It’s not hard to find backup software for Linux, but such software mostly only backs up files. That’s enough for most people. Some, however, will want their applications, settings and tweaks preserved as well. Linux users in particular value this because of their tweaking habit, which can sometimes break a system entirely. It’s better to have a fallback point than to rebuild your system from scratch.

Backing up isn’t the only reason to clone your drive, however. It’s also extremely useful for those upgrading to a bigger storage device. Get up and running on your new drive without losing any data or your setup; it’s just a clone away.

dd, The Ultimate Linux Cloning Tool

Command line enthusiasts doubtless know and love “dd”, which can copy one entire drive to another. Some joke that “dd” stands for “disk destroyer”, and in the wrong hands this software currently could wipe all of your data. Make sure you know what you’re doing before you use it. This tool is probably already installed on your computer, if you’re using Linux. Check your package manager if not.

I used dd to clone my Ubuntu netbook’s drive; here is what the command looks like while running:

The process will take a while, of course, so be patient. You should also be absolutely certain that you know how to use this program, because doing it wrong could wipe your drive.

Confused? Let’s review the command:

sudo dd if=/dev/sda1 of=/dev/sdb1

First of all,

sudo

. With some distros, including Ubuntu and its derivatives, it is necessary to use “sudo” before any administrative function. Other distros might need to use root; check your distro’s documentation to learn more.

The next word,

dd

, is the program we are using to copy the drive. This isn’t so tricky so far, is it?

The next bit,

if=/dev/sda1

, is a bit more confusing. Don’t panic! The

if=

is simply telling the program what the input is; that is, the drive we’re copying. I’m cloning my primary hard drive, which is

/dev/sda1

. I was able to identify the drive using Ubuntu’s disk utility:

If you prefer a command line way to finding this information, use “mount”. It will list everything mounted on an Ubuntu system:

Users of other distros should check their documentation should these methods not work.

All we need now is the destination drive; that is, what goes after

of=

. This will usually be a USB drive, and you can find out how to identify it using the same methods described above. In my case, of course, the answer was

/dev/sdb1

.

Note that this process will overwrite everything on your destination drive, so check to make sure there is nothing on your USB drive that you wanted to keep.

Once you’ve got your command, hit enter and the cloning will begin. This will take a while, particularly if you have a large drive, so be patient.

Clonezilla, An Easy To Use Cloning Live CD

Confused by the above? Maybe you need a simpler tool. I recommend Clonezilla, a free hard drive cloning software. Clonezilla runs from a live CD, and features a simple user interface:

You’ll still need to be aware of what you’re doing, of course, but this tool can simplify your job immensely with its step-by-step breakdown.

Conclusion

Cloning your hard drive is a useful way to back everything up, and is great for getting set up on a new hard drive without re-installing your operating system. Lucky there are tools for this job for Linux users. Note that these tools will work to copy Windows and Mac partitions as well, although you’ll need a Linux environment to run them from.

These tools can, in the wrong hands, destroy data. MakeUseOf takes no responsibility for any data lost, so make sure you know what you’re doing before you click “enter”. Feel free to ask for help in the comments below, though; we want this to go smoothly for you.

No, instead I’d like to just throw another 1TB into my home server and be done with it. Unfortunately, this isn’t entirely supported by Apple, so it’s going to need a little hacking together.

What You’ll Need

• A spare hard disk, obviously. At least as large as your Mac primary hard disk.
• A network file server of some sort that you can add the drive to.

I’ll be showing you specifically how to set this up for Windows Home Server or any regular Windows 7 machine that you use to share files on, but you should be able to do this using any form of networked file system. If you have no idea what Time Machine or a Time Capsule is, read this first.

On the Mac

This is the trickiest bit, so we’ll start with that. Open a new Terminal window (you can find this in your Applications -> Utilities folder) and follow the steps outlined below.

Copy and paste the following command into your Terminal window and hit enter. This is a quick little hack that tells your system “I want you to show me unsupported Time Machine volumes”.

>defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

Next, you need to note some information about both your machine name and your network ID. Your machine name is easy – just open System Preferences -> Sharing, and your Computer Name will be listed at the top. I suggest you change this to be something without spaces to avoid random errors later on, then note this down somewhere.

