How to Repair Windows 11

Over time, it’s inevitable to face some kind of issues on our computers. We even become prey to the endless and eventual sluggish and slow performance of our PCs. However, if the culprit of the problem(s) is a software-based issue, you can thankfully rectify it quite easily and retrieve your machine’s prior top-notch performance.

If you have been facing issues such as frequent crashes, lazy performance, or any other abnormal behavior on your computer, we have a list of a couple of solutions below, that should help tackle the PC problems you are facing. Dive in to know the best and most suitable fix(es) for your PC issue(s).

Run Windows Troubleshooter

On Windows, you can run a troubleshooter to diagnose the issue and let Windows suggest a solution.

First, launch the ‘Settings’ app from the Start Menu. You can also launch it by pressing the Windows+I shortcut on your keyboard.

Then, click the ‘System’ tab on the left sidebar of the ‘Settings’ window.

Now, scroll down to locate and click on the ‘Troubleshoot’ tile from the list.

Click the ‘Other troubleshooters’ tile from the list.

Then, run a Windows troubleshooter from the list, by clicking the ‘Run’ button on the far right end of the specific peripheral tile corresponding to your issue(s).

Fix Drivers Using Device Manager

Let’s start with the basics. Most of the time, the problem you are facing can be fixed with a simple driver update or by installing a missing driver.

To do so, launch the ‘Settings’ app from the Start Menu. Alternatively, you can also launch the app by pressing the Windows+I shortcut on your keyboard.

Then, click the ‘System’ tab on the left sidebar of the ‘Settings’ window.

Scroll down to locate and click on the ‘About’ tile from the list.

Then, scroll to the end of the page and click on the ‘Device Manager’ tile under the ‘Related Settings’ section. This will open a separate window on your screen.

You can see all the hardware peripherals currently installed on your system.

In case, you have a driver missing for any of the hardware components, you will see a ‘question mark’ icon on that particular category. Double-click on it to expand the list and view the specific hardware that is missing the component.

Next, double-click on the hardware component having a ‘yellow exclamation mark’ icon over it. This will open a separate window on your screen.

Now, from the opened window, click on the ‘Update driver’ button under the ‘Device status’ section. This will open a separate ‘Update drivers’ window on your screen.

From the ‘Update driver’ window click on the ‘Search automatically for drivers’ option if you want to let Windows automatically search a driver for you. If you already have a driver in your local storage, click the ‘Browse my computer for drivers’ option to locate it.

Installing the missing driver should fix the issue you are facing.

Fix Registry Errors Using DISM and SFC Scan

Many times there can be issues at the very core. Meaning, some system files may have gotten corrupt, or worse they are completely missing, which in turn is causing the issue you are facing.

This method is a two-step process. First, you will have to run the DISM (Deployment Image and Servicing Management) tool to fix any issues with your system image which is used to repair your system. Then, you will need to invoke the SFC (System File Checker) command to fix any issues present on your installed Windows files.

Since DISM is an admin-level command, you will need to launch your command-line tool as an administrator.

To do so, right-click on the Start Menu on your taskbar. Then, click on the ‘Windows Terminal (Admin)’ option. If you are using an older Windows system, click to choose the ‘Command Prompt (Admin)’ option from the overlay menu.

Irrespective of the option chosen, you will see a UAC (User Account Control) screen asking you to enter the admin account credentials. If you are already logged in as an admin, simply click on the ‘Yes’ button to launch the command-line tool.

Now, if you have chosen the ‘Windows Terminal’ option, click on the carat (downward arrow) icon from the tab bar. Then click to choose the ‘Command Prompt’ option. Alternatively, you can press the Ctrl+Shift+2 to open a Command Prompt tab.

Next, type or copy/paste the following command and hit Enter to restore your system image.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Note: You must be connected to the internet to restore your system image. The command may also download some files in the background.

The DISM tool may take several minutes to complete the process, depending on your system and internet connection speed. It is normal for the Command Prompt to sometimes appear stuck, during the process.

Once the DISM process is completed, it is now time to run the SFC scan to fix the issues you are currently experiencing.

To run the SFC command on your machine, type or copy/paste the following command and press Enter.

SFC /scannow

The SFC scan might take a few minutes to complete. Restart your computer after the scan. Your issues should be now be fixed.

Reset PC

Resetting your PC is one of the most reliable methods to straighten out issues on your computer. You can also choose to keep or remove personal files depending on your preference.

To do so, launch the ‘Settings’ app from the Start Menu. Alternatively, you can also press the Windows+I shortcut on your keyboard to launch the app.

