Many laptop manufacturers today include special utilities for restoring factory settings as part of the preinstalled software, which are designed exclusively for cases where the installed operating system is damaged to such an extent that it not only does not boot, but also cannot independently roll back to one of the last operational states or perform a complete reset of all parameters by built-in means. Next, we will look at how to launch ASUS Recovery (the X553M and the X540S will be taken solely as examples). The solutions proposed below can equally well be applied to all models of ASUS laptops in which such a recovery environment is provided initially.
What is ASUS Recovery?
As already, probably, it is clear that this utility, built-in software into most modern ASUS laptops, is a specialized tool that allows you to restore the device’s performance even if Windows is completely damaged. The initial system configuration files are located in a special section hidden from the user's eyes, so it is impossible to see it in the OS itself. The section is displayed just when the rollback tool is launched. In addition, this section is protected, so it is almost impossible to get rid of it using standard methods (which, in general, is not necessary), although if you know what actions need to be performed, you can. But this is not about that.
How to run ASUS Recovery on a laptop: standard scheme
So, suppose that the operating system does not boot under any pretext, and the standard rollback tools with the choice of the desired point or configuration do not work. To run in ASUS laptops, unlike some other manufacturers, special buttons that call up the recovery menu, located on the keyboard panel or on the side faces of devices, are not provided. How to start ASUS Recovery in such a situation?
To do this, you can use the F9 key directly on the keyboard unit, similar to the way in the seventh version of Windows the troubleshooting start menu is called up, which contains the corresponding tools, such as loading in safe mode or starting from a saved working copy.
System recovery process: step-by-step description
After entering the reset menu, user actions to restore the system are quite simple.
First, select the default Windows installation line that is activated with the EMS Enabled option and press enter. You can use the F8 key to configure additional options, but this is usually not required.
Next, select the language, agree with the warning about the destruction of files, and then, in the necessary order, set the recovery to the first section, which corresponds to the exact one in which Windows was installed initially. If you select a recovery point for the entire HDD, all logical partitions will be deleted, and the partition will be destroyed, which, accordingly, will lead to the loss of information that might not be affected upon reset. Further, it remains only to activate the start of the recovery process, which will be performed fully automatically. The device will reboot several times, but this is normal. In the end, you get a clean system that corresponds to the moment when the laptop was sent off the assembly line for sale.
Note: if the system will issue input requirements for some data, nothing needs to be entered. The only exception is the choice of a registered user account.
Create a rollback point
If we talk about ASUS laptops, for example, the X540S series, how to run ASUS Recovery on such devices and the like, what options to choose, etc., for the sake of fidelity, additional measures should be taken related to the self-creation of a recovery point in case of an unexpected failure. This is only necessary because the use of the built-in recovery utility is tantamount to a complete reset to its original state, as can be done directly in Windows of the eighth and tenth versions, or the so-called clean installation of the operating system, in which user files are completely and completely destroyed.
How to run ASUS Recovery to create a checkpoint? Simple too. Only for this it is necessary to use the System Protection function built into the recovery system (the utility can be started directly in the Windows environment).
After entering the graphical interface, you should choose to create a backup (Create button), if necessary, set additional options (Advanced button), and then just start the process. Upon completion, a window will appear on the screen with a message about the successful creation of a control point. It will be possible to roll back from it without deleting user information and means of a complete reset.
How to start ASUS Recovery if the F9 key does not work?
However, it happens (and very often) that the reset menu by the standard method is not called. It may well be that this is due solely to damage to the hard drive, and precisely that part of it in which the original configuration is saved. How to start ASUS Recovery in this case? There is also a way out.
Most experts recommend using a small utility called ASUS Backtracker, which can create breakpoints and access the recovery menu if using the F9 key is not possible.
Other recovery methods
How to run ASUS Recovery on Windows 10 or on any other system of this family, I think, is understandable. But rollback using such a tool is not always advisable. If the system boots and at least partially works, you can similarly perform the reset procedure directly in Windows. But this applies only to the eighth and tenth modifications. In the seventh version, no matter how you try, this will not work. However, you can load the last successful configuration from the start menu, called with the F8 key, or try to perform a normal rollback from the corresponding section of the "Control Panel". In the latest versions of the system, it is also possible to use special boot options.
Finally, if you can’t use anything at all, you should boot from a removable media with the distribution kit and restore from it, after checking the system files using the command line tool (SFC) or restoring (or overwriting) the bootloader (Bootrec.exe toolkit). Also good in this regard is the DISM recovery tool, which works similarly to the previous ones from the command line. However, the use of the built-in recovery software environment, when compared with the aforementioned Windows tools, looks much simpler. And it is very doubtful that the average user will be able to damage the partition with the control configuration (unless the hard drive itself “sprinkles”, but then nothing will help, although you can even try to restore the hard drive using the Victoria HDD program or the HDD Regenerator applet for this, which are able to work in a DOS-like mode when booting from an external medium created with their help).