System Restore: frequently asked questions
How does System Restore work? How do I start System Restore? Can I undo the changes System Restore makes? What files are changed during a system restore? Why doesn't System Restore protect FAT32 disks? How do I choose a restore point? How often are restore points created? How do I create a restore point manually? How much hard disk space does System Restore require? How long are restore points saved? How do I turn System Restore on or off? I have an earlier version of Windows on my computer, but when I switch between versions, my restore points disappear. Why? What if System Restore doesn't fix the problem?

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What is System Restore?
System Restore helps you restore your computer's system files to an earlier point in time. It's a way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as email, documents, or photos .

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What are the system recovery options in Windows Vista?
The System Recovery Options menu in this version of Windows contains several tools that can help you recover Windows from a serious error. You can perform repairs to the files that Windows uses to start itself, perform a restore operation using System Restore, and restore your entire computer and system files using backups that you have made previously. The System Recovery Options menu is on the Windows installation disc. The menu might also be installed on your hard disk if your computer has preinstalled recovery options.

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What types of files does System Restore change?
System Restore can make changes to Windows system files, registry settings, and programs installed on your computer. It also can make changes to scripts, batch files, and other types of executable files on your computer. Personal files, such as documents, email, photos, and music files, are not changed .

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Installing and reinstalling Windows
In this article you will find instructions for: Upgrading to Windows Vista when you already have a version of Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional on your computer and you want to keep your files, settings, and programs. Installing a new, or clean, version of Windows when: You want to replace your current operating system. You want to install Windows Vista on a separate partition of your hard disk, and you have an operating system on your computer and an available partition. You have a computer with no operating system installed. Reinstalling Windows Vista when you want to restore default Windows settings or when you are having trouble with Windows and need to reinstall it by performing a clean installation.

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Why won't Windows allow me to change a system setting?
If your computer is part of a network at an organization such as a school, government agency, or a business, your organization's system administrator might have disabled or even removed certain settings by using Group Policy. Group Policy is a feature of Windows that lets system administrators manage users' access to Windows features. If you suspect that Group Policy is preventing you from changing a setting that you need to access, contact your system administrator.

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View your computer information
You can view a summary of important information about your computer by opening System in Control Panel. You can see basic hardware information, such as your computer's name, and which edition of Windows your computer is running. You can change important system settings by clicking the links in the left pane of System.

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Change the default operating system for startup (multiboot)
If you have more than one operating system installed on your computer, you can choose which one starts when you turn on your computer. More than one operating system installed on a computer is often called a multiboot configuration.

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Start System Configuration
System Configuration is an advanced tool that can help identify problems that might prevent Windows from starting correctly.

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What is System Information?
System Information (also known as msinfo32.exe) shows details about your computer's hardware configuration, computer components, and software, including drivers.

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NTFS vs FAT file systems
A file system is the underlying structure a computer uses to organize data on a hard disk. If you are installing a new hard disk, you need to partition and format it using a file system before you can begin storing data or programs. In Windows, the three file system options you have to choose from are NTFS, FAT32, and the older and rarely-used FAT (also known as FAT16).

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Convert a hard disk or partition to NTFS format
The NTFS file system provides better performance and security for data on hard disks and partitions or volumes than the FAT file system used in some earlier version of Windows. If you have a partition that uses the earlier FAT16 or FAT32 file system, you can convert it to NTFS by using the convert command. Converting to NTFS does not affect the data on the partition.

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Start Windows from a CD or DVD
You need to start Windows from the installation CD or DVD if: Your computer has no operating system installed. You want to reinstall Windows. You need to access system recovery options.

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What is Encrypting File System (EFS)?
Encrypting File System (EFS) is a feature of Windows that allows you to store information on your hard disk in an encrypted format. Encryption is the strongest protection that Windows provides to help you keep your information secure.

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Change, create, or delete a power plan (scheme)
A power plan is a collection of hardware and system settings that manages how your computer uses and conserves power. Power plans can save energy, maximize system performance, or balance energy conservation with performance. The default power plans-Balanced, Power saver, and High performance-meet most people's needs. But you can modify settings for existing plans or create your own plan. Learn: To change settings for a single plan. To change settings that affect all of your power plans (system settings). To create your own plan. To delete a plan.

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Using System Configuration
System Configuration is an advanced tool that can help identify problems that might prevent Windows from starting correctly. You can start Windows with common services and startup programs turned off and then turn them back on, one at a time. If a problem does not occur when a service is turned off, but does occur when turned on, then the service could be the cause of the problem.

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Recover encrypted files or folders
You can lose access to encrypted files if you install a new operating system or upgrade your current one, or if your current operating system fails. The following steps can help you regain access to encrypted files.

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Restore files from a backup
You can restore backed-up versions of files that are lost, damaged, or changed accidentally. You can restore individual files, groups of files, or all files that you have backed up.

