Chapter 10. Backing up and recovering a computer
Windows 8.1 provides File History as a central console for backing up and recovering personal files. You can access this console from Control Panel by tapping or clicking the Save Backup Copies Of Your Files With File History under the System And Security heading. Previous versions of files and folders might also be available for folders shared on the network by file servers. Other tools for backing up and recovering a computer’s data include the Startup Repair tool, Windows Resume Loader, and System Restore. These tools are discussed in the sections that follow.
Backing up and recovering files and folders
File servers running Windows Server have a Previous Versions feature. Previous versions come from shadow copies and are created for folders that are shared on the network. Although Previous Versions is not a replacement for full system backups, it can be used to create automatic backups of changed files and folders on monitored drives. If a monitored file or folder was accidentally deleted or modified, you can recover the file or folder to the previous version.
In File Explorer, when you right-click a file or folder shared on the network by a file server and then select Properties, you get a Previous Versions tab. If you select this tab, available previous versions of the file or folder (if any) are listed. After you select a previous version, you can then use:
The Open button to open any of the previous versions.
The Copy button to create a copy of a previous version.
The Restore button to revert the file or folder to a selected previous version.
There are several possible reasons why you might not get a previous version of a file on your computer, including the following:
The file might be an offline file. Offline files are copies of network files. Client computers do not create previous versions of offline files; however, previous versions might be available on the server on which the file is stored.
The file might be a system file. Previous Versions does not create copies of system files.
The folder in which the file was stored has been deleted. In this case, you must open the properties for the folder that contained the folder that was deleted. Use this folder’s Previous Versions tab to restore the folder, and then access the folder to recover the previous version of the file you want.
No shadow copy has been created since the file was created and saved.
Recovering from a failed start
When a computer running Windows 8.1 starts and is not resuming from sleep mode or hibernate, Windows Boot Manager initializes the operating system by starting the Windows Boot Loader, which in turn starts the operating system by using information in the boot configuration data (BCD) store. If Windows 8.1 fails to start, the computer typically will go into recovery mode the next time you try to start the computer. After preparing automated recovery and attempting to diagnose the computer, you’ll get an Automatic Repair screen. From this screen, you can select Restart to shut down and restart the computer or Advanced Options to display additional options that might help you repair the computer.
If you choose to restart the computer, Windows will do a full restart, which can sometimes resolve the problem.
If you choose Advanced Options, you’ll have the following options:
Continue. Exits the repair menu and continues to load the operating system
Use Another Operating System. Exits the repair menu and enables you to select the operating system to load (if multiple operating systems are installed)
Turn Off Your PC. Exits the repair menu and shuts down the computer
Troubleshoot. Displays the Troubleshoot menu
Real World
It’s important to point out that whenever you are working with any of the recovery screens, you have full access to the mini-shell. Simply press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt in the mini-shell. The mini-shell gives you access to many of the same commands that you can access in the full command shell, including Diskpart, Mountvol, Netsh, Ping, Recover, Reg Query, Time, and Xcopy.
The Troubleshoot menu has three options:
Refresh Your PC. Reinstalls Windows 8.1 from the operating system image stored on the computer while maintaining personal files, accounts, and personalization settings. Although desktop apps and their related settings will be available after the refresh, any desktop programs that were previously installed will not be available.
Reset Your PC. Reinstalls Windows 8.1 from the operating system image stored on the computer and resets the installation to its original “factory” state. After a reset, no personal files, accounts, or personalization settings will be available, and you’ll need to reinstall both desktop apps and desktop programs.
Advanced Options. Displays the Advanced Options menu.
The TroubleshootAdvanced Options menu has five options:
System Restore. Enables you to use a restore point saved on the computer to restore Windows, as discussed later in this chapter in the section Backing up and recovering system state by using System Restore.
System Image Recovery. Enables you to recover the computer by using a system image file. This is similar to a reset, except that you select the image file to use for recovery, and this image file can come from a remote computer. No personal files, accounts, or personalization settings will be available after recovery, and you’ll need to reinstall both desktop apps and desktop programs (except for those that are already part of the system image).
Startup Repair. Enables you to start the Startup Repair tool, which can repair problems that prevent Windows from starting, including bad entries in the BCD store, corrupted system files, and damaged boot managers. Normally, this tool is started automatically if Windows detects a fixable problem.
Command Prompt. Enables you to access a command prompt and work with the commands and tools available in the recovery environment.
