Oooh, that was clever. A few days ago I downloaded something which upset my computer which is running on XP Home Edition. I was thinking of investigating the System Restore to get rid of the annoying situation which had developed and pressed the Start button to look for it, Windows XP had read my mind and popped it on that section which shows the recent or requently used programs! It obviously knew that I needed to use it so put it ready for me - how clever. I used it and the problem went away as has the program from that section. Might be worth keeping an eye on that section when you have done something, it actually told me it needed to be used, now it is fixed it doesn't show.

Yes, a very useful facility integrated into XP. Restore points seem to be created automatically when any major program is installed. I don't think it can be relied on to do that for all program/utility installations though. It's sometimes best to create a restore point manually before making changes to the computer. Then, if anything does go wrong, you can be certain of being able to get back to a trouble-free point in time.

System restore is so useful that I really should turn it on. It's one of those things I turned off a while ago and for some reason or another haven't enabled it again yet.

How is that enabled? I thot I had access to that on mine, but when I went in to try to use it, I was told that my computer had not copied anything. That's partly why I'm in the fix I'm in right now cuz I couldn't go back to the way it was.
SSB

To enable System Restore:

Click the 'Start' button.
Right-click the 'My Computer' icon.
Select 'Properties'.
Select the 'System Restore' tab.
Untick the box that says, 'Turn off System Restore on all drives'.

To create a Restore Point (relies on the System Restore shortcut being in the default place):

Click the 'Start' button.
Select 'All Programs'
Select 'Accessories'
Select 'System Tools'
Click 'System Restore'.
Click 'Create a restore point'.
Click 'Next'.
Name the restore point.
Click 'Create'.

I am not sure if I made it clear but the computer had also created a point at which to go back to, I didn't have to do anything, it knew when it had been messed up - sort of a case of 'use me now you silly old bat!'. All I did was click OK.

Edited to say that Martin has just ceased to be invisible, as has his post in which he tells us that the computer creates points at which a restore might be required - dashed clever of you Martin to know what I was going to type and to type it before I did.

I've been trying to tie down the seemingly random nature of System Restore. Sometimes restore points get created and sometimes they don't. This article throws a bit of light on the matter. I'll have to read some others.

Rather that relying on a Restore Point being made automatically, it might be best to create one manually every now and again. Certainly do so before installing anything. Then, if you need to get back to a time before any changes took place it will be possible to do so. It will also act as a safeguard against browser hijacking (particularly relevant to IE users). Just roll back to a time before that unwanted toolbar of duff homepage installed itself.

If the computer has been running well with no glitches for a good while, there is an option to delete all but the last Restore Point to free up disk space (if you want to do that).

Viruses can reside in the System Restore directory and most virus software instructions recommend that System Restore is turned off for a full virus scan. Unfortunately, this means losing all restore points.

OK. I think I failed to mention that I'm using Windows 98. When I right click and go to properties, there is no button for system restore. That option is available with different dates when I have tried it before, but it doesn't seem to have any backup information to "restore" my system with! I'm just going to do the fresh reinstall process. I've already tried everything I know to do, and my anti-virus program didn't "fix" whatever was wrong.

Your expertise is appreciated!!
SSB