50
Maintaining Your Computer
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Using Microsoft
®
Windows
®
System
Restore
The Windows
®
XP operating system provides a System Restore feature that
allows you to return your computer to an earlier operating state if changes
to the computer hardware or software (including new hardware or program
installations) or system settings, have left the computer in an undesirable
operating state. You can also undo the last
system restore
.
System Restore automatically creates system checkpoints. You can also
manually create your own checkpoints by creating
restore points
. To limit
the amount of hard disk space used, older restore points will be
automatically purged.
To resolve an operating system problem, you can use System Restore from
Safe Mode or Normal Mode to return your computer to an earlier operating
state.
System Restore does not cause you to lose personal files stored in the
My
Documents
folder, data files, or e-mail messages after restoring the
computer to an earlier state. If you restore the computer to an operating
state that existed before you installed a program, the program’s data files are
not lost, but you must reinstall the actual program again.
NOTICE:
It is important to make regular backups of your data files. System
Restore does not monitor changes to or recover your data files. If the original
data on the hard disk is accidentally erased or overwritten, or if it becomes
inaccessible because of a hard disk malfunction, use your backup files to
recover the lost or damaged data.
System Restore is enabled on your new computer when you receive it.
However, if you reinstall Windows XP with less than 200 MB of free hard-disk
space available, System Restore is automatically disabled. Before you use
System Restore, see the following procedure to confirm that it is enabled.
1
Click the
Start
button and click
Control
Panel
.
2
Click the
Performance and Maintenance
.
3
Click
System
.
4
Click the
System Restore
tab.
5
Ensure that
Turn off System Restore
is not checked.
7T097bk1.book Page 50 Thursday, September 26, 2002 6:47 AM
