The one real pull to make the step up from Windows 98 to Windows Me is Me's System Restore feature. System Restore is a save-your-bacon tool which introduces an element of time travel into computing life.

How does it do that? Say you download and install a cool looking game called Whacko Willy's Revenge from a Web site you've stumbled across. Prior to Willy's advent, your system is running perfectly – or at least as perfectly as Windows ever runs. After installing Whacko Willy, though, you suddenly find your system locks up at regular intervals or your Internet settings have mysteriously changed. The obvious recourse is to use the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel to uninstall Willy and see if that corrects things. But what if it doesn't? In Windows 98, you might be headed into a serious bout of troubleshooting. In Windows Me, you can run System Restore and roll your computer back to its pre-Willy state.

System Restore's phoenix-like abilities deal with hardware installations that go wrong, some virus infections, and even the gradual decay of a system into instability.

How System Restore works

System Restore takes 'snapshots' of your computer at regular intervals. The snapshot – more technically, a restore point – includes the complete registry settings, copies of system files and some program files, and assorted other information. This information is stored in System Restore's Data Store in a protected folder called _RESTORE. Each snapshot includes complete copies of all these files and consumes a chunk of hard disk space. The snapshots are labelled with the time, date and an identifying name.

When you choose to restore your computer to a previous time, System Restore presents you with a list of restore points from which you can choose. It then returns your computer to the state it was in when that restore point was created.

Restore point types

There are five types of restore points:

Initial system checkpoint. This is created the first time you start your computer after installing Windows Me.

System (scheduled) checkpoints. Created every 10 hours your computer is running, and every 24 hours in real time. That means if your computer is off for more than 24 hours, System Restore will create a restore point as soon as you turn it back on (well, after a few minutes of idle time, that is).

Program name installation restore points. Any time you install a program using the most recent versions of Windows Installer or the Installshield wizard, a restore point is created. If a program uses an older installation program, no restore point is created automatically, so to undo changes you'll need to rollback to one of the scheduled system checkpoints.

Windows auto update. If you use the Auto Update feature of Windows Me and download updates automatically, System Restore creates a restore point prior to installing any of these updates.

Manual restore points. These are restore points you create yourself. Any time you're about to install software, add hardware and drivers, or embark on any change that may be risky, you should first create a manual restore point.

What about document files?

It's great to be able to resurrect your system from the ashes, but what happens to all the documents you've worked on since you created the restore point? Are they lost, too?

Fortunately, System Restore is smart enough to leave most documents alone. It has a list of common files extensions, such as DOC, PDF, 123, XLS, HTM and so on, which it does not include during a restoration. It also steers clear of any files contained within the My Documents folder or any of its sub-folders, the Temporary Internet Files (including your browser Favorites, cookies and history), and your e-mail.

If you're unsure whether System Restore will recognise your files as documents, put them in My Documents or a sub-folder and they'll be safe. You can also protect particular files from System Restore by renaming them with a SAV extension, as System Restore ignores all such files. You'll have to remember to rename them to their original extension once you've completed the restoration.

Note that while System Restore won't mess with your documents, it will remove programs that you've installed since the restore point was created. So, even though your documents remain untouched, you may not be able to access them until you reinstall the program with which they're associated. In fact, System Restore doesn't do a full job of uninstalling programs, even though it neutralises their effects on your system. If you need to reinstall a program after restoration, first use the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs applet to do a full uninstallation, and only then reinstall the program from scratch.

Care and feeding

System Restore is activated by default in Windows Me. The only time when this is not the case, is when your system contains insufficient disk space to allow System Restore to perform its magic. In that case you'll need to clean out some disk space and activate System Restore manually:

  1. Right-click My Computer, choose Properties, click the Performance tab, then click File System.

  2. Click the Troubleshooting tab and remove the tick beside Disable System Restore.

System Restore requires a minimum of 200 megabytes to perform its work. If you have plenty of disk space, Windows will grab around 12 percent of it for the Data Store. So if you're wondering where all your hard disk space has gone on your 10-gig drive, chances are System Restore has grabbed a sizeable chunk. If your hard drive is 4G or smaller, the Data Store is limited to a maximum size of 400M, which will limit its ability to create multiple restore points.

Adjust System Restore's disk space usage via My Computer

Adjust System Restore's hard disk usage via System Properties.

To change the amount of space System Restore requires:

  1. Right-click My Computer, choose Properties, click the Performance tab, and click File System.

  2. On the Hard Disk tab, adjust the System Restore Disk Space Use slider as required and click OK twice.

If you run out of disk space, System Restore will deactivate itself. Once you clear out enough space, System Restore will reactivate automatically, but in the meantime you will have lost all your previous restore points.

System Restore also gets antsy when it has consumed 90 percent of its allotted size. Say, for instance, you have a 10G drive with 12 percent (1.2G) allocated to the Data Store. Once System Restore has filled around 1.08G, it starts flushing out older restore points until the Data Store is reduced to 50 percent full. System Restore works on what's called a FIFO principal: First in, first out. That means the earliest restore point created is the first to be dumped from the system and, thus, no longer available.

Restoring other Windows versions

Windows 95 and 98 have no System Restore function, but you can get the same security for your system by buying Roxio's GoBack. GoBack works on Windows 95, 98, NT and 2000 and provides even more extensive protection than System Restore. You can use GoBack even when Windows itself won't start up, making it a real life saver when your system crumbles. Symantec and Roxio are teaming up to include a version of GoBack in Norton SystemWorks 2002.

If you purchase Windows XP, you'll get an upgraded version of System Restore as part of the operating system, and you can also use SystemWorks 2002 and the latest version of GoBack.

Using System Restore

To start System Restore, click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. You'll see options allowing you to create restore points and restore your computer to a previous time. If you've already performed a restoration, you'll see a third option to undo the last restoration.

The System Restore welcome screen

To create a restore point:

  1. Choose Create a Restore Point and click Next.
  2. Type a descriptive name for the restore point in the Restore Point Description (the date and time will be added automatically) and click Next.
  3. Click OK.

Naming a restore point

To restore your computer:

  1. Start System Restore, choose Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time, and click Next.
  2. In the calendar, choose a day (those with restore points are bolded) and select a restore point, then click Next.
  3. Make sure your files and programs are closed and click OK, then Next.
  4. Wait while the restoration takes place. You'll need to reboot your computer. If you encounter problems after rebooting, reboot once more.

If you find you need to undo a restoration:

  1. Start System Restore.
  2. Select Undo My Last Restoration.
  3. Close any open files or programs and click Next.

© 2001, Rose Vines  

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