How to create a Restore Point

Hello, and for those who are here to learn how to create a Restore Point, I want to start by informing you that Restore Points do not replace keeping proper backups and ensuring your hardware is in working order. However, if you make regular restore points (maybe once a month or so), it can help you in the event that you have Operating System problems and need to reset your computer to an earlier state.

Okay, to begin, there are a few different ways to get into the Restore Point Creation Utility. The most sure fire way to get there is through the Control Panel. Now I do not have images for Windows 7, but if you click on the Start button, Control Panel will be one of the options on the right-hand side of your start menu. In Windows 8 and 10, as demonstrated below, you can right-click on the Start button, or press the Windows key and 'X' and it will bring up the Power User menu. There you can press 'P' or click Control Panel.

From here here you will be presented with the Control Panel. For ease of viewing, I recommend changing the option next to "View by:" to "Small icons."

You can then click "Recovery" which will take you to "Advanced recovery tools."

In this Windows, click "Configure System Restore." This will pop-up a Window that says System Properties, and the "System Protection" tab should already be selected.

Now, most people will already have a pre-configured System Restore drive. You will know whether or not it is configured, because the "Create..." button will be greyed out and unclickable. Also the "Protection Settings" will say "Off" for all of the drives. If you need to first Configure your drive, select your drive under "Protection Settings" (usually it's the drive that says OS and is labelled C:), click "Configure...", and a new Window will pop up.

You want to fill the bubble next to "Turn on system protection," then click "Apply" at the bottom, then click "OK." The Window will disappear, and your drive will now have "On" listed next to it under "Protection Settings". Now you can click "Create..." and one more Window will pop up. In here you will put in a name for the restore point. I highly recommend putting the current date and either what you were during before making the Restore Point, or the reason for making it. For example, "5-13-17 Restore Point before updates against malware". This way you know exactly what to look for should you need to go back to an old Restore Point.

Once you've put in a name, you can click "Create" and the computer will begin to create your Restore Point. Now depending on many factors, including age of computer, speed of Hard Drive and processor, and what programs you have installed, this process can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. It is very rare that this takes longer than 15 minutes, and if it does, I recommend cancelling the process, restarting the computer, and starting again.

The shortcut to getting to the System Properties Window, where you make the Restore Point, is to search for it in your Search Bar using the phrase "Create a Restore Point," however sometimes the Search function can have issues, so this is the guaranteed method to getting to this Window.

Now you have just made your own Restore Point and your computer is just that much more protected against future issues.