Then click the ‘System’ tab on the left sidebar of the ‘Settings’ window.

Scroll to locate and click the ‘Recovery’ option from the list.

Click the ‘Reset PC’ button under the ‘Recovery options’ section. This will open a separate ‘Reset this PC’ window on your screen.

On the separate ‘Reset this PC’ window that appears, you will have two options – both of which will remove all system apps and roll the system settings back to a fresh state. However, the Keep my files option will keep your personal files intact, while the Remove everything option will completely clean the slate.

Click to choose your preferred option from the ‘Reset this PC’ screen.

After that, you would need to choose between a ‘Cloud download’ and a ‘Local reinstall’. Cloud download is believed to be comparably more reliable and stable than ‘Local reinstall’ as there might be a possibility of damage or corruption of local files. However, the ‘Cloud download’ option would require an active internet connection.

Now click the option of your choice to reinstall Windows on your computer.

Note: Neither of the reinstalling options would require you to plug in any external installation media.

Next, you will see the current settings for your PC reset. If you wish to change these settings, click the ‘Change settings’ option.

On the ‘Choose settings’ window, you have three options that will alter the settings:

Clean data?: This option is generally applicable when you wish to give away your PC and do not want anybody to recover your presonal files.
Delete files from all drives?: As the name suggests, this option enables you to choose to remove the data from your Windows installer drive or wipe the drive clean. If you wish to delete from all drives, toggle the switch to the ‘Yes’ position. Also, if enabled, ‘Clean data’ will apply to all drives.
Download Windows?: This option enables to switch from ‘Cloud download’ to ‘Local resintall’ – if you feel the need to change the reinstallation before it starts.

Once you have set the additional settings as per your preference, click the ‘Confirm’ button to proceed.

Click the ‘Next’ button at the bottom of the window.

It might take a while for Windows to load the next screen. Sit tight while the process runs in the background.

Windows will next list all the consequences of resetting your PC. Read them and click on the ‘Reset’ button to start the resetting process.

Your machine may restart several times, which is completely normal while resetting. Resetting might take a few hours depending on your computer and the chosen settings.

Uninstall Recent Updates

If you have been experiencing problems only after a recent update, there is a high probability the update is causing the ruckus on your computer. Hence, simply uninstalling will make things go hunky-dory for you.

To do so, click the ‘Settings’ app from the Start Menu. You can also press the Windows+I shortcut on your keyboard to launch the app.

Next, click on the ‘Windows Update’ option on the left sidebar of the ‘Settings’ window.

Click the ‘Update history’ tile under the ‘More options’ section to the left of the window.

Then, scroll down to locate and click the ‘Uninstall updates’ tile. This will open a Control panel window on your screen.

Now, from the Control Panel window, locate and select the most recently installed update. Then hit the ‘Uninstall’ button. This will bring up an alert on your screen.

Click the ‘Yes’ button from the overlay alert to finally uninstall the update.

Next, reboot your Windows computer to hopefully resolve the issue.

Roll Back to a System Restore Point

If you created a System Restore Point on your Windows machine, you can easily roll back to it to resolve the issue. However, you may lose some applications and files in the process, depending on the System Restore Point’s last update.

Press the Windows+R shortcut on your keyboard to bring up the ‘Run Command’ utility. Then type control and hit Enter on your keyboard, or click ‘OK’.

Now, locate and click on the ‘Recovery’ option from the ‘Control Panel’ window.

Next, click the ‘Open System Restore’ option from the options on your screen. This will open a separate ‘System Restore’ window.

Click the ‘Next’ button on the ‘System Restore’ window to proceed.

You will then see the list of System Restore points you can roll back to. Click to select one from the list and then click on the ‘Next’ button.

You will now see the drives that will roll back using the chosen Restore point from the ‘Drives’ section. If you also wish to see the files and programs that will be affected, click the ‘Scan for affected programs’ option. This will open a separate window.

On the new screen, you can view the programs that will be deleted and the ones that will be restored. Click the ‘Close’ button to close the window.

Finally, click the ‘Finish’ button to start the System Restore.

Fix Issues Using Windows Startup Repair

It’s nearly impossible to access anything if your computer is having trouble booting up. Fortunately, Microsoft has a fix for you as well to resolve such issues.

For this fix, you need to first enter the WinRE (Recovery Environment). To do so, switch on your device. Upon the first sign of your computer starting up, forcefully turn it off by holding the power switch for 10 seconds.

Repeat this process twice, and allow your computer to fully boot up the third time. You will see an ‘Automatic Repair’ screen. Click on the ‘Advanced options’ button to proceed.