Windows 10: Restore Points

Place your mouse pointer over the line that's in between the words "Status" and "Capacity". The pointer changes to a cross hair. When it changes to that hold down the right mouse button and drag it to the right.

You will be able to delete some partitions for more room. Just got to know the info.

I don't use Macrium and can't find the size. How to create USB rescue media

 

There are a few more do you need them all?

 

If you're talking about the Image Backup using Macrium, that should be to an external HDD, like a 1TB USB drive. Each image will take approximately 60% of the size of the OS and supporting partitions. If you're talking about the Macrium Rescue DVD or Thumb drive, the Thumb drive (flash drive) only needs to be 4GB. Any decent CD/DVD will do, also.

 

So clearly your CPU is exceedingly busy. Please click the CPU tab to organise this high to low in order. In the second screenshot, we can see nothing that gives rise to the high Disk and CPU use, as you haven't clicked on the column header to show the highest users at the top of the column.

First - stop Duplicate File Finder running. Stop bittorrent. Then repost task manager, making sure the column of interest (high use) is organised high to low by clicking on the tab at at the top of the column.

Then do a clean boot (as above)
and provide a screenshot of your task manager.

 

I'm sorry I thought you where talking about the partition squares at the bottom.

What I Want is a USB flash drive that can restart after an update so I can put it back the way it was before the update. Also I would like to be able to boot from it. I'm not sure what kind of image I need. p.s. i don't care about E:, F:, :M: and J: I have thumb drives for those.

Don Cole

 

Thanks for posting your Disk Management. Now that we can see the Status column we can answer to this.

Ok…..

2? There are 4. They are what they say they are. The EFI System partition is related to your BIOS and needs to stay. Never tinker with nor delete that one. It is usually (but not always) formatted in GPT. The other 3 are recovery partitions, of which 2 are useless. (See below)

You just stated you created those, yes? Are they thumb drives perhaps? I see you pulled the one that was formatted exFAT.

Every time a Windows system is either installed or upgraded, it installs a recovery partition. If it is a wiped/clean/unformatted disk of a EUFI system, then it creates an EFI partition and a recovery partition. That is all. Obviously along the line you collected extra partitions.

To find the one that is active so not to delete it > Press the Windows key > Type in > command prompt > When it appears right mouse click it > Choose “Run as Administrator”.

When that opens > Type > reagentc /info

When it’s finished > Press Ctrl/A simultaneously > Press Ctrl/C simultaneously > Go to the post box here > Activate the post box with left mouse click > Press Ctrl/V simultaneously. Press Alt/S simultaneously.

 

May be easier to:

• Press Windows Key and hold, then press R
• Copy and paste this: reagentc /info > %userprofile%\desktop\reagentc.txt
• Press enter
• Post the text file it created on your desktop

We have a copy and you have a copy.

 

@doncole

You say it came pre-installed with Win 8.1.
You say you wiped all your 8.1 files.
You say you do not have the keys.
You say you would prefer to clean install back to 8.1.

Have you looked for the keys, the OEM keys, on your laptop? I suspect not, or could not find where they were.

Please download this small utility, used by thousands here and elsewhere, unzip the file, and run the program.
It will retrieve the OEM keys from your laptop if it can, and I believe it probably will.

Those keys can be used to re-install and activate Windows 8.1, which can be obtained legally from MS.

If this is your ultimate goal, here is the link to the small utility.

Releases · Superfly-Inc/ShowKeyPlus · GitHub

This is tutorial here on TF, by the author, showing how to use it.

ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Forums

Please post the results here, after blacking out your keys, for security reasons.

Thanks, TC

 

I did as you suggested here's a screen shot.
When I press ctl-a. ctl-A, ctl-c, or ctl-C.
I get not recognized...

When I try your "might be easier way" the screen flickers but the file doesn't show up anywhere.

My question is, does it look like there are extra partition or does it look normal. When I say It's slow I mean when I hit the space bar 5 times the sticky key prompt comes up. (Which I use all the time) After I hit ok, It comes up "Sticky key is not responding". If I wait about 45 secs then Sticky Keys kicks. SaMe with Task Manager. When I click Task Manager the window is white and it says "Task Manager not responding". After about 45 secs the window fills in with the data. None if this happed before that last upgrade then these things worked instantly. Do you think these extra partitions are causing this?

When I first got the computer I set up the E:, F:, M:, and J: partitions. Since then I have never touched the partitions. If they have changed then the upgrades must have done it.

Don Cole

 

What I want to do is back this compute,
So I can boot the computer from the USB and be able to restore the computer the way it was before I did anything to change it (the computer).

