If your Windows 10 system is experiencing performance issues, stability problems, or system file corruption, it may be time to consider repairing your operating system. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through five easy steps to get your Windows 10 computer back on track.
Step 1: Use Windows Startup Repair
If Windows 10 is unable to boot up and takes you to the login screen or the desktop, your first step should be to use Startup Repair. Here’s how:
Navigate to the Windows 10 Advanced Startup Options menu. On many laptops, hitting F11 as soon as you power on will get you to the Windows 10 Advanced Startup Options. Booting off an install disk and hitting Next then Repair offers a secondary option.
Once your computer has booted, select Troubleshoot.
And then you’ll need to click Advanced options.
Click Startup Repair.
Windows will take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to attempt to fix the problem. If you don’t actually have a startup problem, it will also say it can’t fix the problem.
Step 2: Use Windows System Restore
If Startup Repair doesn’t resolve the issue, you can try using System Restore to revert your system to a previous state. Here’s how:
Complete step 1 from the previous method to get to Windows 10’s Advanced Startup Options menu.
Click System Restore.
The computer will reboot.
Select your username.
Enter your password.
Select a restore point from the menu and follow the prompts. If you have no restore points, you can’t use this method.
Step 3: Perform a Disk Scan
Your Windows 10 problems may stem from a corrupt file. If you can boot into the operating system — even if you have to boot into safe mode — you should perform a file scan to check for problems.
Type “cmd” into the main search box.
Right click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
Type sfc /scannow at the command prompt and hit Enter.
The scan will take a while; it should fix any corrupted files it finds.
Step 4: Reset Windows 10
If you want to get a clean start, free from rogue software and drivers, you usually don’t need to do a full install. Instead, Windows 10 provides a built-in reset feature that takes your computer back to the way it was before you had any software, special devices, or data preloaded.
Step 5: Reinstall Windows 10 from scratch
If all else fails and you can’t even reset your Windows computer, you can reinstall the OS entirely. You won’t even need an activation number or any proof of purchase, either. Just make sure you have more than 4GB of space available on your hard drive or SSD.
Hopefully, these five steps will help you repair your Windows 10 system and get it back to peak performance. Remember to always back up your important data before attempting any major system changes or repairs.