System restore to the previous point

Question

I am planning to restore my laptop to a previous point.I have made some changes to the settings of third party applications like eclipse.But these settings are changed recently i.e after the date that which I want to restore to.Once I restore to that date,will the settings go back to normal or they stay changed?

Answer 1

Hi DevalapalliTejeshwar-

I'm Kevin B. Independent advisor and a Windows user like you. Thank you for sharing your concern. Let me help you sort things out.

Perform system restore

-This process will take your computer settings back to an earlier point in time where computer is working fine. If there's any changes made on your computer that removes the service, system restore should be able to fix the issue for you.

Windows will going to restart your computer to initiate system restore. System restore might take several minutes to complete depending on the current speed of your computer and the changes it will made. Applications and updates that was installed on the computer prior to the date selected will be removed. It is important that when system restore starts, process must not be interrupted.

DISCLAIMER:

System Restore is a recovery tool for Windows that allows you to reverse certain kinds of changes made to the operating system. System Restore is used to return important Windows files and settings—like drivers, registry keys, system files, installed programs, and more—back to previous versions and settings. Being said all applications and changes made prior to the date selected will be removed and needs to be re-installed if its needed.

Please let me know if you have any further questions. If you have a moment, it would be greatly appreciated if you would rate my assistance in handling your ticket and have a great day!

Cheers!

Kevin B.

Independent advisor

Answer 2

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the reply.

Answer 3

It's important that you understand that a restore point is not a backup. System restore will not restore your computer to a previous point in time. Only a backup can do that.

System Restore is an old utility that was introduced with Windows ME. At that time, backing up a computer was very complicated, and well beyond the capability of most users. The idea of restoring a restore point is to (hopefully) bring back the basic functionality of Windows, to give you an opportunity to use Windows' own utilities or whatever third-party tools you have installed to work through whatever computer problem you are currently experiencing.

A restore point includes some important registry hives and a collection of system files and drivers. It doesn't have a complete copy of Windows, and it doesn't include any application software and it doesn't include any of your personal files.

Restore points have a short life, after which they are automatically deleted, and for good reason. When you restore a restore point, your computer has a combination of old and new system components, which can make a computer unstable. And there's no way to know in advance whether a restore point will help your computer or make it worse.

Today we have a solution that is much more effective: the image backup, which is a complete copy of your entire hard drive. Today's consumer-friendly image backup software makes it quick and easy to make and to restore backup images, and when you restore an image your computer reverts to exactly the way it was when the image was made. A restore point can't do that. A restore point is, and always has been, a shot in the dark. No wonder, then, that System Restore is disabled by default in a clean install of Windows 10.

If you want to take that gamble, it's up to you. Keep in mind that if a restore point is going to cause a problem for you, that problem won't always show up the minute after you restore it.

If you're interested in trying backup image software, I'll gladly help you.