NOT a Guru!
Keeping it simple, without the hype. PC tips and Internet advice for mom and pop businesses.
Keeping it simple, without the hype. PC tips and Internet advice for mom and pop businesses.
It’s a nightmare that happens to every home or small business computer user once in awhile. All of the sudden, email doesn’t work right. Maybe software programs such as Microsoft Word refuse to work. Sometimes your programs won’t even load. Or perhaps your Internet browser is all messed up. The issue can be extremely frustrating!
Try to remember what you did before the problem started. You might have installed new software or, somehow or another, a malicious piece of code has installed itself on your PC. No matter the source, the “Add/Remove” function might not work and you can’t find what is messing up your computer system.
If you are a computer geek, you can fix the problem by cleaning up your system registry. But if “system registry” is a foreign word to you, there’s an easier solution, compliments of Microsoft.
The solution is called “System Restore.” Here’s how to do it.
Option 1 – Using the “Help and Support” Feature
Click on your “START” button that is on the lower lefthand side of your computer screen (the system tray). When you do this, various options show up. Click the one that reads “Help and Support:”
System Restore
A big, blue window will open up with all sorts of help options. You should see a menu for “Pick a Task.” You want to click the option that reads “Undo changes to your computer with SYSTEM RESTORE.”
Select Undo Changes to Your Computer with System Restore
After you click the System Restore option, a window will pop up that gives you three system restore options. You want to click the one that reads “Restore My System to an Earlier Time.” It looks like this:
Restore My Computer to an Earlier Time
After you have selected the option, click the NEXT button and you will be taken to a screen that shows a calendar, with a bunch of bolded dates. These bolded dates are times that your computer automatically created a “restore point.” Click on one of the dates. Preferably, you will want to select a date or time that was BEFORE your computer got all messed up, but as close to the current date as possible.
Select a restore point ...Once you have selected a date, click the NEXT button. The system restore program will verify the restore point that you selected. If it seems all right to you, click next. It may take a bit of time, but your PC will automatically reboot.
Confirm date and the system will automatically reboot
Option 2 – Another Way to Access “System Restore”
If for some reason your “Help and Support” does not show up when you click “Start,” you can access system restore from the “Programs” menu:
Using the Programs Menu to Access System Restore
What you do is this:
1. Click the START button.
2. Select PROGRAMS.
3. Select ACCESSORIES.
4. Select SYSTEM TOOLS.
5. Select SYSTEM RESTORE.
The system restore option will take you to the exact same window as we discussed above.
If All Else Fails …
Usually, system restore will solve your problem. But every once in awhile, you still will have trouble.
One thing that you can do is to UNDO your system restore. Call up your system restore function and instead of selecting the top option like we did before, select the option that reads “Undo my last restoration.” In the window that we looked at before, this would be the third selection:
Select the 3rd line, "Undo my last restoration."
If you have gone through the system restore process and the “undo” process and also attempted to remove any new software installs, you might want to run your adware and antivirus programs. If this still does not work, you may need to clean your registry file.
Registry Cleanup for the Non-Technical PC Users
RegCure Registry Cleaner by Paralogic
“RegCure” Registry Cleaner by Paralogic is one of the best third party registry cleaners that I have used. It’s very affordable, super easy to use, and comes regular updates. After you have installed the software. you can configure it to run automatically and keep your system clean. I highly recommend this program (which I’ve used since day one) because it will keep your computer — even if it’s an older one — error free.
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Well, I didn't know this. This is really a big help for me as my computer often gets messed up after I install new software.
I gotta buy me on these registry cleaner software out there. The amount and frequency of adware and spyware I get is depressing.