Windows System Restore - Your New Best Friend!

My New Best Friend?

Absolutely! It is so easy to use System Restore. When your PC gets messed up, System Restore can take it back to a point in time when it was working OK! Using the System Restore feature of Windows can often save you from having to reinstall Windows when your PC becomes truly unstable!

What is System Restore?

Systems Restore is the big "Undo" Button for Windows. Windows regularly creates something called System Restore Points. A Restore Point is a snapshot of your operating system files, programs, and registry settings. If your system becomes unstable for some reason, you can ask Windows to restore the system to a "point" in time when all was well.

What Does an Unstable System Look Like?

Windows or application programs become unresponsive or behave erratically; a program may close unexpectedly or refuse to close; some Windows functions may no longer work; hardware that used to work may not work properly; and so on.

When Should I NOT Use System Restore?

If you know that a program you just installed is causing the havoc, uninstall the software using "Add or Remove Programs" from Control Panel. Likewise, if your PC started acting kooky after you installed a peripheral, try installing an updated driver, or uninstall the hardware and get some help with it later.

In addition, if you suspect that your PC has just been infected with a virus or other malware, run a thorough anti-virus program scan and anti-malware program scans to quarantine or remove the offender. System Restore is not meant to be used in these situations.

Can't Windows Create These Points Automatically?

It does! Windows automatically creates a Restore Point each day - called a "System Checkpoint." A Restore Point is also created when the Windows Update program installs updates to Windows, and when the Windows Installer program is used to install new software.

Can I Manually Set a System Restore Point?

Absolutely. And it is extremely easy. It never hurts to manually create a Restore Point right before installing a new software program, game, hardware driver, or an update to an existing program or driver. That way you know your Restore Point is as current as possible, and you won't have to possibly redo a change you made since the last automatic Restore Point was created by Windows.

If I Restore my PC, Will I Lose Personal Data?

No. Restoring your Windows system back to a Restore Point has no effect on your personal data (email, photos, documents, etc.).

Is Restoring and Reinstalling Windows the Same Thing?

NO! Do not confuse restoring and reinstalling Windows. Restoring Windows is a simple task that requires no extra work on your part if the Restore Point is current. On the other hand, reinstalling Windows is a massive project which also includes reinstalling every application program, peripheral, many drivers, and placing back onto the hard disk all personal files that, hopefully, have current backups on external media.

What if I Restore My System and it Doesn't Help?

If you are unhappy with the results, Windows will let you "undo" the restore. Then you can restore Windows to an earlier Restore Point until, hopefully, you find a Restore Point that was taken when the system was still stable.

How Many Restore Points Can I Have?

The System Restore feature requires a minimum of 200 MB of hard disk space for Windows XP, and 300 MB of hard disk space for Windows Vista and Windows 7. As the allocated space fills up, Windows deletes old Restore Points to make room for new ones (FIFO). If your PC is running out of hard disk space, System Restore will cede to operating system needs and may ultimately cease to function.

How Do I Set Restore Points and Restore My System?

Detailed steps for making sure System Restore is turned on, creating Restore Points, and restoring Windows to a particular Restore Point are provided by operating system version. Click on your Windows version below.

Windows 7

How to Turn On System Restore for a Disk Drive in Windows 7

In order to set a System Restore point for a disk drive on a Windows 7 system, System Protection for that disk must be set to ON. To make sure all your hard disk drives are set up for creating System Restore Points, do the following:

• Click Start, right-click on "Computer," and click Properties. (Or click Start | Control Panel | System)
• Click System Protection on the left sidebar
• The bottom portion of the window says "Protection Settings" and lists your available drives. If one of your main disk drives (e.g. C, D) says "off," click on the drive to select it and click Configure
• Click in the box next to "Turn on System Restore," click Apply, and click OK
• Then click OK to close the System Properties window, and close the System window

