Windows

What Are The Options To Restore Windows Server 2016 Environment?

Restore Windows Server 2016 Environment

How about your Windows Server 2016 requires a system reset? Well, the Windows Server, unlike Windows 10 – does not come with a restore point by default. That would rule out the regular procedure involved in restoring your system. Which else procedures would we follow for the purpose? Let us go through the best options you can use to restore Windows Server 2016.

An Introduction to Windows Server 2016

Windows Server 2016 is the newest version of the server operating system from Microsoft. Developed concurrently alongside Windows 10 client OS, the operating system comes with a vast potential no matter whether you are a Small Business owner, an IT professional or a regular user. In fact, the system works seamlessly with a host of Microsoft products like System Center and Azure.

The Windows Server 2016 has been blessed with a host of features including enhancements to its core kernel. There are several additions to identity management and improved security abilities that would ensure secure data and access management rights to it.

Restore Windows Server 2016

Well, there are no restore points available in Windows Server as in the case of your client Windows operating systems. In fact, even Windows 10 does not come with a default system restore function but lets you create one.

The only option is to use your Windows Server Backup feature so that you can create backups. These backups include the system-state of the system. You may also use virtualization solutions like Hyper-V to create snapshots of the system.

Why Would you need to restore your Windows Server?

Well, the restore operation you perform would be dependent upon the condition that your system is in when you are planning to implement the system restore. Anyways, the primary reasons you would need to restore your server would include

  • You are affected by a virus and cannot find a way to remove it.
  • There are a few issues with your server configuration, and you are unable to launch your server.
  • You are planning to replace your system drive or hardware upgrades.

There are few important options you can use to restore a server. You may employ any of the methods that would suit your needs.

Restoring from a backup

If you have a backup of the system image, you can use it to restore your system. The restore function would restore the server settings and folders from the backup. Like we said before, it would be a good idea to back up your system at regular intervals to Windows Server Backup.

This method would need you to have a proper backup file and should have stored it on an external drive. Ensure that the drive is connected to the server. You may choose the backup depending upon the following conditions –

  • Ensure that you select the latest successful backup. That means to select the recent backup taken when the system was running perfectly well. This will let you get all your critical files.
  • If your reason for restoring your system is due to wrong or lousy configuration, choose a backup that had the correct configuration settings. Ensure a latest one at that.
  • In case you were affected by a virus and wanted to restore, use a backup created before the virus attack.

The server restore does not affect your drive partition details. The system volume would be restored, while the data on other drives would not impact. However, if you have the drive deleted, your system volume would be restored. But you will need to reinstall the additional data volume.

Reset Your Server to Factory Default Settings

In case you do not have access to server backup, the next best thing is to reset your full system restore. You can also opt for it if you do not want to restore previous server configuration.

You can perform a system restore that would help you reset your server to the factory defaults. You can do it by using the installation and recovery media that you can get from the server manufacturer. Please note that once you reset your factory default settings, all your existing settings and installed applications & configurations on your server are deleted. You will need to configure all your settings once again.

However, you can choose to delete or keep your data while you reset your factory default settings. After the server is factory reset, you would need to reconfigure the server and connect the client computers to the server once again.

In Conclusion

Having gone through all those details of how to restore your Windows Server 2016, it would be evident that the task is not as easy as it would be for the Windows operating system like Windows 10 or previous iterations. Apart from the above options that can be used to restore your Windows Server, there are a few other methods as well. Most of them will need expert technical knowledge though.

There are options for resetting your server using a client computer and a recovery DVD from the hardware manufacturer. However, such a restoration would need you to restore the files folders and files from the server. You may also need to configure your shared folders. The first and unique step you would need to follow while restoring the server is to restore the system drive.

Once system files have been restored, you can decide to restore the data files and other folders later. As we stated, the three primary options you can use are resetting your server to default factory settings, restoring from a backup made from Server Backup tool or restoring through a client computer.

Which of these methods have you used in restoring your Windows Server 2016? Which among them would you think work best for your needs? If you have followed any other techniques, do share them with us. We will be glad to include them in our future updates to the post.

Disclaimer: The Questions and Answers provided on https://www.gigxp.com are for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose.

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