We roll back the Windows XP system without third-party programs. How to restore the former agility of Windows XP How to roll back the Windows XP system

Theoretically, any updates are designed to optimize system performance and certain programs. However, in practice it happens that everything does not go as the user wanted, and the system fails. This can also happen when installing a new one. software. What to do in such a situation? Some users believe that the solution is to reinstall the operating system. In fact, everything is much simpler, especially if you know how to roll back Windows system XP a day ago or any other period when the OS was working normally.

What will you need?

Some users believe that third-party utilities are needed to return to the rollback point. This is partly true. But the system also has built-in tools that will help us restore a successful configuration.

The first thing you need is a restore point. By default in Windows these points are made automatically. Typically, such an operation occurs before any significant events affecting the system, for example, before cleaning the registry or installing new applications, etc. Actually, this procedure in terms of complexity is almost the same as checking the authenticity of Windows 7 online, so there is a point for a rollback you can create it yourself.

Rollback Windows XP

In order to return the system to a previous state, you must first log in with account administrator. Next, click Start and follow the All programs link. Here we are interested in standard and utility utilities. In them, click on the System Restore command. Check Restore previous state and confirm by clicking Next. After that, in the window that opens, you need to select a restore point. The last stage is to confirm your choice and start the process.

After the operation is completed, the computer will reboot. Actually, in the future there should be no problems with the operation of the system. However, if the computer does not start, you may need to cancel the OS restore.

Please note that files that were saved on your computer after the selected date will be deleted. Therefore, if necessary, make sure to have a backup copy of them. Some users prefer to use third-party utilities to roll back the system to the desired state. In principle, this is also a good solution, but it is not recommended for beginners to use the programs, since they are not as easy to use as they seem.

System Restore is one of those computer functions that I think everyone should know. After all, sometimes, even an experienced technician cannot always determine for what reason a particular computer failure occurred. However, the developers of the Windows system foresaw this and it was for such cases that they came up with such a function as, system rollback until she was fine.

In what cases is it necessary to perform a Windows system restore?

I won’t go far and give an example from my own situation.

One day it happened that my program crashed Microsoft Office Word, there was some kind of glitch in it, and it stopped running! This was really a problem for me, because I work in this program very often and my husband, I had a licensed program. That is, I lost not only the program, but also the money I paid for it. At first, I started to panic, but one computer geek I know tells me: “ Why don't you do a system restore?", I speak - " Will she help get the program back?", He - " Certainly!" I thought, trying is not torture, in extreme cases, I have nothing to lose. In the end, I completed Windows 7 system recovery, and lo and behold, the program worked!

So you can do a system rollback not only when you installed something wrong (until now I only used it in such cases), but also when some serious program crashes.

On what principle does system rollback work in Windows 7 and Windows XP?

The principle of system recovery is quite simple. Your Windows OS makes system restore points. What are these dots?

Points are a conditional name, because in fact, a recovery point is a saved copy of the system at the moment when your system is working normally and without errors. That is, the OS itself remembers its normal operating state and makes a note to itself that if some kind of failure occurs, or if we install something wrong on our computer, it should return to such and such a point . I hope the answer is clear. By the way, this answer may lead to another question for you - where does it store a copy of the system? And really, where, who knows, there are several such copies, where do they all fit? Let's figure it out.

To do this, let's go back a little to the time when you just... Most often, during installation, the disk space is divided into two partitions (if you have one partition, be sure to split it, I told you how to do this in the article) one system and the other for everything else (games, movies, your videos, photos and etc.). But, if you have ever noticed, several gigabytes disappear somewhere after installation. Those. for example, when I bought a computer, it was stated that HDD has a capacity of 720 gigabytes. Now look at the picture below.

One disk has a capacity of 98 gigabytes, the other has 600, for a total of 698, that is, 22 gigabytes have disappeared somewhere. It is these 22 gigabytes that are the very memory in which all my system restore points are stored. By the way, this is not the limit, on many computers much more disk space is allocated for this matter, for example, on my laptop, which I bought not so long ago, as much as 40 gigabytes are allocated for the “Windows 7 System Restore” function!

Well, now, let me tell you how to roll back a Windows 7 and xp system. By the way, if you noticed, I say either rollback or recovery, don’t be alarmed, they’re the same thing. So let's get started.

