Creating a system restore point in Windows Vista

Like XP before it, Vista includes the useful system restore utility. Under ideal conditions, this feature allows you to roll back the entire operating system (excepting personal data) to a previously created 'restore point' allowing you to undo errors caused by faulty programs or changes made to the system. Before we continue further with tweaks, it's a good idea to create one of these restore points and to understand how to return the operating system to a previously created restore point.

To create a system restore point:

Open the 'start' menu and right-click on 'computer'. Choose 'properties'.

From the tasks pane on the left, click 'System Protection'.

Click the 'create' button and give your new restore point an appropriate name like 'system before tweaks' and hit 'create'.

To restore Windows Vista to a previously saved restore point:

Open the 'start' menu and type 'system restore.'

Click 'next'.

Choose the restore point you wish to use by highlighting it and then hit 'next'.

Make sure you have saved any documents, then click 'finish'. The system will restart and revert to the settings saved in the restore point.