Create System Restore Points the Easy Way

Chances are high that if you’ve asked for computer help before (whether from your friends or on online forum boards) due to some strange misconfiguration or spyware infection in your computer, one of the first things they will ask you to do if you haven’t already is to revert to an earlier restore point. Chances should also be high that while many of you most likely have heard about system restore points beofre, you can’t utilize them at the time when you need them most because only then have you realized that there aren’t any restore points to choose from! This is an all too common scenario and here, I will go over how you can easily create manual restore points so you’ll have a easy way to revert your system back to working conditions in no time!

Why You Need to Be Creating Restore Points

If installing software, especially unknown and random software, on your computer is one of your hobbies, than creating restore points is a good way to help you revert your system back to a state *before* you installed the software. In a way, it could be thought of as a time machine feature that allows your computer to ‘travel’ back in time and undo whatever was done after the restore point was created, configuration wise. System restore usually alters system changes and not your actual data (your MP3s, Office documents, downloaded Internet files, etc) so don’t worry about losing your files by reverting back to an earlier created restore point. System Restore is not a replacement for any backup methods you are currently using. However, by creating restore points, you’ll have an easy ‘first-step’ approach to fixing the computer problem yourself. It’s easy to configure and definitely easy to use.

How System Restore Works

You can think of restore points as snapshots of your current computer’s configuration state. If something goes wrong either due to side effects of a recently installed program or the infection of a malware, reverting your system back to a restore point before that happen can help your computer function normally again. For example, some program installations add registry files and other entries in important locations in your computer that is vital to it’s operation. If somehow that installation corrupts your computer, you can use System Restore to ‘go back’ in time so that your computer behaves as if the program installation haven’t been installed at all! If you got infected with some minor spyware or adware, utilizing System Restore can be a simple and effective way of reversing the effects.

Do note that System Restore is much more than just what I have explained here. If you want to learn more about how this technology works, read this article for much more in depth information!

The Problem with System Restore

One of the main drawbacks of this awesome technology is how much of a hassle it could be for some to create the manual restore points. While System Restore creates restore points at regular intervals, there are times when you want to restore to a point more recent than say, a couple days earlier. Manual restore points allow you to have more fine grain control. For example, creating a restore point just before the installation of a unknown software allows you to go back to where you need it to be, not days or weeks earlier, if something goes wrong. While I wouldn’t dare call any of you readers ‘lazy’, you have to admit that there are some of you who wouldn’t want to perform any task unless there was a clear and easy shortcut to it! Creating manual restore points isn’t a difficult task although it could be a nuisance enough so that many users will most likely forget about doing it after only a couple of tries.

The Solution

The fix for the problem is very simple. Create a shortcut to manually create a restore point! The best part about this is that the process could be totally invisible. There are two scripts that you can download and use, depending on your preferences.

1. You can download the scripts from here at The How-To-Geek’s website.

2. Once you have downloaded the .zip file, open it to extract the scripts to your computer. You will see three scripts. If you are using Windows XP, then you need to use the XP script.

3. The first script, CreateRestorePoint.vbs, allows you to enter a description name for your restore points in a prompt window. This should get rid of the confusion as to which restore point does what in the future should you need to revert back. For example, when I create manual restore points, I usually give a title of ‘Before X Installation’ where X is the program name I am attempting to install. Therefore if the program corrupts my computer, I can easily revert back to this restore point.

You’ll notice on the top that it says the ‘howtogeek.com’. If you’re picky like me, you’ll want to remove that portion and have it say something else. To do so, simply right click on the shortcut and select Edit from the menu. The script should immediately open up in Notepad. Here you can see the entire script code. Simply delete the ‘howtogeek.com’ portion and input your own text if you wish to.

4. Once you have entered the description name, simply hit OK to create the restore point and that’s it! Now you’ll want to double check that the restore point was indeed created. You don’t have to check everytime if you don’t want to but for now, we just want to see if everything works as expected. Head into System Restore and you should see your newly created restore point. If you don’t immediately see it, don’t panic. Give it some time and check again.

5. If you want to silently create the restore point in the background without it ever prompting you, then use the CreateRestorePointSilent.vbs script. Once you double click on the script, it will automatically create a restore point for you without ever prompting you to enter a description name. By default, the restore points are labeled ‘Manually created restore point courtesy of the How-To Geek’ but we can change that to our liking. Open the script again by right clicking on it and selecting Edit from the menu. Once it opens up in Notepad, look for that same line and delete it. Replace it with something you are comfortable with. Remember, subsequent restore points will use this label and the only way to change it is by opening up the script in Notepad and changing it. If this is not to your liking, than stick with the other script to be allowed to type in a description name every time.

There you have it folks. An easy and effective way of protecting your computer. Although restore points cannot cure every single problem that arises, they are a useful first-step troubleshooting technique that can be applied by even the most casual of computer users. The only problem is creating those manual restore points before something disastrous happens. By utilizing these scripts, you have an easy and very quick way of creating manual restore points before you install your applications. You can also have the scripts automatically run themselves once a week or so by using Scheduled Tasks. Whatever method you choose, get into the habit of making those restore points!