System Restore has changed somewhat since Windows XP, I’m going to explain some of the changes and some of the things you can do to control system restore so you know what to expect. I’ll also show you below how to create a restore point at any time you wish and how to change the amount of memory taken up by system restore.
One thing that has not changed since previous versions of System Restore is that it will take periodic snapshots of your system and configuration files to allow you to undo changes that have adversely affected your computer.
However System Restore in Windows Vista will now also take snapshot of your data files most notably files to do with Office software such as Word files, making it easy for you to undo edits or unwanted changes accidental deletes, this alone could be a life saver to some people.
System Restore in Windows Vista will automatically put aside up to 15% of your hard drives space for restore points, the minimum required by System Restore is 300MB. Up to 15% of your hard drive can be a lot of space to suddenly disappear and I can understand why most people would want to lower this to a more fitting amount like 5% 10%, I’ll explain below how you can change this manually. It might be useful for you to also know that you cannot use system restore on a drive smaller then 1GB.
The most important thing you should know about System Restore in Windows Vista is to do with Dual booting with an older operating system such as XP. Any restore points that Vista has taken of your system will be lost the moment you boot into XP, with that in mind if you depend upon your restore points or think you are going to be needing them I wouldn’t boot up your XP. This could cause very big problems if your system needs to be reverted and you have no points to go back to, just keep this problem in mind.
Ok I think I’ve explained some of the changes or issues with System Restore in Vista now I’m going to show you how to do Four things below
1. How to Create a manual restore point
2. How to turn on/off system restore
3. How to find out how much memory system restore is currently using
4. How to Modify what percentage system restore uses
( I will add more tutorials on this at a later date, as tutorials such as how to perform a system restore really require their own post).
1. How to Create a Manual System Restore Point, Anytime!
• Click Start (Vista Logo, bottom left)
• Select Control Panel
• Click System
• Click System Protection (left hand side)
• You are no in the System Properties window.
• Under Available Disks, Check the drive you wish to make a restore of.
(You may have more than one, if you are unsure its usually going to be C:)
• Click Create
• Type in a descriptive name such as the Date or Event taken place.
• Click Create
• You will now see a window called System Protection, in that window it will display a progress bar and the words Creating a restore point.
• It may take a while to complete
• Once the window closes you will be told that the restore point was created successfully, Click Ok
That’s all there is to it
2. How To Enable and Disable System Restore
• Click Start (Vista Logo, Bottom left)
• Select Control Panel
• Click System
• Click System Protection (on the left)
• Under where it says Available Disks to:
• To Enable System Restore on a drive, Check the box
• To Disable System Restore on a drive, Un Check the box
• When you go to uncheck a box you will be displayed with:
(Are you sure you want to turn System Restore off?, All existing restore points on the disk will be deleted and no new ones will be created.)
• If you are sure you want to turn it off then Click Turn System Restore Off, otherwise Click Cancel
• Once you are done Click Apply and then Ok
3. How to Find out How much Memory System Restore is Currently Using
• Hold down the Windows Key and press R
• Type in CMD
• Press Enter or Click Ok
• Type the following line into the Command Window
• Vssadmin list shadowstorage
• Press Enter
• You will then be told how much Memory is currently in use, How much is set aside and the maximum that it may use. In that order.
• Close the Window when you are done.
4. How to Change the amount of Memory System Restore can use.
(The Default is 15%, I would like to point out now that editing the registry can cause adverse affects. Only follow these steps if you know what you are doing or have made a good backup, use your own judgement)
• Click on Start (Vista Logo, Bottom left)
• Type into the search box regedit
• Click on Regedit
• Navigate to:
• HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore\Cfg
• Double Click DiskPercent
• Under Base ensure Decimal is checked NOT Hexadecimal
• Change the vale in the value data box
(The Default is 15 and is measured in a Percentage %, meaning the default is 15%. If you put in 5 it would be 5%, also make sure the percentage you choose is going to give system restore more than 300MB or else system restore will not work. I hope this is clear)
• Once you have changed the Value to a percentage that is more acceptable to you Click Ok
• Now Close Regedit
• It’s always a good idea to restart after making changes to the registry
Well that is it for now on System Restore I hope you have learnt a lot from this.
