There are cases when you want to undo some changes you’ve made to your computer and to do that you have to perform the System Restore task. However, if you encounter an error that states “To use System Restore you must specify which Windows installation to restore”, when doing so, read on as this post will help you fix the problem.
This kind of error in System Restore could be due to corrupted files in the system. There are also situations where you are not able to boot up once you encounter this error which could be a big problem. On the other hand, this error might have something to do with corrupted BCD files. Whatever the cause is, here are some potential fixes you have to try.
Option 1 – Try to run System File Checker offline
Like pointed out, since the error might be due to corrupted system files, you can try to run System File Checker offline. How? Refer to these steps:
- You need to go to the Advanced Startup Options and from there select Troubleshoot.
- Next, select the Advanced Options and then Command Prompt.
- After opening Command Prompt, type the commands given below and tap Enter right after you type each one of them.
- If you can see the “Users” folder, that is your system’s drive. However, if you can’t see it, you can just change the drive-by assigning “D” as its alphabet volume.
- Then execute this command where “C” is the system drive: sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C: /offwindir=C:Windows
- Now repeat the given steps sequentially.
Option 2 – Try to run DISM tool
You can also run the DISM tool to repair the potentially corrupted system image. First, you have to check the health of the system like checking the integrity of the system files and Windows services. To run DISM, follow the given steps below sequentially.
- Open Command Prompt from the Advanced Startup options.
- After that, execute this command where “C:” is the system volume: DISM /Image:C:Windows /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:WindowsWinSxS
- If you encounter an error after executing the given command, insert the Windows USB or DVD and then execute this next command where “E:” is the USB or DVD drive: DISM /Image:C:Windows /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:esd:E:SourcesInstall.esd:1 /limitaccess
- In some cases, “install.esd” would be “install.wim” and in such case, you have to modify and execute this command: DISM /Image:C:Windows /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:wim:E:SourcesInstall.wim /limitaccess
Option 3 – Try to repair corrupted BCD
As mentioned, the error could also be due to corruption in BCD, and to fix it, you can use Bootrec.exe – a built-in command-line tool used to troubleshot issues related to boot up and Windows Startup. Before you run this tool, make sure that you have inserted a bootable USB or DVD into your computer. Once you have that covered, follow these steps:
- You need to go to the Advanced Startup Options.
- Then click on Troubleshoot.
- Next, select the Advanced Options and then Command Prompt.
- Once Command Prompt has been pulled up, enter each one of the following commands and in the sequence that they are given to rebuild BCD files and repair MBR files:
- Bootrec /Fixmbr
- Bootrec /FixBoot
- After you execute the commands given above, you should see a confirmation message that says, “The operation completed successfully”.
- Now type the “Bootrec /RebuildBCD” command to rebuild BCD.
- Finally, close Command Prompt and then restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.
Option 4 – Try to run the Automatic Repair Utility
You might also want to use Automatic Repair in fixing the error. To do so, follow the steps below.
- You can start by creating and booting from a bootable Windows 10 USB Stick.
- After that, click on Repair your computer located in the bottom left corner when you are on the initial Windows Startup screen.
- Next, click on Troubleshoot, and then on the other screen, click the Startup Repair option.
- Now select the operating system you want to repair. Once you do that, it will start to repair your operating system. Wait until the process is completed and then check if the problem’s now fixed.
Option 5 – Try to use the Windows Recovery Environment
If the four options given above didn’t help fix the problem, you could try running Windows Repair and a Windows bootable USB or DVD.
- First, insert the bootable USB or DVD and boot into it, and select the “Repair your computer” option.
- Next, once you see the manufacturer logo on your computer, tap the key to enter into Windows Recovery Environment.
- After that, change the Boot sequence to DVD drive under the UEFI Firmware settings and restart your computer.
- Once your computer has restarted, select the boot order and make changes accordingly as displayed in the BIOS.
Option 6 – Try running System Restore in Advanced Startup Options
Since you probably can’t boot into your Windows 10 computer, you can try to run System Restore again in the Advanced Startup Options.
- Boot your computer into the Advanced Startup Options screen.
- From there, you will see some options to troubleshoot when you can’t log in to Windows in the usual way.
- Now select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
- After that, type “exe /OFFLINE:C:Windows” and hit Enter to execute the command which will start the System Restore process.
Note: You need to replace “C” with the drive where Windows Installation is located.