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Simple Maintenance Tasks (XP)
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Simple Maintenance Tasks (XP)
Backup Your Data
	» Backup Using SyncBack
Cleanup Your Disk
Defragment Your Disk
Check Your Disk for Errors
Use Windows Update
Use System Restore
Create a Scheduled Task
Frequently Asked Questions
Further Information

How to Use System Restore

System restore periodically saves system information (installed programs, and various system files and settings) associated with your computer. This information can sometimes become damaged or corrupted (possibly if there's an error while installing new software), so system restore allows you to revert back to an earlier configuration to correct the problem. If you have a problem with your computer, and know that the problem did not exist at an earlier point in time, then it's worth trying system restore to see if it fixes it.

Go to the Start menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore.

Select the "Restore my computer to an earlier time" radio button, and then click on "Next".

Select the date you want to revert to from the calendar, and the particular restore point if there's more than one for that day, and then click "Next".

If you confirm the restore, your computer will restart and revert back to the configuration that existed at the point you specified.

Windows XP will automatically create restore points every day and when it recognizes that you're installing new software and/or drivers. So, there's generally no need to create restore points manually. If you're making lots of changes though, and you want to be sure that you can revert back to specific points in your sequence of changes, you can manually create restore points. To do this, start System Restore as above, select the "Create a restore point" radio button, and hit "Next".

Enter a name for the restore point, and then hit "Create".

To enable or disable System Restore, or to change the settings associated with it, select "System Restore Settings" from the main System Restore window.

This allows you to turn on or off System Restore for all disks via the check box, and to change the settings associated with it via the "Settings" button. We strongly recommend that you ensure that it is enabled, and keep it that way.

The "Settings" button allows you to control the amount of disk space reserved for System Restore. Decreasing this obviously takes up less space, but means you'll be able to keep fewer restore points (when space runs out, the oldest ones are deleted to make room for new ones), so you won't be able to go as far back in time if you do run into problems.

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