Go back to the terminal Window and type:

ifconfig

You need to find the ETHER hardware address associated with the en0 network device (the network port on your mac). This is used as a unique identifier, and must be the address from en0 if you actually connect to the Internet using your wireless device. Find the section that details the en0 device, and write down or copy the 6 hexadecimal digit number that’s next to the word ether. Delete all the :’s to obtain your machines unique 16 alphanumeric code. You’ll need it for the next step.

The following command will create what is called a SparseBundle. This is a single file that acts as a kind of disk image for your machine’s backups. When you use TimeMachine, it writes everything inside of this file. Remember to replace the appropriate parts of the command with your machine name, ethernet ID and hard disk size (don’t write the square bracket – look at my example below first).

sudo hdiutil create -size [Your hard disk size here]G -fs HFS+J -volname “[Your Machine Name here] Backup" [Your machine name here]_[Your 16 digit alphanumeric hardware ID here].sparsebundle

Here’s the example command that I used for my iMac which has a hard disk size of about 950GB and is creatively named “iMac”.

sudo hdiutil create -size 950G -fs HFS+J -volname "iMac Backup" iMac_d49a20d16b79.sparsebundle

A word of warning: Make sure your TYPE THE COMMAND on your own machine – if you try to copy and paste from this site, the character encoding will result in some kind of error, similar to the following:

On Your Network Server

Installing the hard disk in your machine is a little out of the scope of this article, so I suggest you check out my previous article on how to add a second hard drive. As many drives come pre-formatted in FAT32 format, you’ll also want to reformat or partition your drive to NTFS. Next we’ll set up the network share itself.

Windows 7

To share a drive or folder in Windows 7, right click and select Share With -> Advanced Sharing.

Click Advanced Sharing again, and in the following dialog check Share this Folder, and give it a name you’ll remember (like TimeMachineBackup).

It’s also essential you set the permissions, as by default users can only READ from the share. Select the user or group you wish to give access to – EVERYONE is the easiest option here – and change the permission at the bottom of the dialog to FULL CONTROL.

Windows Home Server

I already run a Windows Home Server for downloading and streaming videos, so it makes sense to add the Time Machine backup drive there. After adding the physical drive to the machine, restarting your server and formatting the drive as NTFS, open up your Home Server Dashboard. On the Server Folders and Hard Drives tab, click the button on the right sidebar that says “Add a Folder”.

Follow the Wizard to create your TimeMachineBackup folder. Make sure you choose to place the folder on your new drive, but if you forgot to do so then no worries as you can easily use the Move Folder function later. Set up permission as you wish, but skip the step about creating backups – you don’t really need a backup of your backup (technically, you probably should, but there’s a limit to how much backing up is humanely possible or worthwhile).

On Your Mac

Finally, head back to your Mac and find the SpareBundle file you created before. If you used the command I showed you, it should be located in the root of your user home directory.

Open up the network share you just created – I sometimes have trouble seeing my homeserver in the automatic network discovery, in which case you’ll need to press COMMAND-K and type in the address smb://HOMESERVER (or whatever your homeserver is called). You can also use the IP address of the machine if you know that instead.

Copy the SpareBundle file you created into your network Time Machine Backup shared folder, and open up the Time Machine system preferences screen.

Turn on Time Machine, and click Select Disk. If everything’s gone right, you should now see your backup listed there with the name you gave it when creating the SparseBundle. Select it, and proceed to backup to your new homemade Time Capsule!

I can’t tell you if having a Time Machine has saved my bacon yet, because it’s still backing up – but I’m pretty confident it’s going to be incredibly useful in the future when I least expect it.

Do you have a real Time Capsule, or managed to get your homemade one working? Share your experiences and problems in the comments, or head over to our tech support community site.

System Restore may work wonders and save your behind in those cases. If however you find system restore not working, there might be a number of things to check before you reinstall Windows. If you’re sure System Restore is turned on, but it’s still not working properly, try the following.