How to Manually Set a System Restore Point in Windows 7

• Click Start, right-click on "Computer," and click Properties. (Or click Start | Control Panel | System)
• Click System Protection on the left sidebar
• Under Protection Settings, notice the box which lists the computer's drives. If you need to turn protection on for a drive:
  • Click on the drive and click Configure
  • Click to put a checkmark next to "Turn on System Restore," click Apply, and click OK
• Then, at the bottom of the window find "Create a restore point right now for the drives that have system protection turned on" and click Create to create the System Restore Point
• Type in a description of the Restore Point such as "Before installing ABC software." Windows will automatically date the restore point so you do not have to type in a date
• Windows 7 will display a small "System Protection" window with a status bar. When the Restore Point has been created, the status bar will be replaced with "The restore point was created successfully." Click Close
• Then click OK from the System Protection window and cancel out of Control Program

How to Restore Your System to a Restore Point in Windows 7

• Because the system restore process will restart your PC, it is important that you save all open files and close any open program
• Click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore. The System Restore window opens.
• A tiny window saying that System Restore is starting will appear and then disappear
• If a System Restore window displays explaining what System Restore is, click Next
• A list of System Restore Points displays next. Click on the latest Restore Point at the top of the list and click Next
• On the "Confirm your restore point" window, click Finish to begin the restore
• Do not use the mouse or press any keys while the system restore is being performed. Your computer will restart. After logging into Windows as the Administrator, the "Restoration Complete" window will display. Click OK
• To undo the system restore, go back into the System Restore Utility, click the button next to "Undo System Restore" and follow the prompts

If System Restore will not complete, try restoring your system while in Safe Mode. To enter Safe Mode, reboot the PC and, before Windows launches, press the F8 key. If successful, the "Windows Advanced Boot Options" menu appears.

Use the arrows to select Safe Mode and press Enter. The computer will reboot in Safe Mode and proceed with the System Restore.

Windows XP

How to Turn On System Restore for a Disk Drive in Windows XP

System Restore in the Windows XP environment requires a minimum of 200 MB of hard-disk. To make sure all your system disk drives have system restore enabled, follow these steps:

• Click Start | Control Program. Double-click System. The "System Properties" window opens
• Click the System Restore tab. Make sure the box next to "Turn off System Restore on all drives is not checked. If it is, click in the box to remove the checkmark
• In the "Available Drives" section, ensure that the status of each drive is "Monitoring." If the status is "Turned off" instead, do the following:
  • Click on the drive letter and click Settings
  • Ensure the box next to "Turn off System Restore on this drive" is not checked. If so, click to remove the checkmark
  • Make sure the "Disk space to use" slider is at Max, and click OK. The status should now say "Monitoring"
• Click OK to close the Systems Properties window. Then close Control Panel

How to Set a System Restore Point in Windows XP

• Click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore. The System Restore window opens.
• Click the radio button next to "Create a restore point." Then click Next
• Type a description of the Restore Point such as "Before installing ABC software." Windows will automatically date the restore point so you do not have to type the date. Then click Create
• It will only take Windows a few moments to create the restore point, but do not click or press any keys while it is working. When it is finished, the System Restore window will display "Restore Point Created." Click Close

How to Restore Your System to a Restore Point in Windows XP

• Because the system restore process will restart your PC, it is important that you save all open files and close any open program
• Click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore. The System Restore window opens
• On the "System Restore" window, make sure the button next to "Restore my computer to an earlier time" is selected and click Next
• Click a date on the calendar at left and any Restore Point created on that day will display at right. Select the most recent Restore Point and click Next
• If a small window describing the configuration changes that will occur displays, click OK
• On the "Confirm Restore Point Selection" window, click Next to begin the restore
• Do not use the mouse or press any keys while the system restore is being performed. Your computer will restart. After logging into Windows as the Administrator, the "Restoration Complete" window will display. Click OK
• To undo the system restore, go back into the System Restore Utility, click the button next to "Undo System Restore" and follow the prompts

If System Restore will not complete, try restoring your system while in Safe Mode. To enter Safe Mode, reboot the PC and, before Windows launches, press the F8 key. If successful, the "Windows Advanced Boot Options" menu appears.

Use the arrows to select Safe Mode and press Enter. The computer will reboot in Safe Mode and proceed with the System Restore.

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