Startup Settings. Enables you to change the startup behavior for Windows 8.1. This allows you to restart the computer so that you can disable driver signature enforcement, early-launch anti-malware protection, and automatic restart on system failure. You can also enable low-resolution video mode, debugging mode, boot logging, and safe mode.
Recovering from a failed resume
When a computer running Windows 8.1 enters sleep mode or hibernates, a snapshot of the current state of the computer is created. For sleep mode, this snapshot is created in memory and then read from memory when a user wakes the computer. For hibernate mode, this snapshot is written to disk and then read from disk when a user wakes the computer. Both operations are handled by the Windows Resume Loader.
Problems with resuming a computer can occur for a variety of reasons, including errors in the snapshot, physical errors in memory, and physical disk errors. If there is a problem resuming after waking the computer from sleep, Windows Resume Loader proceeds to system-boot and the operating system starts without the sleep data. If there is a problem resuming after waking the computer from hibernate, Windows Resume Loader proceeds to system-boot and the operating system starts without the hibernate data.
In either instance, any work that wasn’t saved before the computer entered sleep or hibernate mode is lost. However, most current applications are configured to save their working state automatically when the computer enters sleep mode. As a result, if you restart the applications that were running, recovery data might be available.
After a failed resume, Startup Repair can examine recent configuration changes that affected sleep or hibernate and reverse them. As an example, if you edited the active power plan so that the computer automatically hibernated after being in sleep mode for a set number of minutes, Startup Repair can remove that change.
Repairing a computer to enable startup
To start properly, computers running Windows 8.1 need access to specific system files. If a computer won’t start because of a corrupted or missing system file, you can use the Startup Repair tool. Sometimes repairing a damaged or missing file won’t fix all the computer’s problems, and you might need to continue troubleshooting to diagnose and resolve the deeper problem.
Most other types of startup problems occur because something on the system has changed; for example, a device might have been incorrectly installed. The system configuration or registry might have been updated improperly, causing a conflict. Often you can resolve startup issues by using safe mode to recover or troubleshoot system problems. When you have finished using safe mode, be sure to restart the computer using a normal startup so that you can use the computer as you normally would.
In safe mode, Windows 8.1 loads only basic files, services, and drivers. The drivers loaded include those for the mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, and base video. The monitor driver sets the basic settings and modes for the computer’s monitor; and the base video driver sets the basic options for the computer’s graphics card. No networking services or drivers are started unless you choose the Safe Mode With Networking option. Because safe mode loads a limited set of configuration information, it can help you troubleshoot problems.
Restart a system in safe mode by completing the following steps:
If the computer won’t start normally, the Automatic Repair screen is displayed during startup. On the Automatic Repair screen, select Advanced Options, and then select Troubleshoot.
On the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced Options, and then select Startup Settings.
On the Startup Settings screen, select Restart.
Select the safe mode option you want to use by pressing the function key corresponding to that option. The safe mode option you use depends on the type of problem you’re experiencing.
If you don’t want to use a safe mode option, press Enter to return to the operating system and resume normal startup. If you want to launch the computer’s recovery environment instead, press F10 and then press F1.
The primary options are as follows:
Enable Debugging. Enables debugging of the startup process.
Enable Safe Mode. Loads only basic files, services, and drivers during the initialization sequence. The drivers loaded include those for the mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, and base video. No networking services or drivers are started.
Enable Safe Mode With Networking. Loads basic files, services, and drivers, in addition to services and drivers needed to start networking.
Enable Safe Mode With Command Prompt. Loads basic files, services, and drivers, and then starts a command prompt instead of the Windows 8.1 graphical interface. No networking services or drivers are started.
Enable Boot Logging. Enables you to create a record of all startup events in a boot log.
Enable Low Resolution Video. Enables you to start the system in low-resolution 640 × 480 display mode, which is useful if the system display is set to a mode that can’t be used with the current monitor.
Disable Automatic Restart After Failure. Prevents Windows from restarting after a crash, which, by default, would happen automatically. If Windows restarts repeatedly, you might have a firmware configuration problem.
Disable Driver Signature Enforcement. Starts the computer in safe mode without enforcing digital signature policy settings for drivers. If a driver with an invalid or missing digital signature is causing startup failure, this will resolve the problem temporarily so that you can start the computer and resolve the problem by getting a new driver or changing the driver signature enforcement settings.
Disable Early Launch Anti-Malware Protection. Starts the computer in safe mode without running the boot driver for the computer’s anti-malware software. If the boot driver for the computer’s anti-malware software is preventing startup, you’ll need to check the software developer’s website for an update that resolves the boot problem or configure the software without boot protection.
