Introduction

We have known some very tech saavy users that have tried everything to get their BI system working to no avail. The final option was reinstalling Windows and BI.

Windows 10 comes with many recovery options. Because BI is a Windows based solution, users should be familiar with these options.

Microsoft Process Explorer

Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysint ... s-explorer

See how Process Explorer is used to better understand DeepStack.


System Restore

Starting with Microsoft Windows XP and still available in Windows 10 there is a recovery tool called ‘System Restore’. Essentially this tool takes snap-shots of critical files at certain points in time (e.g. software installations, system updates, etc. as well as at your request.) These system restore points are accumulated and if needed will often (but not always) return a PC to its operating status at the selected point-in-time.

We highly recommend using this feature since if turned on it works automatically and in the event of an unforeseen problem it can work more quickly than the other approaches reviewed below. (We routinely create extra ‘System Restore’ points to aide recovery in the midst of troubleshooting problems.)

Common causes for crashes are a Windows update caused driver instability for the hardware acceleration. Windows 10 now provides an easy way to roll back updates, System Restore. To turn on System Restore.

• From the Windows search prompt (lower right) -> Search for "restore" -> Select "Create a restore point"
• System Properties Dialog pops up. System Protection tab should be active. See below.

  

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  In this example, this computer has 3 internal storage drives (C, D, G). C is the windows drive.
• Select the C drive and select "Configure" button.
• In the System Protection dialog, "Turn on system protection" for the C drive. (See below)
  I also specify 10% for Disk Space Usage. User discretion regarding setting a value or leaving defaults.
  

  

  system protection.PNG (13.91 KiB) Viewed 21012 times

Once System Restore is activated, rolling back is simple.

• Go back to System Protection tab in System Properties.
  From the Windows search prompt (lower right) -> Search for "restore" -> Select "Create a restore point"
• Select System Restore button
• Restore Wizard will walk you through going back on a Windows update.
  You can create restore points and you should. Simply choose the Create button routinely, e.g. monthly, when you feel the system is stable. Windows automatically does so as well with every Windows update, making going back easy.

  

  restore wizard.PNG (20.37 KiB) Viewed 21012 times

Recovery Drive

This involves using a separate partition of a hard drive, a plug-in USB drive, or sometimes a large thumb drive. Whatever you choose, the target drive is prepared with at least a back-up of system files and the software tools needed to perform troubleshooting and initiate repairs.

Microsoft has step-by-step guidelines for preparing a recovery drive you may wish to review:
See Create a recovery drive.



System image

This involves using tools that come with Windows 7, 8 and 10 or from a third party to create a complete copy of a working PC referred to as an image. Using these imaging tools it’s possible to create the image (e.g. like a full point-in-time snapshot of everything on a PC) and then use that image to completely restore the PC to the same status when the image was first made.

Imaging tools are routinely used to create a standardized (aka ‘gold’) image of a single PC to be copied and used to speed the set-up process for other similar PCs.



Windows Support

Now that you conceptually understand the differences between System Restore / Recovery Drive / System Image, you should be able to navigate Windows help to do what is right based on your situation.

• Recover options in Windows 10 explains many recovery options.
• Reinstall Windows 10 explains options to reinstall Windows 10 and return to a cleaner state.

From above, you should prepare for possible problems and be ready if BI stops working.

• Be sure to create a Windows ISO file on a thumb drive to use if and when needed
• With Windows, you can also create a Recovery drive
• With Windows you can also create a System Image to use for recovery

It's good to be aware of all the options, so you know the next step in case of software or hardware failures.



Tips and Tricks

Pro Tip 1: Static IP Address

Windows allows the ability to assign static IP addresses to your machine. The value of a static IP addresses is if and when your router restarts, the BI server will be assigned the SAME IP address. The importance of taking advantage of this functionality is if you chose to setup Remote Access using port forwarding. If the IP address of your BI server changes, port forwarding is broken.

On my home system, I just disabled DHCP on the PC and set the IP for the PC to 192.168.0.200, knowing the router only uses addresses 1-128. You need to know how your router assigns IP addresses. This way it will never conflict and will not change.



Alternatively, you can also instruct your router to always assign the same IP address to your BI server. Doing so is router specific so users need to review their router manual for specific instructions. But now you know you can assign static IP addresses for devices on your network at the router as well.