Section 3.3. Using System Restore in Windows

3.3. Using System Restore in Windows

Anyone who has used Windows for a significant amount of time has had the experience of installing a new piece of software and having it render their Windows system useless. Previously, the only option would be to reinstall Windows and all your applications, but with System Restore this is no longer the case. If you're able to boot into safe mode and select System Restore, you'll probably be able to find a stable version of Windows to restore to. You'll be back up and running in no time!

System Restore is a bit different from the other utilities in this chapter because it doesn't create a backup in the traditional form, and you can't use it as part of another tool. However, it's a very important recovery tool that ships with Windows XP and later, and you should become familiar with it.

System Restore in Windows XP and later backs up the Windows registry and critical files to create a restore point. Windows automatically does this when it deems you are about to perform a significant event, such as the installation of a new driver or major patch. In addition, you can create your own restore points whenever you want, or at automated intervals using a scheduled task. You can then use any of the restore points that you or the system created to restore your system state to a previous point in time.

3.3.1. Creating Restore Points

As mentioned previously, Windows actually creates a lot of restore points for you, assuming you haven't disabled System Restore. To check whether System Restore is enabled, log in as a user in the Administrators group, and select StartMy ComputerProperties, and select the System Restore tab. You can then enable or disable it from this tab.

You must be logged in as Administrator or be in the Administrators group to use System Restore.

Anyone in the Administrators group can create a restore point at any time by selecting StartAll ProgramsAccessoriesSystem ToolsSystem Restore"Create a restore point." A dialogue box asks you to name the restore point youre about to create. You can call it anything, such as Just before I Install Doom. The system then creates the restore point and gives it that name. You can then restore Windows to that point in time using System Restore.

You could also run System Restore by running the command %SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, but it's not likely you'll remember that one.

If you don't want to trust Windows to create restore points for you, and you don't want to manually create one when you need one, you can create a scheduled task to create one for you as often as you would like. Select StartAll ProgramsAccessoriesSystem ToolsScheduled TasksAdd Scheduled Task. Click Next, and select System Restore in the next dialogue box. Select how often you want to run it and when you want it to run, and enter a username and password of a user in the Administrators group. Windows then creates a restore point with your specifications.

3.3.2. Recovering Windows Using a Restore Point

If your version of Windows has become unstable due to a recent patch or driver installation, you need only select System Restore, select a previous point in time, and tell it to restore Windows to that point in time. If Windows is truly unstable, the hardest part may be getting Windows to boot at all. The best way to do this may be to boot into safe mode and log in as Administrator.

Once you have Windows running in any way, select StartAll ProgramsAccessoriesSystem ToolsSystem Restore, and select "Restore my computer to an earlier time." Youll then be presented with a dialogue box like the one shown in Figure 3-1.

Figure 3-1. Selecting a restore point

The most recent date with a restore point is automatically selected on the calendar, and the restore points from that date are displayed to the right. You can restore to that point, or you can select an earlier date if you believe the most recent date to be suspect as well. Now select the restore point you want to restore to, and click Next. Windows asks you to confirm your choice, of course, and warns you to save any data and close any open programs because this restore requires a reboot.

The rest is a matter of clicking Next until it's done, rebooting, then testing the restored version of Windows to see if your problems have been fixed. If so, you're done. If not, just go through the process again until you find a restore point that works for you.