What is a Restore Point?
he Restore Point in Windows is a good method for getting the settings back to the way they were at a previous point in time. Sometimes when programs are installed or updated on your computer the setting of the machine are messed up and either Windows will no longer start, or it does not run correctly. By restoring a Restore Point you can get the settings back to a way that worked.
Restore Point is not a way to back up your computer. It only saves the settings in Windows (basically the registry) and not programs or data. Going to a restore point will not lose data but will result in loss of any programs since that restore point was created.
Windows will normally automatically create a Restore Point (there are a number of Restore Points kept in Windows) any time you do Windows updates or install new programs. You can also create Restore
Points at any time.
To go back to a Restore Point you can, during startup, use the F5 key before Windows starts, choose to do recovery options and one of options is to restore the Restore Point. You can also change back to a Restore Point by entering Restore Point in the search box on the taskbar and choosing System Restore. Then follow prompts. If multiple points are available, you can start from newest, or if you know the date of the problem choose that point.
Dwight Watt does computer work for businesses, individuals and organizations and teaches about computers at a college in Northwest Georgia. His website is www. dwightwatt.com. His email address is dwight@dwightwatt.com.