Using System Restore
If something goes wrong with your computer, System Restore is used to try and remedy the problem. This guide tells you how to use it.
- Load System Restore.
- Select Restore my computer to an earlier time, then click Next.
- The screen below will appear, which has a calendar containing all of your restore points. The dates with restore points are highlighted in bold.
- Go back through the calendar to find one of the restore points you’ve created - if you’ve just installed a program and are having problems, select the point you created before the installation. If you didn’t create one, check the entry for the date you installed it, as some programs create their own restore points before installation.
- Some of the dates will also contain System Checkpoints. These are created automatically by the computer on a regular basis, but can cause problems. Only use a system checkpoint if you can be sure the computer was working correctly on the date it was created. If you can’t be sure, use a restore point that you have created.
- Once you have selected a restore point, click Next to get a new screen. This confirms the restore point you have selected, and also tells you ‘This process does not cause you to lose recent work, such as saved documents or e-mail, and is completely reversible.’
- Once you are happy that you have the right restore point, click Next and wait. The computer will create a new restore point, then carry out the restore. As part of this process, it restarts the computer.
- Once re-booted, your computer will hopefully be running well again. If the problem was caused by a new program, you can try reinstalling it. Bear in mind that the same problem might reoccur, but you can always restore the computer again.....
What to do if this hasn’t cured the problem???
Some of the alternatives to curing a problem with System Restore points can be time consuming, and they can also result in loss of files that you have created. One other thing to try is using a restore point in Safe mode.