Sometimes Windows updates are not updates on Vista. System Restore Points are handy items to know about for several reasons. If your computer is set to Automatically install updates from Windows (something I don’t recommend for any software, including Vista), then they can be even more handy.

However, if you are experimenting with a new software, which you are really hoping will work, but are not quite sure about, then System Restore Points can help you out here as well. 

Windows is supposed to automatically set a new restore point before doing a system update through the Windows Update Service whether you are doing a manual update, or the update is set to perform automatically. 

I prefer not to have automatic updates, and to set my own restore point before I start an update process, or before installing any New software. 

What it does

System Restore is for the System, this is important to keep in mind. The utility does not back up personal files or settings. It only backs up System settings, such as drivers, the registry, the menu, the desktop settings, and other System settings which are set at the time the Restore Point is created. So if you are installing a new sound driver, or changing some other driver software on your computer, you might want to set a Restore point before beginning the change or installation. 

What it doesn’t do

The System Restore Point is a picture or snapshot of your system; not your personal files and data. Favorites and Bookmarks, and notes, and MP3s are not system settings (though for many of use they are far more important). So for these objects and files it is better to have a File Backup of your important information files to an external drive. 

How to Make a System Restore Point

After this long lead in, Making and Using a System Restore Point is really easy.  

To create a system point manually, we can restore to later:

Right Click on the My Computer Icon or go to 

Start-> Right Click on My Computer

Click on the System Protection Tab

Choose the Drive you want to make a restore point for… On just about ever computer in the world, this is going to be the main C:\ Drive.

Click on the Create button.

Give your Restore Point a name; make it a good name, something you will recognize three weeks from now. Updates and driver installations may not show problems or make your computer unstable right away. Also, you will be able to tell the difference between unimportant automatically created restore points and restore points you made at critical times. 

How to Restore the System to an Earlier Point

Ok, the update made the system unstable, or the program made all kinds of crazy stuff happen and you want to restore the system to its former, happy self. 

Start->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore

On this dialog you can find a quick link to the System Properties dialog as well for creating Restore Points. Since we are Restoring right now, we just click the Next button.

We are now presented with a list of Restore Points indicated by date. Choose the Restore Point you wish to set the system back to, and Click the Next button. 

A confirmation message will appear (when does a confirmation message not appear on Vista?), and we click Yes. 

This may take a bit, so don’t stress if the computer seems to freeze up for a few minutes. There is a lot going on with a System Restore. 

The computer will shut down and then turn back on automatically, allow this to happen and do not interrupt the process once a restore cycle has been started. Interrupting the process could damage the restore point storage, forcing you to choose an even earlier restore point, or having to re-install from scratch… which is never fun. 

Other Notes on Restore Points. 

The average restore point costs your computer 300 megs. These are big files, so show some respect in making them, and periodicaly check your list of restore points and delete previous “auto-created” points, or points you know you no longer need to keep your system resources free. 

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