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Windows XP’s System Restore feature automatically creates
Restore Points every 24 hours, in addition to any time that you make a major
system configuration change or install new software.

In order to be able to perform its operations, System
Restore claims a maximum of 12% of the available hard disk space to save the
Restore Points. (Although you can alter that value from the System Restore tab
in the System Properties dialog box, it’s generally not a good idea.)

Once the 12% mark is reached, System Restore purges the
oldest Restore Points in its database in order to make room for new ones.
However, there may be situations in which you need or want to purge all the
Restore Points in the database in order to free up disk space.

Follow these steps to purge Restore Points:

  1. Go to
    Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup.
  2. Select
    the More Options tab in the Disk Cleanup dialog box.
  3. Click
    the Clean Up button in the System Restore panel.
  4. Press
    the Yes button when prompted to confirm the delete operation.

The Disk Cleanup utility will allow you to delete all
Restore Points except for the most recent Restore Point.