How to perform a system restore on Windows 7 and Vista?

Since these two OS System Restore happens the same way, then I will show everything using the example of Windows 7.

  1. First you need to click the Start menu and select All Programs.
  2. After which, almost at the very bottom you will find the Standard item. Once you find it, open it.

  3. In the Standard item, again almost at the very bottom, there will be a Utilities tab.

  4. By opening this folder, you will see the long-awaited System Restore item. Click on it.

  5. After which a small window will appear on your monitor: Start System Restore. I won’t show it to you, because... It loaded very quickly for me and disappeared, I didn’t even have time to take a photo.
  6. Now the main program window will open, click next.

  7. After which a window should open where you can select the recovery point for the number you need. By the way, if you click on Show other recovery points, you will see all the points for all the numbers that are on your computer.

A small digression. If you see in the screenshot above, under the heading Description, the reason why a restore point was made is written, this reason is “Center Windows updates" Those. if after the update some strange errors began to appear, or the OS began to take longer to load, then you can do Windows 7 system rollback before it worked without this update. But the reason for the appearance of the point can be not only the update, also, in this line you can see the inscription “Planned recovery point” or something like “Install SUCH PROGRAM”, “Remove SUCH PROGRAM”. Of course, in place of SUCH PROGRAM there is the name of some serious program, such as Microsoft Office Word.

We're distracted, let's continue


After which, the process itself will begin. Do not restart your computer until everything is finished. At the end, the computer will reboot and you should see a window indicating the successful completion of this special operation.

In Windows Vista everything is almost the same. Only the first window that opens is very different.

How to restore windows xp system?

To begin with, I would like to warn owners of computers that have old windows versions xp, they may not have such a function as System Restore.

Unfortunately, I can’t show you with screenshots how to perform the same operation in Windows XP. But I know for sure that it is done in the same way, i.e.: Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore. As you can see, everything is simple, then you just need to choose for what number you want to do it Windows xp system rollback, and then the process itself will go on.
Let me take my leave with this.

P.S. For clarity, I recorded a video lesson; it lasts only five minutes, so watch it to reinforce the material.

Windows XP has been and remains one of the widely used and popular operating systems in the world. Of course, today MicroSoft has made leaps forward. The new versions of the Windows 8 and Windows 10 operating systems have many useful features. The Windows XP operating system also has one useful function- system rollback.

We use standard settings

In cases incorrect operation In Windows XP, the developers have built in the ability to restore the system. Unlike a banal reinstallation of the OS, during recovery all files on the computer are saved.

How to roll back a Windows XP system? Windows XP itself saves configuration settings on the hard drive, calling them “restore points” (it also independently saves programs, files, updates and device drivers). It’s easy to check their presence on your device: click “Start” right click to “My Computer”, “Properties”, “System Restore”.

Although Windows XP can create such points independently, manufacturers still recommend doing it yourself:

In cases where all restore points were created while the OS was working correctly, you don’t have to worry, but if during failures, then we do everything described above, just select “Restore the computer to an earlier state” and click “Next”. After which in manual mode select the date of the required checkpoint, and click “Next” until your device is completely rebooted and the system is completely restored.

It is also worth remembering that all software installed after the date of the restore point will be deleted, as well as files (depending on the settings specified when creating the restore point).

Using BIOS

It also happens when the computer does not boot as usual, and before loading it will offer to continue working through “ Safe mode" To do this, we reboot the device, during boot press the “F8” key, the system boot options are presented on the black screen, select “Safe Mode”, this can be selected using the arrows on the keyboard and press the “Enter” button.

In cases where rolling back the OS to an earlier restore point did not fix the problem, it can be returned to factory settings, that is, to its original state. In Windows XP, a factory reset works differently than in later versions.

For example, starting with Windows 7, there is a program that runs through the BIOS and returns the entire system to its original state, to factory settings. In our case with Windows XP, there is no such program, but you can still bring the device back to life without reinstalling the system!

First, reboot the device; during booting, we enter the BIOS. To do this, you need to press the key indicated on the boot screen (will depend on the installed motherboard, these can be the keys F2, Esc, Delete, F1, etc.).