Run System Restore From Safe Mode

If you get any problems while running System Restore, or System Restore did not complete successfully, try running System Restore in Safe Mode. To run Windows in Safe Mode, restart your computer and press F8 (if you have Windows installed only). If you have a dual-boot configuration, select Windows and press F8 before the Windows logo appears. You can also make the system go into Safe Mode by typing ‘msconfig’ in the Start search box and enabling Safe Boot in the Boot tab.

When you’re on the desktop in Windows Safe Mode, type ‘System’ in the Start search box and press Enter when System Restore is highlighted. You should be able to run System Restore at this point. If System Restore works in Safe Mode, then perhaps your antivirus program or a corrupted file is preventing it from starting. You may need to adjust your antivirus program (like turn off Norton’s Tamper Protection feature) or perform scans before attempting to run System Restore again.

Sometimes, your System Restore files may also have become corrupted. You may have to use an earlier restore point (especially if you’ve tried the more recent ones without success), but if that doesn’t work, you may need to switch System Restore off (this will delete all your existing restore points), restart your computer and turn it on again.

Configure Disk Space Usage (300MB)

If you still can’t get System Restore to run properly, try adjusting the disk space allocated for System Restore since you might have run out of it. Microsoft recommends at least 300MB of free hard disk space and since System Restore might actually use up to 15% of space, you might look into increasing the allocated space or deleting old restore points.

To adjust disk space for System Restore, type ‘create restore’ in the Start search box and press Enter when Create a restore point is highlighted.

Now click on the Configure button and move the slider in the next dialog.

To delete old restore points, you can use the option below the slider to delete all restore points and previous versions of files (which I would not recommend), or only delete older restore points while still keeping the last, most recent one. To do the latter, type Disk Cleanup in the Start search box, right-click on the first item and choose Run as Administrator.

Now click on More Options, and then on Clean up.

Try System Image Backup Programs

System Restore may have always worked for you, but if you’ve tried a lot of things and System Restore just doesn’t work at all, try performing system image backups. These will create an image of your system when it’s stable and performing smoothly so you can restore your machine to that state in case it runs into problems. Windows 7 already has a function for you to create system repair disks and images. Just type ‘repair’ or ‘system repair’ in the Start search box and follow the instructions to create a repair disk.

To create system images, type ‘back up’ in the Start search box.

Click on Create a System Image on the left of the window.

You’ll be prompted to choose somewhere to save your system image so you can start saving the backup. To restore image backups, read this.

You can also use Clonezilla, Paragon’s Drive Backup Express or any of the excellent 5 tools in this list.

If you would rather reinstall Windows, read Jorge’s guide for reinstalling without losing your data.

Additional Consideration: Make Sure Restore Points Are Being Created

Just to be on the safe side, check regularly that restore points are being created because the last thing you want is to find out your System Restore function doesn’t work after your computer has gone awry. Type ‘rstrui’ in the Start search box. Click Next on the dialog and on the next screen, make sure there are recent restore points.

How do you deal when System Restore is not working? Let us know in the comments!

Photo credit: Shutterstock

“Stuff Happens: The Backup and Restore Guide” outlines everything you need to regularly back up your PC. Author Tina Sieber outlines backup strategies, what to backup and what tools to use for the job.

Backups are necessary because data has value. Whether this is sentimental, commercial, or legal value, a backup is a way of securing valuable information. The worst loss would be files of which we own the only copy in existence, such as personal documents or photos.

Protect these priceless files. Back them up. This guide can teach you how.

This guide explains:

• How to use the built-in Windows 7/Vista backup tool.
• Which files you should backup.
• Putting your data and your operating system on separate partitions or disks.
• The various kinds of backups you can run.
• The costs and benefits of local, optical and online backups.
• The benefits of syncing your files.
• Alternative backup programs.

DOWNLOAD Stuff Happens: The Backup and Restore Guide
(take a moment and share this guide with friends on Facebook and Twitter
using the social network sharing buttons below)

or

Read now on Scribd

Windows users have “System Restore” that they can count on. But that feature isn’t the quickest way to do it. Meet SmartClose, a really tiny application that will help you to quickly take and restore snapshots of your system state.

