Understanding Windows XP System Restore strengths and limitations

Previously in this series on rolling back changes in Windows, I talked about the Windows XP System Restore feature. In this article, I will conclude the series by going into more detail about the capabilities and limitations of System Restore.

Windows XP is designed so that System Restore points are created automatically prior to activities that could prove to be catastrophic -- such as installing a new driver. The Windows XP System Restore interface also gives you the option of manually creating your own restore point. That way, if you are about to do something risky and are unsure if Windows is going to create its own System Restore point, you can create one just to be safe.

If something does go horribly wrong, you can boot the machine into Safe Mode, and then restore the System Restore point of your choosing. Windows XP System Restore points are organized by date and time, so you can just pick the point in time that you want to roll the system back to, and then restore that System Restore point.

As you can see, Windows XP System Restore allows you to revert your computer's configuration to the state in which it existed at a previous point in time. Even so, it is important to remember that System Restore is not a substitute for a backup. System Restore information is stored on the drive that System Restore is protecting. Therefore, if a hard drive goes bad, then the System Rest...

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ore information may be lost as well.

In addition to being vulnerable to drive failures, there are other certain situations in which System Restore will not help you. A System Restore point contains a snapshot of the system registry and copies of certain system files. It does not contain a full copy of the Windows operating system, nor does it contain copies of your applications or your data. As such, here are certain limitations that you need to be aware of: In this article series, I explained that you have several different options for undoing the damage caused by a catastrophic configuration change to Windows XP. Any time that you decide to roll back the system though, it is important to stop and think about which of these tools best fits the job. Each of the tools and methods that I have discussed have their strengths and weaknesses, making each well suited to certain types of recoveries.

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[IMAGE]ROLLING BACK CHANGES IN WINDOWS XP
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[IMAGE] The Last Known Good Configuration option
[IMAGE] Device driver rollback and System Restore
[IMAGE] System Restore strengths and limitations

Brien M. Posey, MCSE, is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with Windows 2000 Server, Exchange Server and IIS. He has served as CIO for a nationwide chain of hospitals and was once in charge of IT security for Fort Knox. He writes regularly for SearchWinComputing.com and other TechTarget sites.

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