Start Windows Normally. Starts the computer with its regular settings.
If a problem doesn’t reappear when you start the computer in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and basic device drivers as possible causes. If a newly added device or updated driver is causing problems, you can use safe mode to remove the device, reverse the update, or install a different version of the driver software.
If you are still having a problem starting the system normally and suspect that problems with hardware, software, or settings are to blame, remain in safe mode and then try using System Restore to undo previous changes. See the Backing up and recovering system state by using System Restore section later in this chapter.
If System Restore doesn’t work, start the computer in safe mode and try using the System Configuration utility to modify the boot options. You can start the System Configuration utility by pressing the Windows key, typing msconfig.exe (which normally is entered automatically into the Everywhere Search box), and then pressing Enter.
Recovering from a locked disk or invalid BCD settings
Computers with MBR disks require both a system and a boot partition to initialize and boot the operating system. Many modern computers with MBR disks have separate system and boot partitions. Typically, the system partition will not have a drive letter, whereas the boot partition will contain the operating system files and be set as the C: drive. In this configuration, the system partition must also be marked as the active partition.
If someone inadvertently marks another, non-system partition as the active partition, the computer will not be able to initialize and start the operation system. You also will not be able to use the standard repair tools to recover the computer. If you attempt to refresh the computer, you’ll get an error on the Refresh Your PC screen stating:
Unable to access disk. The disk is locked.
If you attempt to reset the computer, you’ll get a similar error on the Reset Your PC screen. To recover the computer from the Refresh Your Computer or Reset Your Computer screen, you’ll need to do the following:
Press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt window in the mini-shell.
Start DiskPart by entering diskpart at the command prompt (as shown in Figure 10-1).
Select the disk with which you want to work. For example, enter select disk 0 to select the first disk.
Enter list partition to list the partitions on the selected disk.
Select the partition that should be marked as active. For example, enter select partition 2 to select Partition 2.
Typically, the system partition is a relatively small primary partition (as compared to a much larger primary partition that contains the actual operating system files and is used for boot).
After you select the partition, mark it as the active partition by entering active.
Close DiskPart by entering exit, and then close the command prompt by clicking the Close button.
On the Refresh Your Computer or Reset Your Computer screen, select Cancel.
On the Choose An Option screen, select Turn Off PC.
Start the computer. If you selected the correct system partition, the computer should now start normally.
Windows Boot Manager reports errors related to boot configuration data as shown in Figure 10-2. From any of the recovery screens, you can use a similar technique to modify a computer’s boot configuration data. After you access the mini-shell, enter bcdedit /? to get help information, and then use the available commands to correct the boot configuration data.
However, don’t confuse a locked disk problem with a boot configuration problem. To distinguish an active disk problem from a boot configuration problem, you need to access the Refresh Your PC or Reset Your PC screen in the recovery environment by completing the following steps:
Insert the Windows installation media, and then restart the computer.
When the computer starts, look for a message telling you what key to press to access the boot options. For example, you might need to press F12 to access the boot options.
Use the computer’s Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to select the appropriate boot option, such as CD/DVD Drive, and then press Enter.
When Windows Setup starts, choose the appropriate language settings, and then select Next.
On the next screen, don’t select Install Now. Instead, select Repair Your Computer.
On the Choose An Option screen, select Troubleshoot.
On the Troubleshoot screen, select Refresh Your PC or Reset Your PC.
If you are unable to perform the refresh or reset because the disk is locked, you might need to ensure that the system partition is marked as the active partition. If you don’t get this error or if you get another error, the problem is likely because of the boot configuration data.
Backing up and recovering system state by using System Restore
The section The System Protection tab in Chapter 2 introduced System Restore and also discusses configuring this feature. Restore points can be used to recover systems that are experiencing problems after a system update, software installation, hardware installation, or other change. The following sections discuss how restore points can be created manually and how systems can be recovered by using restore points. Restore operations are reversible in most cases.
Understanding restore points
System Restore monitors the operating system for changes and creates restore points at regular daily intervals and before changes are introduced. The feature works by saving a snapshot of a computer’s system configuration and writing the snapshot to disk so that it can be used to recover the system to a specific point in time if necessary. It’s important to note that System Restore does not affect personal data. You can recover a system to a restore point without affecting a user’s application data, cached files, or documents. System Restore doesn’t write any information to the Documents folder either.