Go to the “BOOT” section and change the boot priority to boot from a flash drive or disk. We save and exit through the “Save & Exit” section, the computer will reboot.

Next, select the “Restore system to factory settings” section. This allows you to keep the user's files intact. After a complete system recovery, you receive the device in the same condition as if you had just bought the computer. You also need to remember, after all the operations performed, to return the settings in the BIOS to boot priority from external drive.

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How to perform a system rollback on windows xp? +video lessons

Sometimes computer users have an unpleasant situation when the Windows xp software shell we are used to begins to slow down, other applications malfunction, and often the computer reboots itself or the “screen of death” pops up.

Such errors can be caused by recently installed programs, viruses, unnecessary files on the disk, damaged system files. Moreover, if you suspect that you are guilty recently installed program, removing it does not always help restore stable operation of the system. This is where rolling back the system to the state when this program was not yet installed will come to your aid.

Now we will tell you how to roll back a windows xp system.

Using the built-in program in Windows XP to restore the system

It's called System Restore Application and is installed automatically when you install Windows XP. It also starts automatically every time Windows boots and monitors changes in the system file structure.

The program uses those disk partitions that are supported by the operating shell.

When the program runs, it monitors the following processes:

How the configuration files and system registry. How the modular system changes after installing system updates. Other important changes that can be returned to their original state.

When any change occurs in the above files, recovery data, file sources and service information are saved in folders that are automatically created in “System Volume Information”. This folder is provided in the root of any drive letter that is monitored by the system.

To make sure that System Restore Application is running and performing its functions, right-click on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties”, and then “System Restore”.

Before serious system events occur, a “return point” is created in which changes are recorded in order to make a successful rollback of Windows XP.

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Usually this point is created automatically before you install any new program.

However, you can do it yourself. To do this, go to “Start” -> “Programs” -> “Accessories” -> “System Tools” -> “System Restore”. Then check the box “Create a restore point” and then click next. The following window will open.

For convenience, name the rollback point so that it is easy to remember later, then click “Create”.

Rolling back a Windows xp system also begins by going to “Start” -> “Programs” -> “Accessories” -> “System Tools” -> “System Restore”, but now you just click on the “Next” button.

Now on the calendar, select the date until which the system worked stably, click on it, and then click “Next”.

The rollback will begin operating system up to this point.

This process is quite long, so be patient. Once completed, the computer will reboot and a window like this will appear.

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In this case, all programs installed after the selected date will disappear, but all your manually modified files (Word documents, Excel) will not change, even if you edited them after the date of the restore point. The same applies to downloaded files of any kind - they will remain in place.

If this method of “treating” the computer did not help, then similarly select an even earlier date on the calendar.

In rare cases, complications may arise after recovery, then select the third option in the recovery menu, which was not there before. There will be a kind of “rollback rollback” of windows.

How to restore using a third-party Acronis program?

Download and install Acronis on your computer, then launch it. The main program window will open.

First of all, create a backup copy of the system, which is displayed as an archive. It can be done using background mode, so Windows will not interrupt currently running processes. As soon as the archive begins to be created, wait until the process completes.

Let's describe all the steps in more detail.

First, copy “My Computer”.

Now select the desired section.

Specify the folder on your hard drive or removable media where the archive will be stored.

After saving the archive, you can be sure that you will be able to roll back the system at any time. To do this, select “Restore” and indicate the folder in which the archive is located.

If you just want to see the contents of the archive, then you need to open the file in the program itself.

Now select the files that need to be restored. You can also specify the recovery of the master boot record from invisible files which actually starts booting the computer after turning it on.

By the way, you can restore files to another folder hard drive or removable media.

Important detail. System rollback will not begin until Windows XP is running. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that when you click on the “Proceed” button, the computer will restart, so do not be alarmed.

After rebooting, the computer will begin to boot again, and when loading BIOS and other programs, the Acronis base will also be loaded into the RAM, which will then perform all the necessary operations. A system partition with a capacity of five to ten gigabytes is restored in five to fifteen minutes, after which you restart the computer again.

Video lessons

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The Windows XP operating system is equipped with a convenient recovery tool that allows you to roll back changes that led to unstable operation. In most cases, this tool allows you to perform a complete system restore of Windows XP without reinstallation, preserving all user files.

