Anyone done a system restore...?

[byslantedlight]

I have a post half-written that is not this post, but it occurs to me that this might be a good place to ask something, before my world implodes just a little bit further.

So - there were a shedload of Windows updates on Friday and Saturday, and suddenly I don't have any wireless connectivity on my laptop. This is a bit of a disaster, cos it

Comments

[this_other_life]

Hi,
I have, in the past (using W7 or possibly XP), not recently, done a system restore and none of my documents were affected. It worked just as it is supposed to. Of course with Microsoft anything is possible.
Probably a silly question, but have you got your documents backed up anyway so you can reinstall them if anything should go wrong? Is it just the functionality of the Word programme you are concerned about?
Edited because it posted before I'd fnished and for correcting spelling.
Meant to add - good luck and fingers crossed!

[byslantedlight]

That's good to hear - thanks!

I will back up my documents again just in case, but I'm fairly trusting that they'll be fine. It's the functionality of Word that worries me, just cos of the warning that comes up when you go into system restore (saying that specific programmes might not restore properly - the ones affected by the changes after that, I presume).

Oh, why now? Just when everything's about to get more busy rather than less or at least just normal?!

And thanks!

[milomaus]

We have the same problem with Mr. Mauss laptop, although Vaio....
I turned it off and on a few time and was able to go back online after that.

And my brother did something with the router and the ip adresses, there is this 4 or 6 whateveritscalled and the update gives you a new ip adress and the router has to know that.... but I am very unknowledgable about that.... but maybe it is something to try or look up before you start the restoration?

[byslantedlight]

I've restarted it a few times since then, but still no connectivity.

I don't think it can be just the router, cos I've tried with two different routers, and my laptop won't find either of them. And usually it will tell me that there are no connections available, but now it's as if it doesn't even know what a wireless connection is... In fact if I try to add a new wireless connection, it only talks about ethernet connections, again as if it's never heard of wireless... I've tried to have a look around online about this, but no luck... Oh, I'm not sure whether to try restore or whether to just take it to the computer shop! I could try it and then take it to the computer shop if it goes wrong...

Was the problem on your computer from recent updates?

[milomaus]

Oh no...

And yes, it always happened after updates.

[milomaus]

And it wasn.t the router, it was the wireless connection between the laptop and the router, sorry for not making it clear...

[loxleyprince]

I've done system restores on other laptops (Dell and Asus) and not lost my applications, but I've never done one on a Vaio. If you do go for a system restore, do be sure to backup important documents on an USB stick beforehand to make absolutely sure you don't lose them.

Have you tried setting up a password-protected hot spot on your smartphone and seeing if your laptop can find and connect to that? At least then you'd be able to send and receive things from the internet on your laptop away from home.

[byslantedlight]

Okay, that's good to know... And yeah, I'd back up documents before I did the restore anyway, just in case!

And thanks, good thought for checking, but my laptop's not picking up any wifi signals, that's the trouble - I can't enable it for wifi, so it can't find my mobile internet wifi or my phone if I enable tethering... *scratches head*

[loxleyprince]

The following is the Microsoft page for debugging wifi issues with Windows 10. You might want to try working through some of these steps depending on which errors you are getting.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-my/help/10741/windows-fix-network-connection-issues

(Given that your laptop is only talking about ethernet connectivity (ie via a cable) and not wifi connectivity, maybe wifi has been accidentally turned off on your laptop, so its definitely worth checking that using the steps in the link above.)

[byslantedlight]

Oh, I wish it was as simple as the wifi not being switched on! No, it's definitely on, everywhere that it can and should be, it's just that my laptop thinks it's just words, not something it can do...

I've tried the steps in the list too - everything except the system fixes from the run prompt, so I finally tried them just now - and it made no difference... gargh! And their final suggestion is system restore, which is how I got here in the first place, so I think it's going to have to be that... *sighs*

[fiorenza_a]

I haven't had the wi-fi issue with my current laptop, but it happened a couple of times with my Lenovo

[byslantedlight]

Oh, I'm not planning to restore to the factory settings, just to a point before the recent updates where it all went wrong! I pay for good security, and the restore scan didn't suggest that would be an issue, so that's not a problem. It looks like there were updates to Office in the latest MS updates, which is presumably why it warns me that Office might not restore properly. I suppose it depends what was done to it vs whether it would have carried on working before the updates (which I assume it would, I'm just being nervy!)

Unfortunately it doesn't even understand how to set up a wireless connection from scratch at the moment, it seems to have wiped its entire memory of how wireless works and doesn't even offer the option when I try it, which is why I'm at the system restore point right now...

Thanks anyway!

[fiorenza_a]

wiped its entire memory of how wireless works - that's why you'd need your router details, you effectively do it from there.

There is a known problem with some recent Word updates, unfortunately it didn't affect me so I didn't note the details - but they're on the MS website - simply de-installing the dodgy update might work.

But as you are obviously aware, a simple restore from a restore point should do that anyway. Windows will have set one automatically, it will just roll the pc back to that date - which is hopefully before your dodgy update. It gets a bit more complicated if you need to create your own date. I utilise a lot of free software, which has its drawbacks, so I use it regularly when something turns out to be incompatible - I've never had an issue with losing files. It will de-install any apps installed after the update, though.

Other than that, it's really simple and easy to use - although I never recommend against backing up.

Good luck

[byslantedlight]

simply de-installing the dodgy update might work
Ah, it sounds so simple when you put it like that - its working out which one it is when none of them are called The-Update-That-Will-Bugger-Up-Your-Wireless...!

Lol for never recommending against backing up - quite right too!