System Restore tracks and saves configuration information separately for each drive on a computer. This means that each drive has disk space made available to System Restore, and you can turn off monitoring of individual drives as needed. If a drive is configured for System Restore monitoring, you can recover from changes if a problem occurs. If a drive isn’t configured for System Restore monitoring, configuration changes are not tracked, and changes cannot be recovered if a problem occurs. On most systems, you should configure System Restore for the system drive, which stores the operating system files, and for all drives containing critical applications.
Restore points can be restored in one of three ways: by checkpoint, by date, or by event. Individual snapshots scheduled by the operating system are called system checkpoints. Normal system checkpoints are made approximately every 24 hours. If a computer is turned off when a daily checkpoint is scheduled, System Restore creates the checkpoint the next time the computer is started.
Note
Although earlier releases of Windows created an initial snapshot when you installed the operating system, an initial snapshot normally is not created when you install Windows 8.1. The reason for this is that PC Refresh and PC Reset are available as options to get the computer back to its original state. For more information on PC Refresh and PC Reset, see the Recovering from a failed start section earlier in this chapter.
When System Restore is enabled, some snapshots are created automatically based on events that the operating system triggers when you make changes or install applications. For simplicity, I call these snapshots installation restore points, and there’s actually a group of them, each with a different purpose. The event-based snapshots are as follows:
Program name installation restore points. Created prior to installing a program that uses a compatible installer. You can use installation restore points to track application installation and to restore a computer to the state it was in before the application was installed. Restoring the computer state means that all file and registry settings for the installed program are removed. It also means that programs and system files altered by the installation are restored to their previous state. After this is completed, the program won’t work, and you’ll need to reinstall it if the user wants to use it again.
Caution
These are called program name installation restore points instead of program uninstall restore points for a very good reason. The restore process doesn’t uninstall all the application files. It removes file and registry settings that might affect the operation of the computer. To completely uninstall a program, you need to use the Programs tool in Control Panel.
Automatic update restore points. Created prior to applying an automatic update. If a computer has problems after applying an automatic update, you can use the restore point to recover the computer to its previous state. (You can also use the Programs tool to remove automatic updates.)
Restore operation restore points. Created prior to restoring a computer. If you find that you used the wrong restore point or that the restore point doesn’t work, you can use these restore points to undo the restore operation and recover the computer to the state it was in before you reversed the previous settings.
Unsigned device driver restore points. Created prior to the installation of an unsigned or uncertified driver on a computer. If a computer has problems after you install an unsigned or uncertified driver, you can use these restore points to restore the computer to its state before you installed the driver. For signed and certified drivers, the normal rollback procedure should enable you to go back to the previous driver being used.
Microsoft Backup tool recovery restore points. Created prior to recovering files or system data by using the Backup tool. If the recovery fails or if the computer doesn’t work properly after the recovery, you can undo the changes and restore the computer to its previous state.
Users can also create snapshots manually. These snapshots are called manual restore points. You should recommend that users create snapshots prior to performing any operation that could cause problems on the system.
You can restore computers when they are running in normal mode or safe mode. In normal mode, a restore operation restore point is created prior to restoration of the computer. But in safe mode, the restore operation restore point is not created because changes you make in safe mode aren’t tracked and you can’t undo them by using restore points. However, you can use safe mode to restore any previously created restore point.
Creating manual restore points
You can create a manual restore point by following these steps:
In Control Panel, tap or click System And Security, and then tap or click System.
In the left pane, tap or click System Protection.
Select the disk for which you want to create the restore point, and then tap or click Create.
Enter a description for the restore point, such as Prior To Display Monitor Driver Update And Changes. Tap or click Create.
When the restore point is created, tap or click OK.
Recovering from restore points
To recover a computer from a restore point when the operating system is running, follow these steps:
In Control Panel, tap or click System And Security, and then tap or click System.
In the left pane, tap or click System Protection and then tap or click System Restore. System Restore examines the available restore points on the computer. This process can take several minutes. When it completes, System Restore recommends a restore point. If you want to determine what programs the restore operation will affect, tap or click Scan For Affected Programs.
If you want to determine what additional restore points are available, select Choose A Different Restore Point, and then tap or click Next. Recent restore points are listed by date, time, description, and type. To view additional restore points that are available, tap or click Show More Restore Points. To determine what programs the restore operation will affect when using a particular restore point, tap or click a restore point, and then tap or click Scan For Affected Programs.
After you’ve selected a restore point or accepted the recommended restore point, tap or click Next to continue.
Tap or click Finish. When prompted, tap or click Yes to confirm that you want to use the selected restore point to restore the computer’s system files and settings.