Enable recovery

To be sure that you can roll back XP back to the key date, make sure that the restore feature is working. If it is deactivated, you must enable it:

You can configure recovery settings by specifying how much space should be allocated for points for Windows rollback. The default is 12% of the total volume, but you can make this setting a little smaller to save space on your hard drive.

Rollback to key date

System Restore is enabled, let's see how it works:


If you are unable to return your system to a working state, you can restore your computer again by selecting a different day. You can also run a rollback if XP does not boot normally. What should be done:


The operating system recovery program will appear. Through it, you can rollback Windows back by selecting a day when XP was running smoothly. The disadvantage of this method is that you will not be able to use the recovery tool to roll back the system to factory settings, since the old points will be overwritten by the new control marks.

Last Known Good Configuration

The first thing to do if Windows won't boot is to run the Last Known Good Configuration.


You can perform such a rollback and return XP back to a working state due to the fact that the last successful startup of the system is constantly recorded in the registry. Using the function above, you apply this saved configuration, correcting all Windows errors. The advantages of the described method are that you do not need any flash drives with system distributions, special recovery programs, or changes to the BIOS settings.

Reinstallation with saving files via BIOS

If rolling back XP does not fix the problem, you can update the system - return it to its original state by resetting it to factory settings. On XP, a factory reset works slightly differently than in later versions. On Windows 7/8.1/10, when installing the system, a partition is created on which the recovery image is located. Special program allows you to run via BIOS or in Windows environment reset to factory settings. On XP there is no such program (there is no section either), but you can return the operating system to factory settings.

Restart your computer; go into the BIOS and set to boot from the flash drive. You can do this in the BIOS like this:


Note: you can not change the BIOS configuration, but use the menu that is called up by pressing the F11 key when starting the computer.

After launching the system installer, press Enter to begin installation. Accept the terms of the license agreement. The installer will inform you that a copy of Windows has been detected - press “R” to restore it.

Restoring Windows XP via updating from a flash drive will allow you to roll back the operating system to factory settings. User files and programs will remain intact, and the system will be brought into a state as if you had just bought the computer. After a successful recovery, do not forget to go into the BIOS again and change the boot priority back. If you did not change anything in the BIOS, but used the menu called up by the F11 key, then you do not need to change anything.

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How to roll back the Windows XP operating system?

Quite often, those who work on a computer may experience unpleasant situations when the system begins to work unstable, slow down, and even crash. This may be caused by the installation of some programs, a virus, or damage to system files, accumulation of “garbage” on the disk, and so on. Of course, the cause of the failure may be understandable if it was caused by your actions. However, in most cases, even understanding what happened, it is not possible to restore Windows XP to its previous performance by removing programs and other standard methods.

Naturally, everyone needs a full-fledged working Windows XP. In this case, many turn to the help of friends, acquaintances, and some even call specialists to fix the system.

However, there is a fairly simple way to get the system back up and running without having to reinstall it. You just need to roll back your Windows XP system. However, you need to learn how to do this before failure occurs.

A program built into Windows XP that is used to restore the system.

It is called System Restore Application. After installing the system, the service Windows recovery XP starts automatically. It interacts with disk partitions whose format can be supported by Windows XP. While the system is running, the service monitors:

  1. changes in system configuration files and registry;
  2. changes in system modules, including changes that occur as a result of installing patches and system updates;
  3. part of other changes that the developers of Windows XP considered necessary to track so that they could later be restored when Help System Restore Application to its original state.

If any of the above changes occur, then the data needed for cancellation, service information and original copies of files are written to the “System Volume Information” intended for this purpose. The creation of these folders is provided in the root of any hard section disk if it is being monitored.

To make sure that you have System Restore Application running and manage it, you should right-click on the “My Computer” icon, select “Properties” and then the “System Restore” tab:

After some time, before serious system events, “return points” are created at which changes are recorded. Typically, such an event refers to the installation of a package update or new program. You can also create restore points manually. To create it, you need to go to Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore.

In order to avoid confusion, you can specify a description of this point.

You can return to one of the already saved system states (restore point), that is, perform a system rollback.

