One thing about Windows XP that makes it a good system to use is the system restore option. But while it is present, not many people know how to use it properly. For people using a PC that don’t bother to set a restore point, chances are it is useless. Perhaps it can as far as placing you on the first day that you installed the operating system. Others turn it off, since among the issues would be contamination coming from viruses and malware that go along each time you backup your entire PC system.

System restore is the easiest way to get out of problems like crashes or failure to load of your OS. It sounds easy to do but the thing is it all depends on at which point you had backed up everything, including programs and files that you had made. So if there is something that may be a problem, it would be these two areas. But considering that you only need to install the programs and at the worst scenario, redo the files you had lost (assuming you did not save any backups).

In all, system restore is a privilege but there are people who would choose to format and install a fresh operating system. If you think of it, it is logical. If problems persist during your last use, then chances are they will occur again. It is hard to trace them but at least with a new formatted PC, you have lesser problems and correct the errors starting from scratch.

One thing you must love about Windows XP is that they have the system restore option active at times that makes it easier for you to restore at some point after you have properly backed up your system. But along with that backup includes problems such as infected files by viruses or Trojans. That is perhaps if you noticed, that sometimes, when you have to get rid of a dreaded virus, tutorials will tell you to temporarily turn off the system restore option to make sure that you don’t leave any trace of these infections.

But the question is on whether you really need the system restore turned on. Some would turn it off to be safe while others just leave it on. This is to avoid the problems of infections at times but if you are wise, it is best to leave it on, especially if you are not too technically savvy about tinkering your operating system.

A good practice to consider is to of course set a restore point and then turn off the system restore. But before you do, make sure that this restore point is virus free and reliable. That way, you can be sure that once something unfortunate occurs, you can always rely on your backed up system to get back online.

With the system restore turned on, a lot of issues can be avoided. While you may lose some current files, it is better to lose a few rather than reformatting the whole computer and lose a lot!

I explained how to disable Windows auto-run behavior to protect yourself from inadvertently running malware that might exist on USB drives or other devices you insert into your PC.

Be aware, however, that careless Registry editing can make your system malfunction or even keep you from starting Windows.

Use care making changes to the Registry

Any tip that requires direct editing of the Registry (whether using the Registry Editor or merging a .reg script) should be approached with caution. The best insurance policy in these cases is to set a Windows “restore point” before experimenting with such advice. (more…)

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I am naturally wary of any program that claims to be able to speed up Windows and solve performance problems. They rarely do any good and in some cases can make things even worse. I’m not about to change my mind since no single program can hope to cover the near infinite range of problems on a well-used PC and until now I have used a variety of tools and utilities to address specific issues, but now many of them – plus some new ones – have been gathered together in one place, in an excellent free application called Glary Utilities.

It covers five different aspects of your PC’s operation: Clean Up and Repair, Optimise and Improve, Privacy and Security, Files and Folders and System Tools, and each one leads to a collection of individual tools. (more…)

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