How to Manually Restore Windows XP

Restoring your Windows XP system manually is a simple task.

Knowing how manually restore your Windows XP operating system can come in very handy. Whether you make changes that cause your computer to stop working correctly or a corrupted Windows registry causes your computer to crash, a manual restore will allow you to bring your Windows XP operating system back to life without having to use any type of software or a boot CD. This task can be accomplished swiftly by accessing the Windows XP "System Restore" utility.

Instructions

1. Go to the Windows XP "Start" menu by clicking the "Start" tab displayed on the bottom left corner of your screen. Click "Run" option then, type "%SystemRoot%\System32\Restore\Rstrui.exe" in the Run text dialog box and click "OK." This will give you access to the "System Restore" utility.

2. Select the tab displayed next to "Restore my Computer to an Earlier Time" and click "Next."

3. Choose the "System Checkpoint" selection within the "Select a Restore Point" region. You will see a display of various restore point choices. Click "Guided Help (Registry backup)" and click "Next." Some of the selections may display a list informing you about the updates and changes that will take place. You can review the selections available and then click "OK."

4. Confirm your manual restore selection by clicking the "Next" tab on the "Confirm Restore Point Selection" page. Wait for the restore process to bring your Windows XP operating system to the previous working registry configuration. Once it's done, the computer will restart automatically; this process will take just a few moments.

5. Wait for the computer to come back on and click the "OK" button when the confirmation window is displayed. This confirmation window will display a confirmation message indicating that you system and the registries have been restored to the original settings or the restoring date you chose. The Windows XP manual restoring process is finished once this screen is displayed.

Tips & Warnings

• Programs may become uninstalled after running a manual system restore on your Windows XP operating system if you installed the program after the restoring point. To avoid losing any programs, you should back them up prior to restoring Windows XP.

• When performing this task, documents, personal files and passwords will not be lost.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Back Up and Restore the Registry in Windows XP
• Microsoft: Understanding System Restore