To perform a system rollback, service data is taken from the System Volume Information folder, after which Windows XP is put into a state in which some of the auxiliary functions are disabled and the protection of replaced system files is deactivated. After which the data and files required for recovery are restored from this folder. After restarting the computer, the system returns to its previous state, which was recorded at the specified restore point.

Let's take a step-by-step look at how to perform a system rollback.

  • Let's say that you need to roll back the system - the computer is not working as you would like. In this case, select “Recover more than

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How to roll back a windows xp system yourself?

Theoretically, any updates are designed to optimize the operation of the system and certain programs. However, in practice it happens that everything does not go as the user wanted, and the system fails. This can also happen when installing new software. What to do in such a situation? Some users believe that the solution is to reinstall the operating system. In fact, everything is much simpler, especially if you know how to roll back a Windows XP system to a day ago or any other period when the OS was working normally.

What will you need?

Some users believe that third-party utilities are needed to return to the rollback point. This is partly true. But the system also has built-in tools that will help us restore a successful configuration.

The first thing you need is a restore point. By default in Windows these points are made automatically. Typically, such an operation occurs before any significant events affecting the system, for example, before cleaning the registry or installing new applications, etc. Actually, this procedure in terms of complexity is almost the same as checking the authenticity of Windows 7 online, so there is a point for a rollback you can create it yourself.

Rollback Windows XP

In order to return the system to a previous state, you must first log in with an administrator account. Next, click Start and follow the All programs link. Here we are interested in standard and utility utilities. In them, click on the System Restore command. Check Restore previous state and confirm by clicking Next. After that, in the window that opens, you need to select a restore point. The last stage is to confirm your choice and start the process.

After the operation is completed, the computer will reboot. Actually, in the future there should be no problems with the operation of the system. However, if the computer does not start, you may need to cancel the OS restore.

Please note that files that were saved on your computer after the selected date will be deleted. Therefore, if necessary, make sure to have a backup copy of them. Some users prefer to use third-party utilities to roll back the system to the desired state. In principle, this is also a good solution, but it is not recommended for beginners to use the programs, since they are not as easy to use as they seem.

userologia.ru

Useful system rollback

When failures or errors occur, in order to return the operating system to its original working state, it is necessary to perform a system rollback. IN Windows X Pi has an integrated system for archiving the registry, as well as system data. And even though it has many shortcomings, it often solves complex problems. The network also describes how to perform a system rollback through the BIOS. But we will not consider it here.

So, as you understand, the process of bringing the system to its original position is called system rollback. You can access it different ways. First you must make sure that this function is enabled. To do this, right-click your mouse on the “My Computer” icon and select its properties. Next, in the window that appears, select the “System Restore” tab. If system rollback is activated, then next to each disk you will see a “monitoring” mark. There is also a line at the bottom that says “disable recovery on all drives.” If it is active, there should be no check mark next to this line.

When you select a disk and click the “Options” button, a window with the same name will appear. Here you can turn off system rollback, and also change the size of disk space for archiving.

The operating system recovery program creates certain points for this. At standard settings they are created periodically, as well as when installing programs, package updates, drivers, etc. You can also do this yourself.

In order to perform a system rollback, there are several options. One of them allows you to do this through help with Windows support. Click “Start” and select “Help and Support” from the menu that appears. There you will find “Undo changes using recovery” and launch this tab.

After this manipulation, a window will appear in front of you in which you can choose to create a restore point or restore an earlier state. You choose what you need. If this is a system rollback, a calendar will appear, with which you can find the desired restore point and start it with the “Next” button. If you create a new point, then give it the desired name and click “Next”. After this it will be created.

It happens that there is no Help and Support tab in the Start button menu. In this case, press the F1 key. If it does not bring the desired result, this will mean that the Help and Support service is simply disabled. To make it available, you need to re-enable it.

You can also invoke system restore in the following way. “Start” button, then hover over “All Programs”, in the pop-up menu find “Accessories”, there will be a “System” tab, where you will find “System Restore”. Click on this shortcut double click manipulator, and a dialog box will immediately appear in front of you. Select in it the date and time of the restore point with which you want to roll back to the previous state of your device.

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System rollback in Windows XP.

