System restore is one of the most important built-in features in Windows PCs. It allows you to roll back Windows to a previous time when everything was running smoothly, and often proves to be your best friend when all other efforts to mend an erratically-behaving PC fail.

A high percentage of PC issues occur when a recent change causes something to go awry. Other common causes of PC errors include malware infection and hardware failure. System Restore doesn’t hunt down and remove malware, nor does it fix damaged hardware. However, it can fix issues resulting from installation of new software or changes to critical Windows settings.

Use System Restore in Windows 8

You need to be mindful about the following two things before you use this feature:

• Save all important unsaved data
• You will not be able to use your computer while System Restore is running (the good part, however, is that the whole process doesn’t take more than a few minutes)

If you use touchscreen, to access System Restore, swipe in from the right edge of your screen and then tap Search. Next, type “Recovery” in the Search box, and then tap the Settings bar.

If you use a mouse, press down Windows Key and Q. This will open the Search box, where you need to type “Recovery” and then press Enter.

In the next window, select Open System Restore. Windows, by default, displays only the latest restore point.

Windows automatically creates a restore point when a significant change is made to your computer like when you install new software or a Windows update. Additionally, restore points are also created periodically irrespective of whether a big change occurs or not. To undo the most recent change made to your pc, select the latest restore point and then tap or click Finish.

If you wish, you can select “Choose a different restore point” instead of the default option. Click Next after selecting this option and then check the box “Show more restore points” to see all Restore points. Select a restore point here and tap or click Next and then Finish.

Useful as this tool is, its functionality is limited and does not extend to issues caused by malware infection. To rectify such issues, you need a robust and advanced antivirus tool. Without such a tool, your Windows 8 is an easy target for malware programs. So get one today and use it to run regular virus scans to ensure that no malware enters your PC, and, equally importantly, if a malicious program manages to enter, it is promptly detected and removed.