To recover a computer from a restore point when the operating system won’t run, follow these steps:
If the computer won’t start normally, the Automatic Repair screen is displayed during startup. On the Automatic Repair screen, select Advanced Options, and then select Troubleshoot.
On the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced Options, and then select System Restore.
System Restore examines the available restore points on the computer. You’ll then be able to select a restore point to use and the procedure is similar to steps 3 to 5 in the previous procedure.
During the restoration, System Restore shuts down Windows 8.1. After restoration is complete, Windows 8.1 restarts by using the settings in effect at the date and time of the snapshot. After the system restarts, the System Restore dialog box is displayed again. Read the message provided, and then tap or click Close. If Windows 8.1 isn’t working properly, you can apply a different restore point or reverse the restore operation by repeating this procedure and selecting the restore operation that was created prior to applying the current system state.
Using PC recovery options
Computers that are designed for Windows 8 and later normally have a dedicated recovery partition that contains a recovery image. The recovery image typically is about 3 gigabytes (GB) to 8 GB in size, depending on version and customizations.
You can use the recovery image to refresh or reset the computer. A PC refresh reinstalls Windows 8.1 from the operating system image stored on the computer while maintaining personal files, accounts, and personalization settings. Although desktop apps and their related settings will be available after the refresh, any desktop programs that were previously installed will not be available. Thus, you normally can refresh a PC without affecting your personal files and settings.
A PC reset reinstalls Windows 8.1 from the operating system image stored on the computer and resets the installation to its original “factory” state. After a reset, no personal files, accounts, or personalization settings will be available, and you’ll need to reinstall both desktop apps and desktop programs. Thus, when you reset a PC, you are starting over completely and resetting the PC to its factory settings.
Determining whether a computer has a recovery partition
When you are inventorying computers, you can determine whether a computer has a recovery image by completing the following steps:
Open an elevated, administrator command prompt. One way to do this is to press Windows key + Q and then enter cmd in the Search box. In the search results, right-click Command Prompt, and then select Run As Administrator.
To display information about the computer’s recovery image, enter recimg /showcurrent at the command prompt.
If the computer has a recovery environment, you’ll get information about the recovery image; otherwise, you’ll get an error similar to the following:
There is no active custom recovery image. Error Code - 0x80070490
Initiating a PC recovery
If a computer has a recovery environment, one way to start a recovery is to complete the following steps:
On the Automatic Repair screen, select Advanced Options, and then select Troubleshoot.
On the Troubleshoot screen, select Advanced Options, and then select Startup Settings.
On the Startup Settings screen, select Restart.
Press F10 instead of selecting a safe mode option, and then select F1 to launch the recovery environment.
Creating a recovery partition
If a computer doesn’t have a recovery environment, you can create a recovery partition and image by completing the following steps:
Open an elevated, administrator command prompt. One way to do this is to press Windows key + Q and then enter cmd in the Search box. In the search results, right-click Command Prompt and then select Run As Administrator.
Create a folder for the recovery partition by entering mkdir c: ecimage at the command prompt.
Create a recovery image and store it in the new folder by entering recimg -createimage c: ecimage at the command prompt.
The RecImg utility will create a system snapshot and then write the recovery image to the specified folder. RecImg finalizes the creation process by registering the recovery image in the BCD.
Note
The recovery image creation process can take a long time. You can cancel the image creation by pressing the Esc key.
Step by step, a normal recovery creation process proceeds as shown in the following example and sample output:
recimg -createimage c:
ecimage
Source OS location: C:
Recovery image path: c:
ecimageCustomRefresh.wim
Creating recovery image. Press [ESC] to cancel.
Initializing
100%
Creating snapshot
100%
Writing image (this may take a while)
100%
Registering image
100%
Recovery image creation and registration completed successfully.The output of the command tells you the source location of the currently installed operating system and the complete path to the recovery image. The output also tells you which phases of the process have been started, allowing you to track the process to completion.
If the image creation and registration does not complete successfully, try to resolve any issues before using RecImg to try to create the image again. The most common problem you might encounter is a lack of available disk space. If there is insufficient disk space, you’ll need to free space on the volume where you created the recovery folder. Otherwise, if the process completes successfully, you can confirm that the recovery image was created by entering recimg /showcurrent at the command prompt. The output identifies the registered path of the recovery image as shown in this following example and sample output:
recimg /showcurrent \?GLOBALROOTdeviceharddisk0partition3 ecimage RecImg: Operation completed successfully
Creating a USB recovery drive
As an alternative to a recovery image stored on a computer, you can delete a computer’s recovery image and create a USB recovery drive to use instead. This approach saves space on the computer but requires you to create a USB drive and then make sure this drive is available should a refresh or reset be required.