In case of failures and errors, to return the operating system to its previous state, Windows XP has a built-in system for archiving the registry and system data. And although it is imperfect in many ways, it often helps solve problems. The name in English is System Restore Application, which means system recovery program. Often the process of restoring the system to its previous state is called “System Rollback”. The program can be accessed in different ways. The first thing you need to do is check if you have System Restore enabled. To do this, right-click on the “My Computer” icon (see note at the end) and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu at the bottom. In the window that opens called

“Properties” select the “System Restore” tab at the top. The window has a list of disks and if the recovery system is enabled, then next to each entry there should be the inscription “Monitoring”. At the bottom there is the inscription “Disable system recovery on all disks”; if the system is turned on, there should be no check mark next to the inscription. When you select a disk and click the “Options” button, a window of the same name will open in which you can disable system recovery on this

disk. Here you can also use the slider to change the disk space allocated for archiving. System Restore creates so-called system restore points. By default, restore points are created periodically and when

important system events, for example: installation of programs, drivers, package updates. You can create your own restore points. It is especially useful to do this if you intend to perform dubious actions in the system, the positive outcome of which is not certain.

There are several ways to use the recovery system. The first way, through help and Windows support. To do this, click the start button and in the menu on the right, click “Help and Support” and on the right we find “Undo changes using System Restore” and click on this inscription. The “System Restore” window opens where you can select

"Recovery

earlier state of the computer" or "Create a restore point", select what you need and click "Next". If you selected "Recover more than

early state of the computer" will open a corresponding window with a calendar where you can select a recovery point by date or time and click "Next" to continue the recovery. When choosing

To create a recovery point, in the window that opens, you need to enter the name of your point and click “Next” it will be created.

Sometimes “Help and Support” is missing from the Start menu, then you can try calling it with the F1 key. If this does not help, then you most likely have the Help and Support service disabled. You can read how to deal with services here.

You can open the “System Restore” window by following the path, Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.

Note: Sometimes users, not knowing how to display a full-fledged “My Computer” icon on the desktop, pull out the shortcut (the one with the arrow). Then, when you select "Properties", the shortcut properties window opens, and this is not what we need. To solve this problem, you need to go to the “Start” menu and right-click “My Computer”, and then as indicated above. Or display a full-fledged icon on the desktop. You can read about it here.

Sometimes a situation arises when it is necessary to quickly undo unwanted changes to the system: for example, after updating software, installing drivers or cleaning the registry, problems with stability began Windows. However, not all users know How do a rollback How And When making rollback points yourself, and in what cases the OS makes them in auto mode - in general, I will try to compactly answer all pressing questions on this important topic in this note.

Let's start by checking if the System Restore service is running (process rstrui.exe ). To do this, use the button " Start", right-click on " Computer"→ next, in the drop-down menu select " Properties" → "System protection ". The Security Options area displays the available local disks and the degree of their protection. By default, System Restore is enabled for the drive where you installed Windows (C:\). However, you can enable it for any other drive by checking the desired one (for Vista this is all manipulation!) and pressing the button " Tune" (first screenshot).

In the window that opens, activate " Restore system settings and previous versions of files" and confirm the changes with the " button OK". Besides, in Windows 7 the ability to control has returned disk space to restore the system, as it was in XP, but for some reason it was “forgotten” in Vista(screenshot below).

When Windows itself (automatically) creates restore points ?

This happens in the following cases:

  • when installing programs and drivers;
  • when installing OS updates via the Internet;
  • according to schedule (every 24 hours in Windows Vista and every 7 days in the "seven");
  • when the system is rolled back to one of the earlier restore points.

Of course, the user can independently create a rollback point before any potentially dangerous actions (such as changing system files) according to the principle " more - no less".

How to perform a system rollback ?

All restore points Windows are located in a hidden system folder C:\System Volume Information. You can independently “roll back” to the desired point in several ways, for example:

  • via the " button Start", click " Help and support " → "Undoing changes using System Restore " → "Restoring your computer to an earlier state " And " Further" (For Windows XP);
  • through " Start", click " Control Panel " → "System Restore " (or "Recovery") → " Running System Restore " → in the final, select the desired rollback point (screenshot);
  • via hotkey combination " + R" → in the box enter rstrui → "OK" (the most convenient option for Windows 8).

