System Restore
One area I’ve always
felt was lacking in past Windows versions was the ability to undo
changes that were made to the operating system. If you make a lot of
changes, as I do, eventually your system will head south with little
hope of recovery other than a full reformat and reinstall. I’m told
that Windows Me had the capability to roll itself back to previous
configurations. Since my total working time with Windows Me was
about ten minutes (long enough to initiate a reformat) I’ll proceed
under the guise that system restore is a fine innovation for XP.
This is the opening
screen for System Restore, accessible by clicking [Start] [All
Programs] [Accessories] [System Tools] [System Restore]. Choose from
the bulleted options on the right whether you want to restore your
computer to an earlier time or create a new restore point for future
use.
If you have chosen
to restore to a previously established restore point the screen
above will open. The calendar on the left will have dates in bold.
Selecting a day will show the restore points available for that date
in the breakout to the right of the calendar. Select the restore
point you want and click [Next].
Last chance (not
really) before you start the restore process. I say not really
because one of the excellent features of System Restore is the
ability to undo any restore performed. The [Help and Support] option
available from the [Start] menu is an excellent source of more
information on the different types of restore points available.
Search under “System Restore”.
When you choose to
establish a new restore point rather than go back to a previous
restore point the screen above will open. Simply type in a name for
the restore point in the data entry box. Be descriptive in your
naming to make it easier when you come back to do a restore. Click
[Create] and the process will begin.
The opening screen
for System Restore contains a link called [System Restore Settings].
Clicking it will open the System Properties page which is accessible
from many different locations and via many methods. The property
page allows you to disable System Restore on any or all drives with
the one caveat that it must be enabled on C:\ if any of the other
drives are enabled. Click [Settings] to open the page shown below.
The Settings
Property Sheet allows you to select the percentage of the drive
space allocated to restore points. The default setting is 12% of
total drive size, but this can be increased or decreased depending
on the number of restore points you want to have available.
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