HP System Recovery - Getting my backup files back in their place

[fvalquaresma]

Hello,

After some trouble, I had to perform a system recovery on my computer. I did everything according to this video HP tutorial: 

I have made a backup of all my files. After the recovery, I dragged / copied the backup from my external drive into the desktop, then I clicked on the .exe file inside of it.

This created a new folder in my desktop, named "System Recovery Files [DATE]"

All my important things are there, but my computer looks "brand new", my desktop is empty, my applications are gone, etc.

My question is: How can I make my computer be the same as it was before? I want all the things that are in the System Recovery Files folder to be in their "normal place" (my Preferences, Applications, Folders on my main screen, preset browser, lock screen, etc.)

For example, my college folder which used to be stored in my desktop background, is now located at:
C:\System Recovery Files\[2021-03-15 144409]\C\Users\fvalquaresma\Desktop\College

instead of

C:\Users\fvalquaresma\Desktop\College

What should I do?

Thanks in advance,
Filipe

[iomare · Accepted solution]

HI,

The system recovery will take the system back to when it was new. So you will lose the applications you installed and the preferences you set. You might be able to get some back if you had a Microsoft account to log into the PC and if it is synched with the account.

Now that you have done a system restore you should probably completely update the PC. You can do this through Microsoft here by clicking on update now

Download Windows 10

you should then also update the drivers and so by going into settings and Windows update.

You can move the contents of the folders created by the recovery process. So for example just copy the content of the desktop folder to the desktop. Copy the content of the Picture folder to pictures. you can see the various folders on the left of the Explorer Window

Hope it helps,

David