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This is a great way to "turn back the sands of time" if you make a mistake on your desktop or a more permanent change.
Steps
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1Click on your "start" button.
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2Go to "All Programs."Advertisement
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3Go to "Accessories."
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4Then to "System Tools."
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5Then to "System Restore."
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6System Restore appears on the screen. Select "Restore my computer to an earlier time." Click next button
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7A calendar should appear with dates; select a date that has a bold number with your mouse. Make sure the date is before you made the mistake on your computer. Click "next" and close all open programs to ensure a safe restore. The keep clicking "Next," and the computer will then gather some information and restart your computer to the restore point.
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8When your computer is restarted, a similar window will be presented. It will tell you if the restore was successful and if any files were renamed in the process.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionThe window says "cannot restore to the earlier settings". I tried different dates - same answer! What can I do?Community AnswerOne last chance (if you have already done a back-up of all data before doing the System Restore) :- Go back one year earlier to the current date. It might work. If not, maybe your OS is corrupt. Therefore, try to format Hard Disk and re-install Windows XP.
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QuestionDoes using system restore affect any previous data?Community AnswerUsually, recently installed programs are uninstalled during a System Restore. It's important to keep the setup executables or archives of your programs on a separate drive or an external hard drive if you don't want to download them again.l
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