RIVER BENDER - August, 2006

I had never used the System Restore tool that is available in Windows XP. Frankly I was afraid to try it because I wasn't sure what it restored. Would I lose recent personal data? But the other day my laptop display suddenly had a white margin on the left side about 3" wide that I couldn't get rid of. Right-clicking did nothing nor did trying to get a double-arrow to drag the border work. I had lots of icons on my laptop so the new margin caused some of them to become hidden. I definitely had to get rid of the white margin.

Finally in desperation I decided to use Windows System Restore to make my PC go back to the day before the white margin appeared. Voila, it worked and my laptop display returned to normal. I still have no idea what caused the problem but to be safe I scanned my PC for a virus and spyware.

Let's talk a bit about Windows System Restore. Perhaps you've never used it either. First, the software is only available in Windows ME and XP operating systems. There are several ways it can be run but the usual way in XP is to go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and select System Restore. This brings up "Welcome to System Restore" where you can select (1) Restore my computer to an earlier time, (2) Create a restore point or (3) Undo my last restoration. I selected (1) and a calendar popped up showing the current date highlighted. I selected the day before that was in bold type and hit Next and waited for my PC display to be reset and the problem solved. It worked great. I discovered that I could have gone back as far as 4 months to choose among several restore dates available each month. Your PC automatically creates restore points in bold type at regularly scheduled times or when certain programs are installed. However, you may create your own restore point on the current date by simply entering text to identify it. If the restoration doesn't work or you happen to restore to a configuration that you don't like you can always select "Undo my last restoration."

After finding System Restore worked so good for me I began questioning whether it would always do a good job. After a bit of googling in forums I discovered that not everybody shared my appreciation. But I also found that naysayers were usually those that preferred software purchased such as Roxio's GoBack or Acronis' TrueImage. Some folks simply don't like Microsoft.

Here are a few questions and comments on System Restore that might be helpful:

1. Will System Restore delete all my e-mail and text files that were created after the restoration date I select?

No. System Restore only restores system changes that occur after installing new software, updates or downloads. It does not affect personal data files such as Microsoft Word documents, browsing history, drawings, favorites, or e-mail so you won't lose changes made to these files.

2. Why and when would I want to create a Restore Point?

When your PC is working great with no viruses and no spyware. Or you might want to create a restore point on the day before you install new software or updates. Remember the problems some folks had installing SP-2 for Windows XP? Some probably wished they could have gotten back to SP-1 after all the problems they had.

3. Can I use System Restore to remove a virus?

Maybe. It's worth a try. I googled up cases where folks were able to delete a virus by restoring to an earlier date. Viruses usually screw up system files. But bear in mind that if a virus existed on the earlier date of the restore point then it may be within the protected restore data where an anti-virus scan would not see it and restoring to that date could re-infect your computer.