A few important notes

  • I quote the help article from the Microsoft website: " System Restore does not protect drives with FAT32 and other file systems file systems FAT because such drives do not support shadow copies". IN XP when creating a rollback point, only key files systems and programs, unlike Windows Vista / 7 / 8 , where, thanks to Volume Shadow Copy Service Volume Shadow Copy Service or VSS), changes are recorded throughout the section. In any case, personal files are not included in OS restore points, i.e. all your documents and photos will not disappear after the rollback.
  • If you encounter any problems with loading and stability of Windows, you should use the latest restore point created shortly before the date and time when the problems began. If the situation has not changed, you can always choose another (earlier) rollback point.
  • I recommend that beginner computer scientists read my

Quite often, those who work on a computer may experience unpleasant situations when the system begins to work unstable, slow down, and even crash. This may be caused by the installation of some programs, the action of a virus, damage to system files, the accumulation of “garbage” on the disk, and so on. Of course, the cause of the failure may be understandable if it was caused by your actions. However, in most cases, even understanding what happened, it is not possible to restore Windows XP to its previous performance by removing programs and other standard methods.

Naturally, everyone needs a full-fledged working Windows XP. In this case, many turn to the help of friends, acquaintances, and some even call specialists to fix the system.

However, there is a fairly simple way to get the system back up and running without having to reinstall it. You just need to roll back your Windows XP system. However, you need to learn how to do this before failure occurs.

A program built into Windows XP that is used to restore the system.

It is called System Restore Application. After installing the system, the Windows XP Recovery Service starts working automatically. It interacts with disk partitions whose format can be supported by Windows XP. While the system is running, the service monitors:

  1. changes in system configuration files and registry;
  2. changes in system modules, including changes that occur as a result of installing patches and system updates;
  3. some of the other changes that the Windows XP developers decided to track so that they could later be restored to their original state using the System Restore Application.

If any of the above changes occur, then the data needed for cancellation, service information and original copies of files are written to the “System Volume Information” intended for this purpose. The creation of these folders is provided in the root of any hard drive partition if it is being monitored.

To make sure that you have System Restore Application running and manage it, you should right-click on the “My Computer” icon, select “Properties” and then the “System Restore” tab:

After some time, before serious system events, “return points” are created at which changes are recorded. Typically, such an event means the installation of a package update or a new program. You can also create restore points manually. To create it, you need to go to Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore.

In order to avoid confusion, you can specify a description of this point.

You can return to one of the already saved system states (restore point), that is, perform a system rollback.

To perform a system rollback, service data is taken from the System Volume Information folder, after which Windows XP is put into a state in which some of the auxiliary functions are disabled and the protection of replaced system files is deactivated. After which the data and files required for recovery are restored from this folder. After restarting the computer, the system returns to its previous state, which was recorded at the specified restore point.

Let's take a step-by-step look at how to perform a system rollback.


After completing the steps described above, you will find the restore point you need.

Select the required restore point, then click “Next”, confirming your actions.


If restoring the system did not solve the existing problems, then you can use an earlier restore point and follow the same steps.

If problems appear after a system rollback (this sometimes happens), you need to apply the third point, that is, “Undo last restore.”

System rollback using third-party programs

It could be Acronis True Image, Paragon Drive Backup, Norton Ghost and so on. Based on the principle of their operation, they have much in common, which makes it easy to work with them once you learn how to use one of them.

Let's look at system recovery using Acronis as an example.

  • First you need to create a backup copy of Windows XP. Backup copy called “archive”. The archive can be created in the background, and the system will not be interrupted. The “control point” will be the state of the system when the creation of the archive begins.

Let's start copying “My Computer”:



Then you are asked to select from the archive the data that you want to restore:

  • In addition to restoring the partition, you can also restore the MBR - the main one boot entry. It is created automatically.

Select the desired system partition for recovery. At the same time, it is possible to restore it to a place other than its “native”, if there is enough free space there.

While Windows XP is running, it will be impossible to restore its system partition. That is why the rollback can only be planned. Clicking the “Proceed” button will reboot. IN RAM the Acronis component will load and carry out the planned actions. Recovery system partition, the size of which is 5-10 GB will take approximately 5-15 minutes. After this, we do another reboot and your Windows XP will be ready to work.