, updates, etc. can all be handled here.



Data storage – As Windows 7 machines get older, the more the hard disk storage space for accumulating files gets more cramped. The problem with this is two-fold: The hard disk also needs space for temporary operational functions such as memory caching. The less room there is on the disk, the longer it takes for various functions. The second issue is that many of the precious files you have directly or indirectly saved are really no longer needed.
Checking hard disk space should be done on a regular basis. Click Computer on the right column of the Start menu.



All storage media—hard drive, USB flash, SD cards—appear here with the space used and unused. I like to keep about 100GB space free on a 500GB drive, and 200GB on a 1 terabyte drive to maintain speedier reads and writes. And more than that and you might start to notice system performance drags.
The remedy for overstuffed hard drives is to added an external USB drive, be it a hard drive, SSD drive, or USB flash drive. Another preferably option is to subscribe to a cloud storage service such as Microsoft’s OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or many others. Move all those photos, documents, videos, music tracks you don’t need on a regular basis to one of these choices. Any of these can double as a handy residence for backups.
Of course, you may find as you do a file inventory that a lot of them can be deleted all together. Ah, yes, nothing beats that Spring cleaning any time of the year. And while you are at it, check Windows Disk Defragmenter utility periodically to get the data on your hard drive in a more continuous order for speedier reads and writes.
Third Party Apps to Make Your PC Number 1
The one third party app that will keep your PC shipshape is Iolo’s System Mechanic.[site

] The earlier versions of this utility were poorly conceived but the latest versions at least in my experience have truly kept my Windows 7 PC running smoothly and takes the guess work out of maintenance issues.
Backup – Nag, nag, nag. That’s the advice you’ll get when you don’t back up: ‘You should of backed up!”. If your PC gets by a ransom malware attack, or your hard drive just goes kaput suddenly, a backup will save your hide. Or as screen legend Mae West once said, “Keep a diary, dearie, and someday it will keep you. That backup is your diary.
You can use Windows built in backup program (type backup on the Start search bar to launch it. Or you can use any third party backup program. Check the Windows Secrets lounge or type backup on the search tool on our home page for recommendations.
My favorite is iDrive.com which works in the cloud as well as on your PC. To cut the time-consuming drudgery of uploading a full hard disk backup to your cloud vault, get iDrive.com’s iDrive Express.
Express service offers a free 1TB USB hard drive as a loaner [site

]. They send you the drive. You transfer your data to the drive and send it back in the prepaid mailer. They then load it to your cloud vault, a process that is much more efficient then spending hours loading of uploading all your data the first time. From then on you just backup on a schedule to meet your needs for any data saved after the first setup. The Express service is free but the one year subscription is not. That varies and I have seen it as low as $5 a year for introductory offers. Normally consumers pay about $50 for one year with renewals even less. A small downloaded iDrive app is all you need for later incremental backups.