The USB flash drive fyou use for recovery should be at least 8 GB in size. Because the recovery drive creation process reformats the flash drive, any data stored on the device will be erased.
You can create a USB recovery drive by completing the following steps:
In Control Panel, enter Recovery Drive in the Search box. Under System, select Create A Recovery Drive to open the Recovery Drive Wizard.
If the computer has a recovery partition created by the computer manufacturer, you can choose to copy this recovery partition to the recovery drive by selecting the related option.
Select Next, and then select Create. The Recovery Drive Wizard will create the recovery partition on the USB flash drive in much the same way as the RecImg tool creates a recovery partition on a computer.
When the process is complete, you can optionally elect to delete the recovery partition on the computer. This frees up the space that was previously used by the partition.
Select Finish, and then remove the USB flash drive. Be sure to store the recovery drive in a safe location. Don’t use the recovery drive to store any other data or files.
Creating and using File History
You can use File History to automate backups of personal files from libraries, the desktop, contacts, and favorites. You must have appropriate permissions to back up and restore files on a computer.
Configuring File History backups
Windows 8.1 can automatically create personal data backups. Personal data backups are used to periodically back up pictures, music, videos, email, documents, and other types of important files so that you can restore or use them on another computer if necessary. Specifically, the Public Documents, Public Pictures, Public Music, and Public Videos subfolders of the UsersPublic folder is copied as part of the backup data, as are the Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Favorites, Pictures, Music, and Videos subfolders of the user’s profile.
As Figure 10-3 shows, File History is configured in Control Panel. When working with File History, keep the following in mind:
Personal data backups can be created only on removable media or network locations. They can’t be created on a computer’s internal disk drives.
Personal data backups are created automatically when you enable the File History feature. By default, File History saves copies of files every hour.
By default, saved versions of personal data are kept indefinitely so long as they don’t exceed 5 percent of the disk space at the assigned location.
With network locations, the personal data backup is created in a subfolder named in the following syntax: UserName@DomainOrComputer, such as [email protected] or WilliamS@CorpPC12. This folder has a subfolder set with the user’s computer name, such as CORPC12, which in turn contains Configuration and Data subfolders. With removable media, a top-level folder called FileHistory is created first.
Enabling File History backups and configuring drives
With USB flash drives or other removable media, you can enable automated backups and create your first backup manually by following these steps:
Insert a USB flash drive or connect other removable media to the computer.
In Control Panel, tap or click Save Backup Copies Of Your Files With File History under the System And Security heading.
Tap or click Turn On. Windows 8.1 turns on File History and creates the initial backup.
With a network location, you can enable automated backups and create your first backup by following these steps:
In Control Panel, tap or click Save Backup Copies Of Your Files With File History under the System And Security heading.
Tap or click Select Drive, then tap or click Add Network Location. If network discovery and file sharing is disabled, tap or click the notification panel, and then tap or click Turn On Network Discovery And File Sharing.
In the Folder box, enter the UNC path to the folder in which the personal data should be stored, such as \CorpServer172CorpData, and then tap or click OK.
When you tap or click Turn On, Windows 8.1 turns on File History and creates the initial backup.
Using the options on the File History page, you can modify the default backup configuration in several ways. Each user can have only one File History drive at a time. You can change the File History drive to a new network location and Windows will allow you to move the data to a new network location automatically when you follow these steps:
On the File History page, tap or click Change Drive, and then tap or click Add Network Location.
In the Folder text box, enter the UNC path to the folder in which the personal data should be stored, such as \CorpServer96UserData. This location can’t have existing File History data for the user.
Tap or click OK twice. When prompted, tap or click Yes if you’d like to move the user’s personal data to the new location. If the location already has personal data for the user, the data won’t be moved, and you’ll need to tap or click OK when prompted to confirm that you understand this.
You can change the File History drive to removable media from a network location or to different removable media, follow these steps:
Insert a USB flash drive or connect other removable media to the computer.
On the File History page, tap or click Change Drive.
Tap or click the removable media to use, and then tap or click OK.
When prompted, tap or click Yes if you’d like to move the user’s personal data to the new location. If the location already has personal data for the user, the data won’t be moved, and you’ll need to tap or click OK when prompted to confirm that you understand this.
