System Restore (ME)

What Is System Restore
And How To Use It

What is System Restore?

System Restore is designed to automatically monitor and record changes made to the core Windows system files and to the registry. System Restore can then allow you to undo (or "roll back") a change that caused instability in your system. This is accomplished by periodically recording a "Restore Point" (or System Check Point) that gives you the ability to roll your system back to the point in time when your computer was known to function properly.

System Restore is not intended to be an "uninstaller" or a backup program. If Windows does not function properly after installing software or drivers, you should use the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel (or use the program's uninstaller) to remove the software before using System Restore.

Monitored File Types

System Restore monitors most system files with .exe, .vxd, .dll, .com, and .sys extensions. It does not monitor user-created files (for example, files that have .txt, .doc, or .xls extensions), the My Documents folder, Temporary Internet files (including the Internet Explorer History, Cookies, or Favorites files), the Recycle Bin, or the Windows Swap (.swp) file.

How to Start and Use System Restore

To start System Restore, follow these steps:
     1. Choose Start \ Programs \ Accessories \ System Tools \ System Restore .

         The first time you use System Restore, there are two options on the Welcome page:
         a. Restore my computer to an earlier time
         b. Create a restore point
     2.Choose Restore my computer to an earlier time and choose Next .

         A calendar appears.

     3. In the calendar, choose which Restore Point to roll your system back to (click on one of the
         times on the right).
     4.Choose Next .
         You are prompted to close all applications before completing the Restore process because
         the computer will restart.

     5. A Confirmation screen will appear. Choose Next.

     6. Upon completion of the restart, a confirmation screen appears. Choose OK to continue
         using your computer.

The next time you start System Restore, you will see a third option, Undo my last restoration
This is available in the event that the Restore Point you rolled back to does not correct the
original problem that you were having and so you can easily get back to the point in time that
you started troubleshooting.

When Restore Points Are Created

Restore points are created under the following conditions:
     1. Automatic System Check Points are created for every 10 hours of computer up time but only
         after the computer has been idle for 2 minutes. If this criterion is not met, then a System
        Check Point will be created once every 24 hours after the system has been idle for 2
        minutes.
     2. Restore points are created by Installer packages that use the new Microsoft Software
         Installer (MSI) technology.
     3. Restore points are created by Installer packages that use Install Shield 6.1 Pro and later.
     4. Restore points are created when Auto Update (AU) installs an update package.
     5. Restore points are created when you use System Restore to roll your system back to a
         different Restore Point. However, if this is done in Safe Mode, a Restore Point will not be
         created.
     6. Restore points are created manually by using the System Restore interface.

The Restore Point and System Check Point files that are created under the above conditions are stored in compressed (.cab) format and are located in the _Restore folder (also known as the "Data Store") on the drive on which Windows Millennium is installed. The Data Store cannot be moved or modified. Each fixed disk on your computer will also contain a _Restore folder for indexing and monitoring purposes and each of these folders will contain a file called Srdiskid.dat.

When to Create and Use Manual Restore Points

Manual restore points can be created before installing device drivers or software if you are uncertain how they will affect the overall performance of Windows. If you are unable to use the program's uninstaller to remove the software, you can roll back to the manual restore point that you created. To create a manual Restore Point, follow these steps:

     1. Choose Start \ Programs \ Accessories \ System Tools \ System Restore .
     2. Choose Create a restore point , and then choose Next .
     3. Enter the description of your Restore Point and then choose Next to confirm the creation.

     4. Choose OK or Home .

     5. A Confirmation screen will appear. Choose Next.

The Data Store

The size of the Data Store is determined by the size of the Windows drive and is as follows:

     1. The minimum size of the Data Store is 200 megabytes (MB). If your Windows drive has
         fewer than 200 MB of free space after you install Windows Millennium, System Restore is
        disabled by default and you will have to manually enable System Restore after you have
         freed up sufficient disk space. If System Restore is disabled due to the low disk notifier,
         System Restore automatically re-enables itself after sufficient disk space is made
          available.
      2. On logical drives that are less than 4 gigabytes (GB), the maximum size of the Data Store
           is 400 MB.
     3. On logical drives that are 4 GB or larger, the Data Store is approximately 12 percent of the
          logical drive that Windows Millennium is installed on.

Once the Data Store reaches 90 percent of the allotted size, it begins to "purge" older Restore Points on a first-in first-out (FIFO) basis until the Data Store reaches 50 percent of its allotted size. The actual number of Restore Points available after this purge occurs may vary, based on what software was recently installed.