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How to turn off or turn on Windows
System Restore
Situation:
You want to know how to turn off or turn on the Windows System Restore
feature.
Solution:
System Restore, a Windows feature, is similar to the "Last Known Good
Configuration" in Windows NT and Windows 2000. You can use System Restore to
restore the computer to a previous state, using the backups that it makes of
selected system files and program files. However, "Last Known Good
Configuration" restores the computer back to the last state that Windows
determines might work, whereas System Restore gives you a choice of previous
states to restore the computer to. That is, System Restore maintains multiple
restore points instead of one last restore point.
While this is a desirable feature, in some cases it should be temporarily turned
off. For example, if the computer is infected with a virus, then it is possible
that the virus could be backed up by System Restore. By default, Windows
prevents System Restore from being modified by outside programs. As a result,
there is the possibility that you could restore a virus-infected file, or that
the on-line scanners would detect the virus in that location. If you need more
information use the computer help function (F1) and search for "System Restore".
Notes:
- You may have be logged in as an Administrator to do this (depending
on your settings). If you are
not logged in as an Administrator, the System Restore tab may not be
displayed. If you do not know how to log in as Administrator, contact your
system administrator (if you are on a network), the computer manufacturer, or
just Google it - "How sign in as Administrator?".
- Turning off System Restore will clear out all previous restore points.
To turn off Windows System Restore:
Note: These instructions assume that you are
using the default Windows Start Menu and have not changed to the Classic
Start menu. To re-enable the default menu, right-click Start, click Properties,
click Start menu (not Classic) and then click OK. Windows Vista and Windows 7
look somewhat different.
- Click Start.
- Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
- Click the System Restore tab.
- Select "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all
drives" check box as shown in this illustration:
- Click Apply. The following message appears:
- As noted in the message, this will delete all existing restore points.
Click Yes to do this.
- Click OK.
- Proceed with what you need to do. For example, removing viruses. Restart
the computer and follow the instructions in the next section to turn on System
Restore.
To turn on Windows System Restore:
- Click Start.
- Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
- Click the System Restore tab.
- Clear the "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all
drives" check box.
- Click Apply, and then click OK.
System Restore will create regular backups of selected system files and
program files. For more information, read the Microsoft Knowledge Base article,
How
to: Restore Windows XP to a Previous State, Q306084.
Updated:
November 18, 2010
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