Excluding folders from File History backups
By default, personal data backups created with the File History feature contain the Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos subfolders of the UsersPublic folder and the Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Favorites, Pictures, Music, and Videos subfolders of the user’s profile. You can exclude folders from backups by following these steps:
In Control Panel, tap or click Save Backup Copies Of Your Files With File History under the System And Security heading.
Tap or click Exclude Folders. Any currently excluded folders are shown on the Exclude Folders page.
If you want to exclude a folder, tap or click Add. Use the Select Folder dialog box to select the folder to exclude and then tap or click Select Folder. As an example, if you wanted to exclude Public Documents, you’d expand Libraries and Documents, tap or click Public Documents, and then tap or click Select Folder.
If you want to include a folder that was previously excluded, select it in the Excluded list and then tap or click Remove.
Modifying default save settings
File History saves copies of files every hour by default and those saved versions are kept indefinitely as long as they don’t exceed 5 percent of the disk space at the assigned location. You can modify the default save settings by following these steps:
In Control Panel, tap or click Save Backup Copies Of Your Files With File History under the System And Security heading.
Tap or click Advanced Settings. The current default values are listed on the Advanced Settings page, shown in Figure 10-4.
As necessary, use the Save Copies Of Files list to change when saved copies of files are created. This creates saved versions to which users can return, and they can also be used for recovery. You can reduce overhead related to File History by setting a longer save interval, such as Every 3 Hours or Every 6 Hours. Daily is the maximum duration.
As necessary, use the Size Of Offline Cache list to control the maximum size of the file cache. Be sure to check the size of the related drive and increase or decrease this value as appropriate for the size of the drive and the available space. For example, if a drive has 2 terabytes (TB) of space, you might want to set the maximum size of the offline cache to 2 percent of disk space, whereas if the drive has only 100 GB of space, you might want to set the maximum size of the offline cache to 10 percent of disk space.
As necessary, use the Keep Saved Versions list to specify how long to keep saved versions. Choose a setting that makes sense for the way the user works. If you choose Forever, saved versions are kept indefinitely and will not be overwritten if the offline cache hits its size limit. If you choose Until Space Is Needed, saved versions are kept until the size of the offline cache grows to its limit, and then the oldest versions are overwritten as necessary to accommodate new versions. Any value in between these two settings keeps saved versions for a set amount of time before they are removed. However, if the size of the offline cache hits the limit, no new versions can be created until space is made available (by old versions reaching their time limit).
Real World
On the Advanced Settings page, you can manually clean up file versions at any time. Tap or click Clean Up Versions. In the File History Clean Up dialog box, select which versions to delete, and then tap or click Clean Up. For example, you can specify that you want to clean up files older than six months or that you want to clean up all but the latest version.
Recovering personal data
You can recover personal data files you’ve backed up with File History by following these steps:
In Control Panel, tap or click Save Backup Copies Of Your Files With File History under the System And Security heading.
Tap or click Restore Personal Files. In the File History dialog box, use the Previous Version and Next Version buttons to navigate through the snapshots until you find the version with which you want to work. You can navigate folder structures within the snapshots just as you would folders on a hard drive.
Snapshots are listed with a date and time stamp and a version number (for example, Monday, May 6, 2013 5:11 PM | Version 5 of 12). When you find a folder or file to restore, tap or click it, and then tap or click Restore To Original Location. You can also select multiple items to restore.
Troubleshooting startup and shutdown
As an administrator, you often need to troubleshoot problems with startup and shutdown. The sections that follow look at techniques for resolving common problems.
Resolving restart or shutdown issues
Normally, you can shut down or restart Windows 8.1 by using the Power options. When working with the Start screen or the desktop, this means to shut down or restart a server, you follow these steps:
Display options by sliding in from the right side of the screen or by moving the mouse pointer to the lower-right side of the screen.
Tap or click Settings, and then tap or click Power.
Tap or click Shut Down or Restart as appropriate.
In a standard configuration, you can also press the computer’s physical power button to initiate an orderly shutdown by logging off and then shutting down. Although all of these approaches usually work, Windows 8.1 sometimes won’t shut down or restart normally, and you must take additional actions. In those cases, follow these steps:
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del. The Windows screen should be displayed. Tap or click Task Manager. If the detailed view isn’t shown, tap or click More Details.
On the Processes tab, look for an application or process that is not responding. If all applications appear to be running normally, skip to step 5.
Select the application that is not responding, and then tap or click End Task.
If the application fails to respond to the request, you’ll get a prompt that enables you to end the application immediately or cancel the end-task request. Tap or click End Now.
Try shutting down or restarting the computer. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to display the Windows screen again, tap or click the Power button in the lower-right corner of the screen, and then tap or click Restart or Shut Down as appropriate.