Take This Tiny Tool

Other than long-term safety precautions, taking system snapshots is also advisable prior to software installations, especially for those who install and uninstall lots of software regularly. With a snapshot ready, one can cleanly erase the presence of a newly installed software. This method is better than traditional uninstallers which always litter the system with unwanted leftovers.

Looking at various system maintenance applications with DVD-size files, I never thought that SmartClose would measure less than 700KB. It’s small enough that you could put it in your Dropbox folder and install it on your other computers. The interface is also simple; just one small window with five menus. So everything is accessible from here.

With the program installed, we are ready to begin.

Snap Some System Shots

The first time you use the app, you will be guided by a wizard. Check the “Don’t show this introduction page again” box to skip it the next time you take other shots.

The first step of the wizard is to choose tasks to be performed before taking the snapshot. In general, these tasks are mainly about stopping every unnecessary computer activity before taking the system snapshot.

The wizard will also let you add applications to the “Protected Programs” list. The list contains critical applications that will not be closed due to their importance to the system.

The next step will let you choose the location to save the snapshot.

Before starting the process, you will see a window with a list of all the tasks. Click “Start” to begin.

Restore From A Recorded Shot

To restore your system using one of the snapshots, choose the second menu under “Create a system snapshot …“. You will have a similar wizard guiding you, but the steps go the opposite way from the first one.

The wizard starts by letting you choose which system snapshot you want to restore from. The default choice is the last saved snapshot.

Then it will relaunch all the closed applications. If there are some applications you’ve opened before running the restore wizard, click the “Uncheck Running Programs” button before clicking “Next“.

The wizard continues by asking you which components you want to restore.

Then you’ll see the list of tasks. Click “Start” to begin the restoration process.

To see how SmartClose performed, I took a snapshot of my system, installed several new applications, then restored my system using the latest snapshot. I found no trace of the applications I had just installed. So we can conclude that SmartClose would be a great companion for people who love to try out new applications.

Do you think SmartClose would be useful for you? Do you prefer to use Windows’ System Restore instead? Or do you use another better alternative? Please share your thoughts using the comments below.

But take my advice, use this incredible free Easeus Todo Backup software and it’ll be so easy you won’t even have to think about it.  And if the worst does come to the worst, and you do lose any data, then you will be covered.

Types Of Backup

There are 2 basic types of backup you can do with Todo Backup, so first take a moment to think about your requirements.

File & Folder Backup

This is the simplest form of backup there is, and basically just makes a copy of files. These kind of basic backups are suitable when your documents or data are the most important thing, but you don’t care about your operating system or the applications installed on it. As you have a fine control over what to backup, the size of your backup is determined by your data only. However, once you’ve taken a full backup, you can run “incremental backups” subsequently, which only backs up the files that have changed. This saves space and time, while still giving you an up to date copy of files should the worst happen.

Partition & Drive Backup

This can save a copy of your entire computer, including the operating system. It’s the best choice if your computer is your primary work machine and getting it up and running again quickly is important, or if you have a lot of applications installed that you don’t want to lose. With a full partition and drive backup, you can simply change the broken drive and restore everything back to it in a few hours. Of course, these kind of backups will take longer to perform, and they include everything on that partition, so they tend to grow large. You can reduce the size with compression though.

Easeus Todo Backup

This handles both of these effortlessly, and allows you to make a bootable restore CD or USB. One point to bear in mind is that while you can backup to a shared network drive (like one of the awesome drobos we gave away last week), you cannot restore from one. If you want to be able to restore your whole system, you must backup to a physical device plugged into the computer, such as another internal drive (see my guide to adding another internal drive) or a USB hard drive.

Automated, No Effort Backups

Automation is the key to back-ups. If you have to actually launch some software every time you want to update the backup, then believe me after the first time you never actually will.

Hands-On Test

To see how the software really performs, I decided to do a full system backup of my Windows machine. The whole system is only about 10GB as it’s primarily for work. To test the restore capabilities, I’ll delete a bunch of random critical Windows files to simulate a system error, then change the drive, and attempt to restore from the backup using a bootable CD made using the Easeus software.

