System Restore is a Windows recovery feature that returns system files, installed programs, drivers and registry settings to the state saved in an earlier restore point. It is intended to undo a bad update, driver or installation. Personal files such as documents and photos are not meant to be changed.
Why it matters
When a new driver or program breaks Windows, restoring a recent point can fix it in minutes without a reinstall. Windows may create restore points automatically before major changes if protection is enabled, and you can also create one manually before risky changes. It is not a backup: it cannot recover deleted personal files or a failed drive.
Example
To create a point, search for "Create a restore point", select the system drive, click Create and name it Before GPU driver. To roll back, open System Restore from the same dialog, choose that point and confirm. The PC restarts and reports whether the restore succeeded. Programs installed after the point are removed.
Common mistakes
- Treating it as a backup for personal files.
- Leaving system protection turned off, which means no restore points exist.
- Restoring to fix malware; it may not remove all infections.
Related
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