How to use the narrowest safe repair for service failures, update regressions, system-file damage, and system-wide recovery.
Choose a recovery action that matches the evidence and preserves user data where possible. A single failed service or a recent update regression does not normally justify a full reimage.
| Condition | First recovery path |
|---|---|
| One service fails | Service state, dependencies, permissions, and logs |
| Failure begins after a driver or patch | Roll back or uninstall the change |
| One app or user profile is affected | App or profile repair and isolation |
| System files appear damaged | Targeted system-file repair |
| Normal startup is blocked | Safe Mode, System Restore, or WinRE |
| Narrower repairs fail | Reset or reimage after backup and recovery planning |
Recovery order follows scope: diagnose, apply a targeted repair, verify the result, and escalate only when the prior layer cannot resolve the fault.