To start, I chose Schedule Backup -> Disk and partition backup, and gave it a name. When it comes to choosing what to backup, I made sure to select only the main Windows drive as I already had the backup drive plugged in. I then chose the backup drive E: as the destination – the USB drive I had plugged in. Be sure to check the box “Check Backup Integrity“, or there is a possibility that your backup will be corrupt. I chose a Daily backup at 8:45pm, and made sure to enter my administrator account password.

While that was running, I went ahead and made a bootable rescue USB key from the tools menu.

Make sure you don’t choose your backup drive if that’s also plugged in through USB. The process only took a few seconds. I then waited for the backup to finish, which according to the log took less than 10 minutes.

Curiously, the backup image was only about 5GB – I checked later and by default a basic amount of compression is applied. Less compression will make the backups quicker but larger, more will take longer but result in a smaller file. Regardless, I went ahead and deleted random files (don’t try this at home) until it refused to boot Windows, then unplugged the main drive and installed a new one. Just to complicate things, I replaced the original drive with a smaller one. I then booted from the USB drive. With the USB backup drive plugged in, it automatically recognized it and found the backup image, and soon enough I was choosing the drive I wanted to restore the system to.

You can even resize the partitions during the restore process. 10 minutes later, Windows was back up and running. Fantastic!

Summary

Even if Easeus Todo Backup wasn’t free, it would still be one of the best backup solutions for Windows. It is free though – and with features otherwise only found in expensive packages, it’s also incredibly simple to set up a regular automated full backup plan. If you don’t already have a decent backup solution in place, I strongly suggest you download this now. There are also full guides on the site for every type of backup operation you could want.

Again, here’s that download link for this incredible piece of software. Let us know your experiences in the comments if you’re a current user – or what backup software you use instead?

The only problem with buying a new PC ““ one that has existed for years and that hardware technology can’t solve ““ is when you want to move the operating system to your new hard drive. Simply copying your operating system from one hard drive to another doesn’t work, and trying to install your old hard disk into your new PC may result in issues as well. There is a solution to this issue, however.

Making Your Clone

Operating systems are finicky beasts. They don’t like to be copied directly over to a new hard drive, and the operating system on your new PC will most certainly won’t let you copy over it (at least as long as it’s running). There’s good reason for this, in terms of curtailing security threats and preventing accidental operating system damage, but it certainly makes moving a full operating system more difficult.

Since copying operating system files the old-fashioned way doesn’t result in a bootable operating system being transferred over, you’ll need to rely on a process called cloning. Cloning a hard drive replicates all or some of the files on it and also replicates the file structure of the hard drive. This creates a perfect bootable copy. Other MakeUseOf authors have discussed this topic already, so check out Tina’s post about popular freeware cloning software and Benjamin’s post about how to clone a hard drive with Clonezilla.

Cloning Problems

Unfortunately, while cloning does create a perfect copy of your hard drive and the operating system on it, it isn’t always the best solution. The process of cloning is itself a bit complex, and it will presumably require that you at some point have an extra hard drive, since directly cloning your existing drive to the drive on your new PC would wipe out the new PC’s drive entirely.

The other issue with cloning is that creating a perfect copy does not guarantee that your old operating system will work with your new PC. When an operating system installs itself on a PC, it also installs a plethora of drivers relating to your PC’s hardware. If you transfer your existing OS to a new PC, much of that hardware is going to be different ““ and that can be a shock to your OS. It will have drivers for certain hardware, but that hardware is gone. It will try to compensate by installing new drivers automatically, but if it can’t find the right drivers it will likely crash.

You may be able to repair the operating system if you still have the install disc around, or can load the installer onto another bootable device, but this can be a frustrating process.

Transferring Files

If cloning sounds like too much work, or you’ve tried it and found that it failed, you can forgo trying to transfer the entire operating system and instead transfer only your files and system settings.

Windows has a utility for this called Windows Easy Transfer. As the name implies, the goal of the software is to transfer everything from your old PC to your new PC that could easily be lost. It doesn’t transfer software, but it does transfer documents, photos, music, program settings, etc. Once the process is complete, your new PC should behave much as the old one did, and should have all of your personal files as well.

The Windows Easy Transfer software is free, but a direct USB connection between computers requires that you buy a Windows Easy Transfer Cable. You can skip this, however, by connecting two computers via a network and transferring files that way. A direct Ethernet connection is usually quickest.

