Windows

Hi. I've been using Windows XP since beta. Over the years, I've tried restoring systems using the system restore numerous times. In all those times, only once was I successful. Every other time, I get the same message you mentioned in your post! What is up with System Restore? Has anyone out there successfully used it to restore a system? Is it only under XP Pro that it doesn't work?

Please help!

system restore works with good practices.

I used windows xp from the beta times and it work sometimes for me. I would average about 60% of the times it works fine,

I would suggest if you do any changes to your system or software such as install/uninstall or configuration change or hardware change always make a restore point after recent changes, that way if you need to do a restore it will restore from these point seemless.
After using that practice i did not have any problems since.

I have Windows ME and i get the same message when i try to restore my computer. What can i download and install to fix it?

I have four computers with two using WinXP. In the four years and many occasions I've had to use Windows Restore, I think it worked maybe once. Save yourself system resources and turn Restore off. It is about as useless as Windows Help files. If you continue using it, it will keep eating up drive space. Symantec's GoBack is an ugly monster of software but at least it works. When you're done installing, building, etc., you can remove it. Restore is another one of Redmond's empty brags. Seroiusly, I shut it off long ago because it is a useless system appendage.

System restore worked great with my first install of XP SP1. After XP SP2 it failed on occasion. But since SP3 System Restore seems to be completely broken except for Safe Mode. I think maybe MS broke it on purpose to see if people would get frustrated and upgrade to Vista. I wouldn't put it past them, and I certainly don't think they would fix it now, since everyone and his brother has decided Vista is a failure and Windows7 is a rebuild of a failure.
I have gone back to SP2 a few times and ran my machine for a while without installing SP3 and System Restore worked pretty good. After installing SP3 though it stops working almost alltogether. Go figure!

If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.

I fixed system restore