Set up a restore point How it works

How it works

Imagine a camera periodically taking a snapshot of your computer. The camera records how your computer is set up and what programs you have installed. That’s the principle behind Windows XP’s System Restore tool.

This tool can be used to make a record every time you make a major change to your computer; eg when you install new software. The idea behind it is similar to that of the ‘Undo’ function in Microsoft Word.

Let’s say you install new software on your computer and it starts behaving oddly; System Restore lets you roll back to the earlier snapshot, that is, before you installed the program – hopefully restoring stability. Windows sets a restore point automatically when some applications are installed.

But, if you know you’re about to make a big change to your PC, such as installing your new novel-writing software, it’s sensible to set a manual restore point. To do this, follow these steps.

1My Documents folder and System Restore

Before you set a manual restore point make sure you put any recently created or changed documents in the My Documents folder. System Restore essentially ignores this folder so these files remain the same; this means you won't lose the changes to that chapter of your novel you spent the last two hours writing.

2Access System Restore

To get to the System Restore function to set it up manually, click Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.