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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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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Undo system changes with System Restore
Rather than trying to become a PC mechanic overnight, there's a simpler way to fix the engine and get back on the road-one that can save both your time and your sanity. Better yet, it's one of the easiest tools to use and is already included in Windows Vista-it's called System Restore.

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Change the key you use to encrypt files and folders
You might want to change your Encrypting File System (EFS) key if: You have encrypted files on two computers that require two different keys, but you want to use just one key. Your organization asks you to change keys regularly. You start using a smart card to encrypt your files.

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Recognizing dangerous file types
The information in this Help topic applies to Windows Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Internet Explorer 8. Dangerous file types are those that have the potential to contain viruses or spyware that might damage your information or the programs on your computer. The types of files that are considered dangerous are usually program files (.exe), macros, or .com files. The vast majority of files with these extensions do not contain viruses. However, when you download or receive these types of files in e-mail, you should not open them unless you trust the source or you were expecting the file.

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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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How do I get additional language files?
With additional language files, you can change the display language on your computer so that you can view wizards, dialog boxes, menus, Help topics, and other items in Windows in a different language. There are two types of language files:

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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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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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Encrypt offline files
Offline files are copies of network files that are stored on your computer so that you can access them when you are not connected to the network or when the network folder with the files is not connected. Offline files are not encrypted unless you choose to do so. You might want to encrypt your offline files if they contain sensitive or confidential information and you want to make them more secure by restricting access to them. Encrypting your offline files provides you with an additional level of access protection that works independently of NTFS file system permissions. This can help safeguard your files in case your computer is ever lost or stolen.

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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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Delete files using Disk Cleanup
If you want to reduce the number of unnecessary files on your hard disk to free up disk space and help your computer run faster, use Disk Cleanup. It removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need.

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Permanently delete files from the Recycle Bin
When you delete a file from your computer, it is temporarily stored in the Recycle Bin. This usually gives you an opportunity to restore the file to its original location if you discover that the file should not have been deleted. To permanently remove files from the computer and reclaim any hard disk space they were using, you need to permanently delete files from the Recycle Bin. You can choose to delete individual files from the Recycle Bin or empty the entire Recycle Bin at once.

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Files and folders
You can perform many common file related tasks, such as renaming and deleting files, without opening any programs. You can also compress files, send them in email, and change the programs that you use to open them .

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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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Change the Recycle Bin settings
You can change the settings of the Recycle Bin to suit the way you work. For example, if you rarely empty the Recycle Bin because you want to avoid discarding files you might someday want to recover, you can increase the maximum storage size of the Recycle Bin. You can also turn off the delete confirmation dialog box that appears every time you send files to the Recycle Bin, or even choose not to move files to the Recycle Bin and instead immediately remove them from your computer when you delete them.

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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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How to Extract Files from the Vista Installation DVD
This will show you how to extract original files from the retail Vista installation DVD. You can then use these extracted files to replace missing or corrupted system files in your current Vista installation.

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Recover files from the Recycle Bin
When you delete a file from your computer, it's temporarily stored in the Recycle Bin. This gives you an opportunity to recover accidentally deleted files from the Recycle Bin and restore them to your computer.

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What is Data Execution Prevention?
Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a security feature that can help prevent damage to your computer from viruses and other security threats. Harmful programs can try to attack Windows by attempting to run (also known as execute) code from system memory locations reserved for Windows and other authorized programs. These types of attacks can harm your programs and files.

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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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Change the way Windows Mail looks
You can change the way Windows Mail displays messages to make it easier to find specific types of messages. Windows Mail includes a number of built-in view options, and you can create custom views as well. How can I change which messages are displayed in the message list? Can I create custom views showing only certain messages? Can I group related messages together? Can I change the information shown in the message list?

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Change Windows to Classic view
Classic view gives Windows the look and behavior of earlier versions. You can change just the Start menu or Control Panel to Classic view, or use the Windows Classic theme for a broader change. You can also change your folders to Classic view, which turns off the Navigation pane, Preview pane, and toolbar in all folders. This setting gives you more room to display files because it hides panes you might not need. Learn how to:change the Start menu to Classic view, change the Control Panel to Classic view, change the theme to Windows Classic, change folders to Classic view.

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Change the file types that play in Windows Media Player
You can make Windows Media Player the default program for a specific file type (format) or for all media files. You can also use AutoPlay to make the Player the default program to use when you insert CDs or DVDs into your computer.

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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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Working with files and folders
This article will help you learn how to find, organize, and use files and folders on your computer. What are files and folders? How Windows organizes your files and folders, Understanding the parts of a folder, Viewing your files in a folder, Finding your files, Copying and moving files and folders, Creating and deleting files, Opening an existing file,

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Create a recovery certificate for encrypted files
You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps. A recovery certificate is a special Encrypting File System (EFS) certificate that, when it is properly created and installed, enables you to recover encrypted files if your encryption key is lost or damaged. You need to create the recovery certificate, install it, and then update previously encrypted files with the new recovery certificate.

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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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Troubleshoot encrypted files and folders
Here are solutions to some common problems with encrypted files and folders. I want to encrypt a file, but the Advanced button is not on the Properties dialog box. When I tried to open an encrypted file, I was denied access. When I was encrypting a file, I got this message: "Recovery policy configured for this system contains invalid recovery certificate." I can't open my files after transferring them to a different computer.

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Folders: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about using folders in Windows. What is a folder? Where should I save my files? Is there a way to see all of my files in one place instead of opening different folders to see different kinds of files? What is the Search box and how do I use it? What is the Address bar and what kind of information does it display? What is the purpose of the Navigation pane? Why does a folder's content change when I click within the Navigation pane? Shouldn't the folder only have one set of files? Where are the menus that used to appear at the top of folders in previous versions of Windows? Where did the folder tree go? Where did the task pane go?

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Install a display language
You can change the language Windows uses to display text in wizards, dialog boxes, menus, and other items in the user interface. Some display languages are installed by default; others require you to install additional language files. Before you can install a display language, you need access to the language files. These files can be on your computer, on a computer on your network, or on your Windows DVD; or they can be downloaded from the web. For more information, see How do I get additional language files?

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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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Compress and uncompress files (zip files)
Compressed files take up less storage space and can be transferred to other computers more quickly than uncompressed files. You can work with compressed files and folders in the same way that you work with uncompressed files and folders. You can also combine several files into a single compressed folder, making it easier to share a group of files, since you only need to attach one folder to an email message instead of several files .

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What is Registry Editor?
Registry Editor is a tool intended for advanced users. It is used to view and change settings in the system registry, which contains information about how your computer runs. Windows refers to this information and updates it when you make changes to your computer, such as installing a new program, creating a user profile, or adding new hardware. Registry Editor lets you view registry folders, files, and the settings for each registry file.

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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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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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Temporary Internet files
The information in this Help topic applies to Windows Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Internet Explorer 8. When you view a webpage, Internet Explorer saves a temporary copy of that page so that it can be displayed more quickly if you open it again later. The following topics can help you view and delete temporary files, and change the amount of disk space that these files use on your computer.

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