Recovery From PC Failure Using Windows XP's Restore Point

By: Otis Cooper

Have you ever done something to make an improvement and later
regretted it?It would be awesome to be able to go back in time
and undo the the thing that were supposed to make an improvement.

While life in general will not allow us to return to an earlier
time to make changes, we computer users do have such an option
should we experience problems with our Windows XP operating
systems.

If you update or install the wrong device driver for your video
card, and you delete accidentally delete a critical Windows
file, so what.

You can simply use Windows XP's Restore Point feature and, Tada,
you're back on track and recovered that deleted file.

Restore Points are snapshots of the state your operating system
was in during that time.Windows XP automatically creates a
restore point when it senses a major change in your operating
system.And Restore Points are created every 24 hours as a safety
measure.But you can create a Restore Point manually any time you
feel there is a need.

If you have a change of some sort that causes problems with the
operating system, you can tell Windows XP to revert to any
Restore Point established before the problem occured.After the
rollback, every change in the operating system that happened
after that Restore Point is eliminated.

Restore Points are generally used when you experience such pc
problems as extremely slow performance of the system. Your
computer responds far more slowly that it did before you
installed or updated something.

Other times to run Restore Point is when your system stops
responding after an update or installation. Be sure to create a
Restore Point before making any significant change to your
computer's software or configuration.

To set a Restore Point, click on Start, point to All Programs,
click on Accessories, System Tools, and then click on System
Restore.When the System Restore windows appears, click on the
button labeled "Create A Restore Point" and click Next.

Enter a description of the restore point, something like "Before
scanner device driver install" and click the Create button.A
notification will inform you that a Restore Point was made.Now
click the Close button and you're all set.

Reverting to a Restore Point is as easy as create one.Click on
Start, point to All Programs, click Accessories, System Tools,
and System Restore.When the System Restore window appears, click
on the "Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time" and then click
on the Next button.

Choose the date on which you set the Restore Point and click the
Next button.Review the information presented and save any open
files.Shut down any other programs that may be running.

Click on the Next button and now your computer will restart. As
it restarts, it will present a message informing you of the
restore point. Click OK and you're done.

After reading all about setting and reverting to restore points,
you should make a known restore point if you have not done so
already.Whatever you do after reading this article, don't say
I'll get to it soon.Familarize yourself with this feature and
create a restore point one.

You should try Restore Point and see how it works before you
need it.Create a Restore Point now and update something.You can
update Windows Media Player for example.

After the update or the installation of a program,wait a day or
so and go back to Restore Point.Revert to the Restore Point you
created and see if the old version of Windows Media Player comes
back.Or see if that old device driver is present.

Doing a simple task like this can and will boost your computer
skills and give you much more confidence in yourself and the
Windows XP operating system.

About the author:
Otis F. Cooper is solely dedicated to boosting the knowledge and
confidence of every computer user. Sign up to receive his
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