I have about 20 days left om Macriem Reflect trial.
I don't care about backing up E, F, M, or J.
I have backed on other USBs. My question, that I can't seem to get an answer to is, "What size USB should I get to do that"?

Thank you very much for your help. *Smile
I may be slow in responding but I haven't given up on this project. I only have one computer and need it.

Don Cole

 

Don, I believe I answered that question in this post. Restore Points - Page 4 - Windows 10 Forums

If it is not clear, I will try to reword it.

 

I guess my question is pretty stupid. You can't create a recovery disk for Windows 10, install Windows 8.1 and expect the Windows 10 recovery disk to work if the Windows 8.1 installation fails.

So I give up Windows 8.1

My Restore Points got pushed away (lost) and I don't have a Windows.old file.
If you know another way eliminate the last update I would love to do it.

Meanwhile, what I would like to do is create a bootable restore disk with Macrium Reflect (before the 19 days I have left of the trial runs out.) And before any more Updates come in.

After that I'll worry about the slowness.

I only want boot and restore the Windows 10 (C: I guess) I don't care about backing up E, F, M and J.

What size USB do I need for that?
I guess you said 4GB.

And thank you very much for all your help.*Smile *Wink *chuckle

Don Cole

 

@doncole

Don, good morning.

Let's back off just a little bit to clarify some things. The Macrium Premium Trial you have is not going to just go poof and disappear. It will revert to the Free Edition, which is more than adequate for making and restoring images. Including making and using a Rescue Thumb drive. There is no time panic to get something done before it expires.

Your thread has jumped around from pre-installed 8.1, to an upgrade to AU, to restore points, to partitions, to sticky keys, to bootable images..... basically all over the place.

Let's set aside, for the moment, all the other things and concentrate on the Backup that you can make and restore if necessary.

First, the Macrium process of creating a backup does not create an image that is "bootable". It is simply a 1:1 exact copy of your operating system, your files, and supporting partitions. One big data file of exactly what your system looks like at that time. That is generally done to an external HDD spinner drive, like a USB 1TB drive you can hook up for the backup then remove for safe keeping.

The Macrium Rescue Thumb Drive (or DVD if you prefer) is used to boot from and restore the image from the external drive. Boot the thumb, find the image, restore. Restart the system and you are back to exactly where you were at the time the image was made. Forget Restore Points, they are not image backups. They do not backup all your files, etc.



I need to add, and please, this is for information purposes only, there is, technically, a way to create a bootable system from a Macrium backup. But, it is not something you even want to know about right now. I mention it only in case it comes up in future posts. It is NOT something you want to contemplate now. It is NOT straight forward. With that said, tuck that info away and forget it.

• you need a 4GB thumb drive, USB 2.0 or 3.0, doesn't matter.
• you need a place to store the backups, preferably an external 1TB hard drive.
• you need to read and understand this tutorial Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect Windows 10 Backup Restore Tutorials

One thing at a time.

If this is your understanding of the current goal, please say so. If it is not, then we'll try something else.

Thanks, TC

 

Wow!!! That takes a lot pressure off.

My original goal was to restore my computer back to the way it was before that last upgrade.

I pushed my Restore Points out of the way when I download Macrium Reflect. I can't find the Windows.old file. So assuming there is no I can revert back, the discussion about Restore Points is mute.

*Hold on I just found a Windows.old from 8/1/2016 in an old USB.

What do I do with? Can I set it back if I don't like it?

Forget the rest of this post for now. I'd rather work on this right now.

As as reverting back to 8.1, the only safe way to do it (for me) is with 2 computers. When I first installed the free Windows 10 upgrade something didn't work. (I forgot what.) I had to take the computer to some computer lady and she had to install a driver before it worked. During all this time I couldn't use this computer. So if I reinstall 8.1 it's probably not going work right from get go.

So forget that discussion. I can't take chance on the computer being down before August.

I know it's too late for Macrium Reflect to help me with this project.

However now that I have it. I might as well use it before there's another disturbing Upgrade.

So I would I would like change the focus of this thread to getting Macrium Reflect to work.

I that re guard, no matter what I can't find the posted screenshot screen.

Thanks again,

Don Cole*chuckle*chuckle*chuckle

 

Don, there is a minor assumption taken in the tutorial that you probably have UAC (User Account Control) turned on.

If you do not, you will never see that screen. Perhaps the highlighted line below should read:

If you receive a UAC prompt, accept it.






As far as the Windows.old folder you found from 8/01/16.....I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole! Based on that date, it looks suspiciously like the backup of Windows from the 8.1 > Windows 10 Anniversary Update. I can't imagine what Win 10 Recovery would do with a year old 8.1.


Far as the Macrium is concerned, looks like you're at the point in the tutorial where you make the Rescue Media.

Carry on!

TC