System Restore is a feature in Microsoft Windows that allows the user to revert their computer's

state (including system files, installed applications, Windows Registry, and system settings) to
that of a previous point in time, which can be used to recover from system malfunctions or other
problems. irst included in Windows M!, it has since been included in all following des"top
versions of Windows released since, e#cluding the Windows Server$%&
'n updated version of System Restore introduced by Windows (ista uses the Shadow )opy
service as a bac"end (allowing bloc"*level changes in files located in any directory on the volume
to be monitored and bac"ed up regardless of their location.) and allows System Restore to be
used from the Windows Recovery !nvironment in case the Windows installation no longer boots
at all.
Resources monitored
Starting with Windows (ista, System Restore ta"es a snapshot of all volumes it is monitoring.
+owever, on Windows ,-, it only monitors the following.$/&$0&
Windows Registry
iles in the Windows ile -rotection folder (1llcache)
2ocal user profiles
)3M4 and WM5 databases
55S metabase
Specific file types monitored$6&
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5mplementation differences
7here are considerable differences between how System Restore wor"s under Windows ,- and
later Windows versions.
)onfiguration 85 * 5n Windows ,-, there is a graphical slider to configure the amount of dis"
space allotted to System Restore. 5n Windows (ista, the 985 to configure the dis" space is not
available. 8sing the command*line tool (ssadmin.e#e or by editing the appropriate registry "ey,
$%%&$%:& the space reserved can be ad;usted. Starting with Windows 0, the slider is available once
again.
Ma#imum space * 5n Windows ,-, System Restore can be configured to use up to a ma#imum
of %:< of the volume's space for most dis" si=es>$0& however, this may be less depending on the
volume's si=e. Restore points over ?@ days old are automatically deleted, as specified by the
registry value R-2ife5nterval (7ime to 2ive * 772) default value of 000/@@@ seconds. 5n Windows
(ista and later, System Restore is designed for larger volumes.$%A& By default, it uses %6< of the
volume's space.$?&
ile paths monitored * 8p to Windows ,-, files are bac"ed up only from certain directories. 3n
Windows (ista and later, this set of files is defined by monitored e#tensions outside of the
Windows folder, and everything under the Windows folder.$%C&$dead lin"&
ile types monitored * 8p to Windows ,-, it e#cludes any file types used for users' personal
data files, such as documents, digital photographs, media files, e*mail, etc. 5t also e#cludes the
monitored set of file types (.122, .!,! etc.) from folders such as My 1ocuments. Microsoft
recommends that if a user is unsure as to whether certain files will be modified by a rollbac", they
should "eep those files under My 1ocuments.$0& When a rollbac" is performed, the files that were
being monitored by System Restore are restored and newly created folders are removed.
+owever, on Windows (ista and later, it e#cludes only document file types> it does not e#clude
any monitored system file type regardless of its location.
)onfiguring advanced System Restore settings * Windows ,- supports customi=ing System
Restore settings via Windows Registry and a file at <windir<DsystemA:DrestoreDilelist.#ml.$%6&$E&
Windows (ista and later no longer either.$%/&
'7A: volume support. 3n Windows (ista and later, System Restore no longer wor" on '7A:
dis"s and cannot be enabled on dis"s smaller than % 9B.
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7he Guic", simple e#planation is that System Restore bac"s up and restores the Registry,
important Windows files, and the programs you've installed into Windows. 5t has no effect
whatsoever on documents, photos, and so forth.
But that isn't Guite accurate. 5f it was, you'd be able to reliably create a restore point, uninstall an
application, restore the point, and have the application bac". 7hat might actually wor" in some
cases, but it won't in most. 7hat's because System Restore might not protect all of the files that
the uninstall deletes.
System Restore chooses what to protect based on file type, not folder location. 5t bac"s up .e#e
files, .dlls, batch files, and shortcuts. 5 couldn't obtain a full list, so there may be others, but having
;ust tested the ,- and (ista versions of System Restore, 5 can verify those.
