Many of us have, at one point or another, installed a program or made some change that was harmful to our computers. For such times, you can use Windows 7′s System Restore to restore your computer to a previous point in time without having to reinstall the operating system.

For example, if I install a program that the rest of my computer does not agree with, I can easily restore my computer to the state it was in before the installation without having to reinstall the operating system. In other words, System Restore provides a way of undoing certain types of changes without affecting personal files such as e-mail, documents, and photos.

Note: System Restore is not a replacement for performing regular backups. System Restore cannot help you recover a deleted or corrupt personal file. Therefore, it is important that you continue to back up your important files.

How does System Restore work? Briefly, when you install a new device or program , Windows 7 automatically creates a restore point. You can think of the restore point as a snap shot of your computer at a given point in time. When you need to perform a restore, Windows uses the restore points to return your computer to a previous state.

Note: By default, System Restore is turned on. You can disable it; however, doing so prevents you from being able to restore your computer. No restore points, no system restore!

You can perform a system restore in Windows 7 using the steps described below:

1. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and click System Restore.?
2. Click System Restore.
3. Assuming you have not performed a restore, click Next.
4. From the list of restore points, select the restore point to which you want to restore Windows 7. To see a list of program and drivers that will be deleted and restored by the procedure, click the Show affected programs and drivers button. Click Close.
5. Click Next.
6. Click Finish.
7. Click Yes to confirm your actions.
8. Your computer will restart and System Restore will indicate if the restore was successful. Click Close.

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