System Restore

The System Restore feature is built into Windows XP and is used to return your computer to an earlier state if you have a system failure or other major problem with your computer. The best part is, it can perform this restore without having to reinstall XP, which would cause you to lose your data files in the process.

The Restore utility uses "restore points", which are like snapshots of your system configuration at various intervals. The restore points are taken automatically and are restored through the utility wizard, which makes it both effective and user-friendly.

Before Using System Restore

Although the Restore utility is a great feature, it's more of a drastic, last chance attempt at getting your system back to normal. There are other things that you should at least try before resorting to it, such as:

1. Reboot Your PC! Many problems that you encounter while working on your computer can be solved by simply rebooting your PC.



2. If your computer won't start normally, reboot your computer and press the F8 key during the boot process. From the resulting menu, highlight "Last Known Good Configuration", and then press ENTER. This will load a copy of the last time your PC booted successfully.



3. You can run problem applications in "Compatibility Mode" if your system becomes unstable after installing a particular application. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Program Compatibility Wizard.



4. Use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to uninstall a problem application if system instability has occurred immediately after a new application has been installed and running the program in Compatibility Mode hasn't helped.



5. If system instability has occurred immediately after a new device driver has been installed, use the "Device Driver Rollback" feature to roll back to an earlier driver:

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
3. In the Device Manager dialog box, double-click the hardware that uses the driver in question.
4. In the device Properties dialog box, on the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore.
2. On the Welcome screen below, click Restore my computer to an earlier time, and then click Next.





3. On the Select a Restore Point page below, select a Restore Point from the calendar shown. Restore Points are in bold print. You only need to go back to a point that precedes the point at which you started to have trouble. Click Next when ready.





4. The next screen you'll see will confirm your selection of a Restore Point. It will also explain that this process will not cause you to lose any recently saved work. It goes on to explain that your system will shutdown and reboot using settings from the date and time you selected earlier. Click Next when ready.





5. After your system reboots itself and the login window appears, hopefully your system will be back to a healthier state.






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