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Installation choices for 64-bit consumer versions
This article discusses the installation choices for 64-bit consumer versions of Windows Vista. This article does not include information about Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Enterprise, or versions of Windows Vista that you install by using Microsoft Volume Licensing. The method that you use to install a 64-bit bit version of Windows Vista depends on the answers to the following questions: Is your current operating system 32-bit or 64-bit? See the definition of a 64-bit operating system in the "General information about how to install the 64-bit version of Windows Vista" section for more information. Do you have an upgrade license for Windows Vista or a full product license? This is described on the Retail box cover and on an online sales receipt. Does the version of Windows Vista that you purchased support an upgrade for the version of the operating system that is currently installed? Do you want to preserve your personal files, settings and programs? Or do you prefer to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista?

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Advanced startup options (including safe mode)
The Advanced Boot Options menu lets you start Windows in advanced troubleshooting modes. You can access the menu by turning on your computer and pressing the F8 key before Windows starts.Topics covered:Repair your computer; Safe mode; Safe mode with networking; Safe mode with command prompt; Enable boot logging; Enable low resolution video (640 480); Last Known Good Configuration (advanced); Directory services restore mode; Debugging mode; Disable automatic restart on system failure; Disable Driver Signature Enforcement; Start Windows normally; as this helpful?

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Restore a driver to its previous version
You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps. You might want to restore the driver for a device to a previous version if you encounter problems with your computer or device after upgrading the driver.

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Restore personal files after custom installation
This article describes how to restore personal files after you perform a custom installation of Windows Vista.

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Remove or restore items quarantined by Windows Defender
When Windows Defender quarantines software, it moves it to another location on your computer, and then prevents the software from running until you choose to restore it or remove it from your computer.

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What types of Remote Desktop connections should I allow?
The following information will help you decide which setting to choose on the Remote tab in System Properties:

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Power plans: frequently asked questions
A power plan is a collection of hardware and system settings that manages how your computer uses power. Power plans can help you save energy, maximize system performance, or achieve a balance between the two.You can change settings for any of your power plans, including the three default plans Balanced, Power saver, and High performance. The default plans meet most people's computing needs. If these plans don't suit your needs, you can easily create your own plan by using one of the default plans as a starting point.What is the difference between a power plan and a power scheme? Which power plans are available? How can I use a different power plan? What kind of settings can I change in a power plan? Can my computer support any power plan or power management setting? How can I create a power plan? Why can't I delete a power plan? Why can't I change power settings? I'm running Windows Vista on a mobile PC and can't consistently get the full Windows Aero user experience (the transparent glass design with window animations). Is there anything I can do?

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What happened to Dr. Watson?
Dr. Watson, the system failure or "crash" analysis tool, has been replaced in this version of Windows with Problem Reports and Solutions.

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Windows Vista demos
These narrated video demonstrations are designed to introduce you to personal computing and the Windows Vista operating system. Watch as tasks are performed on screen and concepts are explained through animation .

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How to Configure Autoplay Settings
This video describes how to configure the autoplay options in Windows Vista. Autoplay is what controls the action that the operating system will take when a removeable media such as a CD is inserted.

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Working with windows
Whenever you open a program, file, or folder, it appears on your screen in a box or frame called a window (that's where the Windows operating system gets its name). Because windows are everywhere in Windows, it's important to understand how to move them, change their size, or just make them go away.

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Ntbackup command
You can perform backup operations from the command prompt or from a batch file by using the ntbackup backup command followed by various parameters. You can access only the backup option from the command prompt. To restore files, use the Backup and Restore Wizard. This article describes the parameters available with ntbackup and several examples of how to perform a backup from the command line.

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Understanding the parts of your computer
A computer is a system of many parts working together. This demo, aimed at beginners, takes you on a tour of the parts of a typical desktop computer: the case, monitor, mouse, keyboard, printer, and speakers.

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What to do if Windows won't start correctly
Because troubleshooting system problems is a complex process, and hardware and software configurations can vary greatly, there are many approaches you can take to fixing problems that might prevent Windows from starting (booting) correctly. Here are some tools you can use and strategies you can try:

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What is the registry?
The registry is a database in Windows that contains important information about system hardware, installed programs and settings, and profiles of each of the user accounts on your computer. Windows continually refers to the information in the registry.

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What is CMOS?
Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor, or CMOS, typically refers to a battery-powered memory chip in your computer that stores startup information. Your computer's basic input/output system (BIOS) uses this information when starting your computer.

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Do you have Windows Media Center?
Learn how to quickly find out if your current Windows operating system includes Windows Media Center.

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Encryption
A good way to help protect information in files and folders is to use encryption. When a file or folder is encrypted, it can only be viewed by a person who has the right key. Windows provides the Encrypting File System (EFS) to encrypt and decrypt files and folders.

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Install more than one operating system (multiboot)
When you install the new version of Windows, you can keep an older version of Windows on your computer. This is often called a multiboot or dual-boot configuration.

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Show or hide icons in the taskbar
You can show or hide icons on the Quick Launch toolbar and the notification area (also called the system tray) of the taskbar.

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Erase a CD or DVD
Certain kinds of writeable CD and DVD discs can be erased and written to many times. If you have a CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM disc and you use the Live File System file format, you can delete one or more files to make more room on the disc.

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Scan for spyware and other potentially unwanted software
In Windows Defender, you can choose to run a quick scan of your computer or a full system scan. If you suspect spyware has infected a specific area of your computer, you can customize a scan by selecting only the drives and folders that you want to check.

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