System Restore is a feature in Microsoft Windows that allows the user to revert their computer's state (including system files, installed applications, Windows Registry, and system settings) to that of a previous point in time, which can be used to recover from system malfunctions or other problems. First included in Windows Me, it has been included in all following desktop versions of Windows released since, excluding Windows Server. In Windows 10 and Windows 11, System Restore is turned off by default and must be enabled by users in order to function. System Restore does not affect personal files such as documents, music, pictures, and videos.

In prior Windows versions it was based on a file filter that watched changes for a certain set of file extensions, and then copied files before they were overwritten. An updated version of System Restore introduced by Windows Vista uses the Shadow Copy service as a backend (allowing block-level changes in files located in any directory on the volume to be monitored and backed up regardless of their location) and allows System Restore to be used from the Windows Recovery Environment in case the Windows installation no longer boots at all.

Overview

In System Restore, the user may create a new restore point manually (as opposed to the system creating one automatically), roll back to an existing restore point, or change the System Restore configuration. Moreover, the restore itself can be undone. Old restore points are discarded in order to keep the volume's usage within the specified amount. For many users, this can provide restore points covering the past several weeks. Users concerned with performance or space usage may also opt to disable System Restore entirely. Files stored on volumes not monitored by System Restore are never backed up or restored.

System Restore backs up system files of certain extensions (.exe, .dll, etc.) and saves them for later recovery and use. It also backs up the registry and most drivers.

Resources monitored

Starting with Windows Vista, System Restore takes a snapshot of all volumes it is monitoring. However, on Windows XP, it only monitors the following:

  • Windows Registry
  • Files in the Windows File Protection folder (<code>Dllcache</code>)
  • Local user profiles
  • COM+ and WMI databases
  • IIS metabase
  • Specific file types monitored

Disk space consumption

The amount of disk space System Restore consumes can be configured. Starting with Windows XP, the disk space allotted is configurable per volume and the data stores are also stored per volume. Files are stored using NTFS compression and a Disk Cleanup handler allows deleting all but the most recent Restore Points. System Restore can be disabled completely to regain disk space. It automatically disables itself if the volume's free space is too low for it to operate.

Restore points

Windows creates restore points:

  • When software is installed using Windows Installer or other installers that are aware of System Restore
  • When Windows Update installs new updates
  • When the user installs a driver that is not digitally signed by Windows Hardware Quality Labs
  • Periodically. By default:
  • Windows XP creates a restore point every 24 hours
  • Windows Vista creates a restore point if none is created within the last 24 hours the space reserved can be adjusted. Starting with Windows 7, the slider is available once again.
  • Maximum space – In Windows XP, System Restore can be configured to use up to a maximum of 12% of the volume's space for most disk sizes; By default, it uses 15% of the volume's space.
  • File types monitored – Up to Windows XP, it excludes any file types that are considered "personal" to the user, such as documents, digital photographs, media files, e-mail, etc. It also excludes the monitored set of file types (, etc.) from folders such as My Documents. Microsoft recommends that if a user is unsure as to whether certain files will be modified by a rollback, they should keep those files under My Documents. Windows Vista and later no longer support this.
  • FAT32 volume support – On Windows Vista and later, System Restore no longer works on FAT32 disks and cannot be enabled on disks smaller than 1&nbsp;GB. Starting with Windows Vista, System Restore monitors all files on all file paths on a given volume.

It is not possible to create a permanent restore point. All restore points will eventually be deleted after the time specified in the <code>RPLifeInterval</code> registry setting is reached or if allotted disk space is insufficient for newer Restore points. The only way to clean them is to delete them altogether. However stored infected files are harmless until the affected restore point is reinstated.

System Restore cannot monitor changes made to a volume from another operating system (in case of multi-booting scenarios). In addition, multi-booting different versions of Windows can disrupt the operation of System Restore. Specifically, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 delete the restore points of Windows Vista and later. Also, restore points created by Windows 8 may be destroyed by previous versions of Windows.

See also

  • Backup

References

Further reading

  • Microsoft Support article