Windows System Restore

Every time you change your Windows settings or you install a program, there is always a risk that something will go horribly wrong that will leave your system in a trashed state. You may not be able to even boot up your computer. An even riskier proposition is installing new drivers as drivers operate at a closer level to the Windows Operating system itself and thus have more power to crash the entire system. If the bug in the driver or software you installed is bad enough, even an expert may not be able to salvage your PC. However, there is an operating system feature known as System Restore that can help prevent this terrible occurrence from happening. Note: It is important to remember that System Restore only saves the operating system and core files, it does not backup your personal documents such as pictures, music or text.

It is important to remember that System Restore only saves the state when it is invoked. If you make a System Restore Point on Friday and you restore your system next Thursday, you will lose all the changes to your system between last Friday and the Thursday. However, this is usually a small price to pay to get your system running smoothly after a virus infection or bad driver install. It is also important to note that if you make a System Restore Point that includes the problem driver or virus, you cannot use it to get back to a clean state because it has backed up the problem as well as the system.

System Restore can also use an inordinate amount of disk space: sometimes as much as 3 gigabytes per restore point so keep that in mind when you are making your backups. If you do not feel like you need System Restore, you can disable it by clicking: Start -> Right click on My Computer -> Click Properties -> Click System Restore Tab -> Check Turn Off System Restore -> Click Ok and restart your computer. Just remember to be careful because you will not be able to rely on the safe, automatic backups that System Restore used to create for you.