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Support >
How
to do a System Restore
Many PC problems can
be fixed with system restore; a relatively simple
but often overlooked process. System restore is a
Windows utility that allows you to restore settings
to a previous date or time. Without deleting your
recent files or recent work it enables you to choose
a time when your PC was running without problems and
essentially go back to those exact settings.
Restore points are automatically created every 24
hours when your computer is in an idle state. This
means that there is no disk, keyboard, IO, or mouse
input. Be aware that while system restore is usually
enabled by default, there is a chance that it may be
disabled on your PC.
System Restore Access
In order to check that it is enabled or to restore
your settings to an earlier time click Start - All
Programs - Accessories - System Tools - System
Restore.
From here it is possible to perform several
different actions.
Enabling/Disabling System Restore
The system restore can prove to be an invaluable
feature of Windows XP. However, problems can arise
when trying to combat or delete viruses. Restore
your computer to an earlier time can mean you
inadvertently restore the virus as well.
Alternatively you may want to check that system
restore is enabled on your compute, or re-enable it
once you have deleted malicious viruses from your
computer.
From the system restore utility (access information
is detailed above) click System Restore Settings.
Either check or uncheck the box marked "turn off
system restore" and click OK. If you are disabling
system restore to clean your PC of a virus then
don't forget to enable it again when you've
finished; you never know when you might need it.
Manually Create A System Restore Point
Windows will automatically create restore points
every 24 hours when your computer is idle. If you
are about to make any major change, installations,
or downloads to your computer then you may want to
consider manually creating a new restore point. To
do this select the "create a restore point" radio
box and click Next. Give the restore point a name
that will help you remember when it was created and
why and then click Create. It should usually take
less than a minute to create the restore point, and
once completed you will be show the details. Click
Close if you've finished or Home to return to the
main screen.
Perform A System Restore Or Check System Restore
Points
To view the system restore points that currently
reside on your computer, highlight "restore my
computer to an earlier time" and click Next. The
next page displays a calendar and a box that
displays the restore points for the highlighted
date. Any date in the calendar that appears in bold
has at least one restore point.
To restore your computer to an earlier point
highlight the appropriate date in the calendar and
then choose the restore point you want from the list
on the right. Click Next. You will receive a
reminder to close all applications and click Next to
complete the restore.
Undo A Recent System Restore
The remaining option available in the system restore
Windows application is to undo a recent restore. If
you have restored your computer to an earlier date
and this hasn't helped to fix the problem then you
may decide to revert back to your settings. This can
be done by highlighting "undo my last restoration"
and clicking Next. On the screen that reminds you to
save work and close applications click Next again
and your most recent system restore will be undone
and your computer settings will revert to what they
were before you began the restore.
System Restore Summary
System restore is one of the more beneficial
features of recent Windows releases. If your
computer starts to run slowly or you receive error
messages that you do no recognize then this should
be your first step towards a cure. Restore your
computer to a date when everything worked perfectly
and your computer ran smoothly. Because of the
ability to undo your most recent restore, it is
certainly worth a try. It may be necessary to
disable the system restore function before trying to
combat any viruses on your computer but only once
you've attempted a restore and you shouldn't forget
to re-enable the feature once completed.
Support >
How to do a System
Restore
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