Finding and Using System Restore in Windows 7

How to use System Restore to fix errors with your Computer in Windows 7

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 Using System Restore in Windows 7

Computers today have a lot more going on inside them than they used to.  Because of the complicated processes that a computer goes through in terms of software especially with the large volume of malware out there designed to hurt your system, it's important that you have a way of restoring your hard drive back to previous settings in case something happens to your machine.

It's standard today in every operating system to have a system restore to be able to roll your computer back to the previous settings after a catastrophic problem happens on your computer.  Windows 7 is not the exception and does have a system restore feature that you are able to use to get your old settings back.  There are actually two ways of doing this in the Windows 7 operating system.

One of the simplest methods of using system restore is to click on the start button on the bottom left of the taskbar and type "system restore" into the search box.  You will then be asked to type in the administrative password before you can proceed since this is a feature that can change your system entirely.  This is done for your protection.

Once the program opens up, you will be able to follow a simple wizard to go back to a previous restore point.  This will have a date and time on it letting you know that your computer will be exactly as it was during that specific time.  If this date is three days earlier, for example, it will be just like your computer was at that time and not have any of the programs or problems that you put on the machine in the previous days after the restore date.  Your documents and pictures will not be affected.

You can also go to your control panel and select System and Security then Backup and Restore.  On the left side you will have an option to create a system recovery disk.  This will require you to use a DVD that the computer will burn the data onto.

This is best for systems that are having extreme problems where the system restore process doesn't seem to be fixing the issues that you are facing.  With your recovery disk, you are able to place it into the drive and boot from it to help fix serious problems with the operating system so that you can recover your computer once again.  As a last resort, you can also use this recovery disk to reload the operating system back to the original factory settings essentially restoring your computer to the way it was when you purchased the machine. Bear in mind that if you do this all of your documents, pictures, video and music will be lost so it vital you keep a backup.

The first process of system restore should be the only one used in most cases and should help fix your problems.