Many people assume that System Restore bac"s up everything in certain locations, such as
-rogram iles and the 1es"top, while leaving the 1ocuments folder alone. ('fter all, you don't
want that pro;ect you've been wor"ing on to revert to last Sunday's version ;ust because Windows
was misbehaving.) But that isn't the case. 5 deleted an program file and a .wav sound file from a
folder within -rogram iles, then restored from a point created before the deletions. 5 got the
program file bac", but not the .wav. 5 got similar results with different file types on the des"top and
in my 1ocuments folder.
5t's best to see System Restore as an imperfect system whose main advantage is that it's there
and creates its bac"ups automatically. When it wor"s (and there's no guarantee of that), it does a
pretty good ;ob protecting Windows, a mediocre one on your applications, and leaves your data
alone.
Sometimes installing a program or driver can ma"e Windows run slowly or unpredictably. System
Restore can return your -)'s system files and programs to a time when everything was wor"ing
fine, potentially preventing hours of troubleshooting headaches. 5t won't affect your documents,
pictures, or other data.
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What is System RestoreH
System Restore helps you restore your computer's system files to an earlier point in time. 5t's a
way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as
e*mail, documents, or photos.
Sometimes, the installation of a program or a driver can cause an une#pected change to your
computer or cause Windows to behave unpredictably. 8sually, uninstalling the program or driver
corrects the problem. 5f uninstalling doesn't fi# the problem, you can try restoring your computer's
system to an earlier date when everything wor"ed correctly.
System Restore uses a feature called system protection to regularly create and save restore
points on your computer. 7hese restore points contain information about registry settings and
other system information that Windows uses. Iou can also create restore points manually. or
information about creating restore points, see )reate a restore point.
System image bac"ups stored on hard dis"s can also be used for System Restore, ;ust li"e the
restore points created by system protection. !ven though system image bac"ups contain both
your system files and personal data, your data files will not be affected by System Restore. or
more information about system images, see What is a system imageH
System Restore isn't intended for bac"ing up personal files, so it cannot help you recover a
personal file that has been deleted or damaged. Iou should regularly bac" up your personal files
and important data using a bac"up program. or more information about bac"ing up personal
files, see Bac" up your files.
3pen System Restore by clic"ing the Start button -icture of the Start button. 5n the search bo#,
type System Restore, and then, in the list of results, clic" System Restore.J 'dministrator
permission reGuired 5f you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the
password or provide confirmation.
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+ow does System Restore wor"H
System Restore uses restore points to return your system files and settings to an earlier point in
time without affecting personal files. Restore points are created automatically every wee", and
;ust before significant system events, such as the installation of a program or device driver. Iou
can also create a restore point manually. or more information about System Restore,
What files are changed during a system restoreH
System Restore affects Windows system files, programs, and registry settings. 5t can also ma"e
changes to scripts, batch files, and other types of e#ecutable files created under any user account
on your computer. System Restore does not affect personal files, such as e*mail, documents, or
photos, so it cannot help you restore a deleted file. 5f you have bac"ups of your files, you can
restore the files from a bac"up.
+ow long are restore points savedH
Restore points are saved until the dis" space System Restore reserves is filled up. 's new
restore points are created, old ones are deleted. 5f you turn off system protection (the feature that
creates restore points) on a dis", all restore points are deleted from that dis". When you turn
system protection bac" on, new restore points are created. or more information about system
protection,
What if System Restore doesn't fi# the problemH
5f System Restore doesn't fi# the problem, you can undo the restore operation or try choosing a
different restore point. 5f System Restore doesn't display any restore points to choose from, ma"e
sure you have system protection turned on and that you have at least A@@ MB of free space left
on your hard dis" if it is 6@@ MB or larger, or have at least 6@ MB of free space if your hard dis" is
smaller than A@@ MB. 5f System Restore doesn't fi# the problem, you can also try an advanced
recovery method. or more information