Disable System Restore in Windows XP

If you need to disable System Restore in Windows ME, click on this link to
visit the proper help article to disable System Restore for Windows ME.

In some situations you may need to disable System Restore in your Microsoft Windows XP computer in order to complete a task such as removing a virus or a piece of spyware. This help article will show you how to disable System Restore on your Microsoft Windows XP computer so you can complete your repair. We strongly suggest that you remember to re-enable the System Restore utility once your repair process is complete.

How To Disable System Restore in Windows XP

1. Click the Start button.
2. Right-click
   My Computer, and then click Properties.
3. On the System Restore tab, check Turn off System Restore
   or Turn off System Restore on all drives as shown in this
   picture:

   

4. Click Apply. The following message appears:
5. When you disable system restore your computer will delete
   all existing restore points. Click Yes to do this.
6. Click OK to disable system restore.
7. Proceed with what you need to do. For example, removing viruses. Restart
   the computer and follow the instructions in the next section to turn on System
   Restore.

How To Enable System Restore in Windows XP

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. On the System Restore tab, check Turn on System Restore or Turn on System Restore on all drives as shown in this picture:
3. Click Apply. The following message appears:
4. Click OK to enable system restore.

About Windows XP System Restore:

Though this is a desirable feature, in some cases it is necessary to disable System Restore. For example, if the computer is infected with a virus, then it is possible that the virus could be backed up in the _RESTORE folder. By default, Windows prevents System Restore from being modified by outside programs. As a result, there is the possibility that you could accidentally restore a virus-infected file, or that on-line scanners would detect the virus in that location.

When you disable System Restore it does not delete or remove any of your personal data from your computer. The only files removed are those that System Restore created in the _RESTORE folder, the system restore points. Using System Restore to revert to a previously saved restore point does not affect any of your personal data files or any items in your My Documents folder.

This closes the door to many infections as they attempt to reinfect our system. In fact, one of the first things spyware does when it infects your PC is to drop your security settings so it can accomplish the goals of the software author without your knowledge. Checking these settings from time to time will help you keep your computer free of spyware and trojan viruses and eliminate much of the need for time consuming malware removals.