Linux users can accomplish this same task by using a utility called Rsync. Apple users aren’t left out in the cold, either ““ OS X comes with a utility called Migration Assistant that will help you transfer files to your new Mac from an old one.

Conclusion

Personally, I don’t recommend that most users go with cloning, although it is the only option that results in a true full operating system transfer. Utilities that transfer all critical system information and your personal files usually give you a better result ““ they transfer important data, but don’t leave room for driver compatibility issues that could cause crashes.

Let us know if you have done this, and if so, what method you chose to go with.   How did it go?

But what if you don’t want to wipe your computer clean? If this is the case, you’ll need to use a few specific utilities if you’d like to clean up your computer to return it to a near-new state. This method isn’t always quicker than reinstalling Windows, but it’s often preferable if you don’t want to worry about losing files or you don’t have a Windows install disc handy. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need to finish the job.

Use Windows Backup and Restore

Recent versions of Windows, including Windows Vista and 7, include a Backup and Restore feature in the control panel. This feature lets you restore your computer to a previous state by using the Open System Restore option, which begins a simple process that basically rewinds your computer to an earlier state.

This is easy, but there is one critical issue ““ you actually need a restore point to restore from! It’s not uncommon for a computer to ship with one already configured, but if you or the manufacturer didn’t already do this, you’ll have to use the steps below.

Uninstall Unwanted Programs

The gradual accumulation of software on a computer often results in reduced performance, and uninstalling the programs that did not come with your PC often improve performance ““ or at least free up some hard drive space. Starting with the uninstallation of unwanted programs is recommended.

Most programs can be uninstalled using the Programs and Features tool in the Windows control panel, but some may be stubborn and refuse to uninstall correctly. I suggest using Revo Uninstaller, or a similar program, to take care of programs that refuse to leave quietly.

Clean Up The Windows Registry

Once you uninstall a program, it’s gone, right? Actually, that’s not always the case. Windows includes a database known as the registry that includes information about programs installed, and while uninstalling a program is theoretically meant to remove the program’s registry entries, that doesn’t always happen. A bloated registry can sometimes reduce performance, so it’s a good idea to try and make it like new.

There are a lot of registry cleaning tools, but Wise Registry Cleaner is the option that receives our top recommendation. Whatever tool you use, remember to create a Windows backup (remember the Backup and Restore feature) because there is always a very, very slight risk of registry damage, which can cripple your computer.

Disable Startup Programs

Even after you have uninstalled unwanted programs, you may still have some issues with slow boot times if you have too many programs trying to run when your computer starts.

To disable some programs, go to the Windows Search bar and then type in “msconfig.” Navigate to the Startup tab and review the programs listed. These are the programs that load when your computer boots. You can disable specific programs by de-selecting their checkbox and then clicking OK.

If you find that you’ve disabled a program that is truly useful, you can always return to msconfig and enable the program again.

Restore Windows Defaults

Over time, you may make changes to a number of critical Windows features. It is difficult to cover every single feature in Windows that can be restored to default settings, but here are some that are commonly changed and easily restored. Note that the below instructions are for computers using Windows 7.

Restore Browser Defaults

If you’re using Internet Explorer, you can use the Internet Options menu in the Windows Control Panel. There are Default buttons in the Security, Privacy, Programs and Advanced tabs. Google Chrome and Firefox have similar buttons in their respective Options menus.

Restore Firewall Defaults

The Windows Firewall options can be found in the Windows Control Panel. There is a Restore Firewall Defaults option on the left hand options menu. Note that you may not want to restore this to default if you’ve made specific changes to the firewall’s rules.

Folders

The Folders Options window can be accessed from the Windows Control Panel. The Restore Defaults option is in the lower right hand corner.

Libraries

Right-click on Libraries icon and then click Restore Default Libraries. You can find the Libraries icon in the left-hand frame of Windows Explorer.

Restore Your Media Player

Most media players have an option that will let you dismantle your current media library and rebuild it from scratch. This isn’t a bad idea if your media files have turned into a mess.

