The Windows operating system comes with a variety of accessories and system tools designed to make your computer more functional as well as to keep it running at its best. These accessories and tools are located in the "Accessories" folder found under the Start button > Programs link. System tools are in the "System Tools" sub-folder of Accessories. One of the more useful tools, especially after a system change has failed, is the System Restore utility.System Restore was first introduced in Windows XP and is also included in Windows Vista. In Windows Vista, System Restore works in conjunction with System Protection. The System Restore utility can restore your operating system to a previous state, making it useful after a failed installation, uninstall, or computer crash. It's important to note that System Restore is not a complete recovery solution and it does absolutely nothing as far as recovering your applications or data. Instead, it reverts to a previous set up with previous configurations.

In order to get the most out of System Restore, current and past "restore points" should be present. Restore points are basically snapshots of your computer that are made from time to time. When something goes awry, you can go into System Restore and choose a restore point from the calendar, making sure to pick a date where the system was stable.

Before installing a new piece of hardware or software, it's smart to create a fresh restore point. That way, should the installation fail or the new device drivers conflict with other devices, you can easily revert the system to the state prior to the change. Keep in mind that System Restore does not uninstall the offending program; you will need to do that on your own.

System Restore restores operating system files, registry settings, batch files, and other system settings. Restoring the system to a previous state will not overwrite your data or require you to reinstall your applications.

Using System Restore is easy. If you have Windows Vista, System Protection automatically creates restore points by default. In Windows XP, you may need to go into System Restore and activate it.

When you need to restore your system, all you need to do is go into System Restore and select the appropriate restore point from the calendar. Windows Vista usually presents you with a recommended restore point which may not be the best one. For example, if the recommended restore point is the most current but you started having problems a week ago, you'd be better off restoring the system from a restore point created before you started having problems.

Another neat feature that System Restore offers is the ability to undo the restore. If you find that the restore point didn't solve your problem or made it worse, you can undo it and try a different restore point or another solution.

Because System Restore doesn't backup data, it should be used as part of a larger computer backup solution.

View the whole series of System Tools Articles:

• System Tools: Disk Cleanup
• System Tools: Defragmenter
• System Tools: System Restore
• System Tools: Backup and Restore
• System Tools: System Information
• System Tools: Windows Easy Transfer
• System Tools: Control Panel
• System Tools: Task Scheduler

Celeste Stewart | July 30th, 2008
Tags: system restore, system tools
Categories: Windows

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