How It Works

• System Restore takes snapshots of Windows -- its configuration, the drivers it's using, which programs are installed -- each time the OS boots. The program builds on an older Windows recovery mode called "Last Known Good Configuration," which first featured in Windows 2000. The basic concept is really simple: when you run into trouble with Windows, from installing a program that didn't work or a driver that caused a problem, you can choose the last configuration that loaded correctly.
  
  

Restore Points

• A successful, or error-free, boot creates a restore point you can choose from a list in System Restore. While these dates may not have any significance to you, they can be very important to your computer. System Restore lists a date and what changed on your system, and you can use the list to back up to before a problem began.
  
  

What Changes

• Windows changes when you do a System Restore, but your files remain intact. If, for example, you install a new driver for your printer and then, upon rebooting, your system can't locate the printer or communicate, a System Restore would revert to the old driver and get rid of the new version. If that's all that changed on your system between the driver install and the time when you run the restore, that's all that will change. Any files you've created or things you've downloaded will still be there. Installed programs are uninstalled, but only within the range you choose.
  
  

Loaded Language

• The supporting documentation for System Restore might be confusing. Microsoft states this program restores files, which is true, but it only restores system files -- those which are central to Windows. Even though you may save your files in My Documents or another Windows-created folder, these files won't be subject to the restore operation. Don't worry if you see a warning saying "System files will change," because that's what the program is designed to do.
  
  

When to Restore

• System Restore isn't a regular diagnostic tool like Disk Defragmenter or Disk Cleanup, and should only be used when a new program or driver update causes a specific issue on the computer. Just as System Restore doesn't erase information, it can't be used to retrieve information like deleted files.