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System Restore is the ultimate band-aid fix for buggy Microsoft
Windows. If you make a hardware or software change to your
Windows Me or Windows XP system, and then it doesn't work right,
System Restore acts like a giant "undo".
For System Restore to work, you need a "restore point" to go
back to. A restore point saves a copy of the registry, drivers,
and crucial operating system files. The files are saved as
compressed .cab files in a folder named _RESTORE/ARCHIVE.
System Restore monitors all partitions on your computer (Windows
XP lets you select which drives to monitor) and automatically
creates restore points. The actual number of restore points
saved depends on how much disk space has been allocated for
System Restore. System Restore will not run if your system has
less than 200 MB of free space.
= Types of Restore Points
- System Check Points: Scheduled restore points created by
Windows. System Restore automatically creates a restore point
every 10 hours (if your computer is on). Your computer must be
idle for a few minutes before a restore point can be created.
- Manual Restore Points: Just before you make a hardware or
software change to your system, you can maually create a restore
point.
- Installation Restore Points: Restore points created by an
installation program. Not all installation programs create a
restore point.
= Make sure System Restore is enabled
1. Select Start | Settings | Control Panel and open System
Utility.
2. On the Performance tab, click on the [File System] button.
The "File System Properties" dialog box appears.
3. In the File System Properties" dialog box select the
"Troubleshooting" tab.
4. On the "Troubleshooting" tab, make sure the "Disable System
Restore" checkbox is not checked.
= To Create a Restore Point
1. Select Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System
Restore. The "Wecome to System Restore" window will appear. 2.
In the "Welcome to System Restore" window, set the "Create
Restore Point" radio button. Then click in the [Next] button.
The "Create Restore Point" window will appear.
2. In the "Create Restore Point" window, enter a name for your
restore point. For example, "Before Modem Upgrade". Then click
on the [Next] button.
3. After a period of disk activity, the "Confirm New Restore
Point" window will appear displaying the date and name of your
restore point. Click on the [OK] button.
= Restoring Your System
You made a hardware or software change to your system, and now
it doesn't work right. If Windows won't start, press the F8 key
while your computer is starting. The "Startup Menu" should
appear. In the Startup Menu select "Safe Mode". In safe mode, or
if Windows does start, select
Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore
The "Welcome to System Restore" window will appear. Click on the
[Next] button. On the "Choose a Restore Point" page, click on a
restore point to highlight it. If there are no restore points
listed, click on the [back arrow] button on the calendar until
you find the most recent restore point. Then click on the [Next]
button. System Restore restores your system to the state it was
in at the restore point you selected and then restarts your
computer.
= Note: System Restore does not undo any changes that you made
to files you created with your applications. If a restore
doesn't work, you can undo it, and select a different restore
point.
When Microsoft created this big band-aid fix called System
Restore, they admitted that Windows is an unstable operating
system. Now we should be able to get compensated for all the
productivity we lost because of Windows crashing.
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