The
Windows XP System Restore Utility
System Restore makes it possible to return a computer to a previous
state by continuously monitoring it for significant changes to the operating
system, such as an application or driver installation procedure, then
automatically creating a restore point when it detects any imminent change.
System Restore will also create restore points every 24 hours.
Restore points are snapshots of the system state, comprising of crucial system
files, including certain parts of the registry. System Restore maintains
multiple restore points, which gives the choice of restoring a computer to any
number of previously saved states.
You can manually create a restore point by launching System Restore
and following the wizard.
Because System Restore is described as a tool which restores a
computer to a previous state, many people mistakenly assume they will lose any
data files which were produced since the restore point was created. System
Restore does not monitor or save the contents of the My Documents folder, any
files that use common data filename extensions, such as .doc or .xls, e-mail message stores, browsing history or password
files. Those files types remain intact when you run system restore.
The Desktop is not a protected folder; any files located there
could be lost during a restore operation. Before running system restore, move
any crucial files you have saved on the Desktop to the My Documents folder.
If you perform a restore operation and the problem still exists,
you can undo the operation; however, you must immediately run System Restore.
When you see the Welcome to System Restore screen, select the Undo
My Last Restoration option and click next. On the Confirm Restoration Undo
screen, click next. System Restore will restore the previous system state and
restart the computer. When the system restarts and you log on, you will see
System Restore's Undo Complete screen, which lets you know the operation was
successful.
If you perform a restore operation and then determine you selected
the wrong restore point date, simply run System Restore again and select the
restore point date you wanted.
If you perform a restore operation and discover your computer won't
boot Windows normally, you can still undo the restore operation. First, boot
the system into Safe Mode. After you log on, a Warning dialog box will appear,
allowing you to launch System Restore and select the Undo My Last Restoration
option.
If the restore operation fails, the Restoration Was Unsuccessful
screen will appear, and your computer will automatically return to the same
state it was in when you activated the restore operation.
If your computer won't boot Windows normally and won't boot into
the Safe Mode GUI, you can access System Restore by booting the system using
the Safe Mode With Command Prompt option. After you
log on, type the following command line at the command prompt:
%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
Press Enter and System Restore will run as it normally does. You
can follow the steps in the wizard to perform a restore operation.
To perform its operations, System Restore requires at least 200 MB
of available hard disk space. System Restore by default claims a maximum of 12
percent of the available hard disk space to save restore points. (The amount of
storage space will depend on the size of your hard disk.) Once the 12 percent
mark is reached, System Restore will purge the oldest restore points in its
database to make room for new ones.
Restore points more than 90 days old are automatically purged by
default.
However, there may be situations where you need or want to purge
restore points to free up disk space.
Disk Cleanup will allow you to delete all but the most recent restore
point.
Run Disk Cleanup from Start, All Programs, Accessories, System
Tools menu. Once Disk Cleanup is up and running, select the More Options tab
and click the Cleanup button in the System Restore panel. You will then be
prompted to confirm the delete operation.
Viruses can become part of the system restore set and cleaning them
will only be effectual until you reboot the system. In this case you need to
access the system restore tab, click system restore settings, tick turn system
restore off, click apply and reboot. Run an anti virus scan, reboot, re-run the
virus scan to check the system is still clean, then remove the turn off system
restore tick in system restore settings, click apply and reboot the computer.
If you have additional hard disks connected to your computer,
System Restore will automatically add them to its list of monitored drives. If
these additional drives just store data or data backups, there's no reason to
have System Restore monitor them.
To disable System Restore for data drives, press [Windows][Break] to bring up the System Properties dialog box. Then,
choose the System Restore tab. Next, select your hard disk from the