Windows 8.1 will also log off the current user and shut down the computer if you press the computer’s power button. If any programs fail to respond, you’ll have the option to force the logoff, or you can simply wait a few seconds for Windows to force the logoff.
Real World
As a last resort, you might be forced to perform a hard shutdown by pressing and holding down the computer’s power button or by unplugging the computer. If you do this, Check Disk will probably run the next time you start the computer so that the computer can check for errors and problems that might have been caused by the hard shutdown. If Check Disk doesn’t run automatically, you might want to run it manually.
Making sense of Stop errors
The Setting recovery options section in Chapter 2 details how to configure Windows 8.1 to write debugging information. If a major error occurs while Windows 8.1 is starting, installing a program, or performing another operation, you’ll get a Stop error message across the entire screen. Read this information carefully and write down the following information:
Error name. The error name should be on the third line of the error screen and is listed in all caps, such as KERNEL_STACK_INPAGE_ERROR.
Troubleshooting recommendations. The error name is followed by the troubleshooting recommendations. These recommendations are based on the type of error that occurred and provide general guidelines on resolving the problem.
Error number. The troubleshooting recommendations are followed by technical information. On the next line after the Technical Information heading, you’ll find the word STOP, an error number, and a list of error parameters. The error number following Stop is what you should write down, such as STOP: 0X00000050.
Driver information. Immediately following the line with the Stop error number is a line that lists the name of the driver associated with the error. This information is provided only if the error can be traced to a specific driver. Write down the driver name.
If the system is configured to write an event to the event logs if a Stop error occurs, and it was possible to write the event before the system crashed completely, the error number and error parameters will be written to an event in the System log with an event source of Save Dump. The event will also specify whether a dump file was created and where it was saved, if applicable.
Real World
Windows 8.1 includes an Online Crash Analysis feature that enables you to send the dump file to Microsoft Product Support Services. If error reporting is enabled, you will be prompted to send this debugging information to Microsoft when you restart the system. You have the option of sending the debugging information anonymously or using your Microsoft Connect account. If you send the debugging information with your name and contact information through Microsoft Connect, a technician might contact you for further information and might also be able to suggest an action to correct the problem.
After you have the Stop error information, you might need to start the system in safe mode, as discussed in the section Repairing a computer to enable startup, earlier in this chapter. You can then look to resolve the problem by performing the following tasks:
Look up the Stop error on the Microsoft Knowledge Base. Visit support.microsoft.com and perform a search of the Knowledge Base by using the error number as the keyword. If a known problem is related to the error code, you should find a related Knowledge Base article. As appropriate, follow the instructions given to resolve the issue.
Check the driver (if driver information was provided). When you reboot the system, check the driver to be sure it is digitally signed. If the driver has been updated recently, you might consider rolling back to the previous driver version. Just because the driver is listed doesn’t mean the driver is corrupt and needs replacing, however. The Stop error could have been caused by other factors.
Determine what has changed recently. Stop errors can be caused by both hardware and software. Closely review any programs or hardware that have been installed recently on the computer. If you added new hardware, check to be sure that the hardware is installed correctly; that the latest, signed drivers are installed; and that the hardware is properly configured. If you added new software, check to be sure that the installation completed successfully. You might also want to check for updates to the software.
Check system resources. Stop errors can occur if the system becomes critically low on RAM or disk space. After you get the system started, check the drives to determine the amount of free space available and, as necessary, free additional disk space by using Disk Cleanup or other tools. Also, open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del and tapping or clicking Task Manager. Look at the Performance tab to check the amount of physical and virtual RAM available. If very little memory is available, determine which programs are using memory and whether there are problem programs, such as adware or spyware, running.
Repair system files. Stop errors can be caused by damaged or improper versions of system files. If you suspect a system file is the cause of the problem and the system won’t start properly, you might need to repair the operating system or reinstall the operating system by using the repair options discussed in the Repairing a computer to enable startup section earlier in this chapter.
Check hardware and firmware. Stop errors can be caused by faulty hardware. If a computer frequently crashes, you might want to examine the hardware closely. Check the hardware drivers first; a driver might be causing the Stop errors. Check the physical hardware. Look specifically at the hard disks, RAM, CPU, and graphics card. A hard disk might be going bad, RAM might be defective, the CPU might have overheated, or the graphics card might be incompatible with Windows 8.1. Also, look at the firmware. Check the settings carefully. In addition, you might check whether an update is available from the motherboard’s manufacturer.