Start Menu

The Start Menu can be returned to its default settings by right-clicking on Start (or the Start Icon), entering the Properties window, and then clicking the Customize button. The Use Default Settings button will appear at the bottom of the Customize Start Menu window.

Taskbar

Right-click the Taskbar, then click on Properties. Strangely, there is no default button. The default settings are as follows; all options under Taskbar Appearance unchecked, Taskbar location set to Bottom, Taskbar buttons set to Always combine, hide labels.

Remove Old Devices And Printers

The Devices and Printers section of the Windows Control Panel is the place to go if you need to remove peripheral hardware that is no longer in use. This usually doesn’t have an impact on performance, but has other benefits ““ for example, removing several old printers can making printing more intuitive.

Conclusion

Following these steps should restore your computer to a near-new state. This is not as complete as reinstalling Windows, and this process is not recommended if you’re trying to restore your computer after a malware attack. If you’re simply trying to speed up your computer, reduce clutter, or wipe it clean for a new user, the steps above should prove sufficient.

Maybe it wasn’t one of those reasons and you just changed a setting on your computer and now it doesn’t work. Whatever you did (or didn’t do), when your computer stuffs up or think you may have a virus, what can you do about it; how do you fix it?

The good thing is that Windows has something called System Restore which allows you to restore your computer to how it was a day before, or even a month before.

So What Exactly is System Restore and What Does It Do?

You have probably first heard about System Restore on Windows XP. What it essentially does is restore your computer to a state that is back in time. The good thing about it is that it doesn’t delete your files. It does delete any programs or .exe files you have such as program installs you might have downloaded.

Using System Restore on Windows XP

Before you use System Restore, you must make sure that it is activated. To do this, simply right click on My Computer and select Properties. In the System Restore tab, make sure System Restore is turned on for all your drives (or at least C: Drive)

Once activated, your computer will automatically make system restore points regularly or when you install new software.

If you ever run into trouble on your computer, you can then restore your computer back to that stage. To do this, open system restore by going to Start ““> All Programs ““> Accessories ““> System Tools ““> System Restore. Once opened, you should see two or three options to choose from. The first option allows you to restore your computer to an earlier time, and the second option allows you to create a restore point. This is great if you are about to do something that you think may upset your computer. The third option will only appear if you have used System Restore before and this lets you undo the restore if it didn’t fix your problem or made things worse.

We want to restore our computer, so select the first option and click next.

On the next screen you will be presented with a calendar and all dates that have a restore point will be in bold. Select a recent date and choose a restore point on that date to one that you know your computer was working.

Once done, select next and agree to the warning message and then press next.

Your computer will restart and reboot and the program you are having should be fixed. If it’s not, you can go back to a previous date or undo the restore as I mentioned above.

Using System Restore on Windows Vista

To access System Restore, just follow the same steps as in Windows XP Start ““> All Programs ““> Accessories ““> System Tools ““> System Restore.

Here you can select the latest restore point or choose a different restore point. I would recommend choosing a restore point.

If you want to show all your restore points, click the checkbox on the bottom left. Simple select a checkpoint, press next and agree to the confirmation.

Using System Restore on Windows 7

Using System Restore is not much different to using it in Windows Vista.  You can access it by going to Start –> All Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools –> System Restore.

Simply select a recovery position from the list and click Next and Finish on the next screen.

As I have not used Windows 7 before (apart from the RC and Beta versions), I believe there are a few more options other than System Restore that you can use to help repair your computer. However, most of these require your installation DVD. By reading a post on Microsoft.com, there are a few repair options to choose from which you can access when you press F8 when booting your computer to enter the recovery console. If you want perform a certain recovery option, visit this link for more information.

One final option is to use the Backup and Restore option which can be found at Control Panel –> System and Security –> Backup and Restore. Using this method, you can create a backup image of your computer and restore it at a later date – but this will be for another post.

So I hope you now know how to repair your computer yourself if you ever run into trouble. System Restore is a lifesaver (it has helped me hundreds of times) and could save you a lot of money compared to taking your computer to a local computer repair shop.

If you have any problems about using System Restore or general backup questions, feel free to ask in the comments or at MakeUseOf Answers.