Windows XP and restore option.....do you know anything about it?
By ctrymuziklvr
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
United States
January 19, 2008 9:20am CST
I'm having a lot of issues with my pc and I'm finally at my wits end! I've done it all from virus and malware scanning, emptying everything, deleting programs and I still come up with problems. My newest problem is trying to delete a program. The icon in the control panel has actually changed! It now shows a box with a cd or a drive (I'm not sure what it is) and I can only delete some programs....not all. This leads me to believe I definately have a problem here. Now I know Win XP has a recover or restore option but I've never used and am afraid to try it. I've only had this pc for 3 months and don't know what to use for a date to go back to. I also don't have a boot cd or any kind of program cd since I rent this pc. I probably could get it from the rental company but keep forgetting to call them! If all else fails I'm planning on doing that on Monday.
Does anyone have any experience with restoring on Win XP? Would I need a boot cd or any other software to restart it? Any help is greatly appreciated.
3 people like this
9 responses
@jack_bhargava (414)
• India
19 Jan 08
Hi there!
I just want to tell u that if u have some viruses in ur computer then the restore option is useless for u...
but if ur computer act slow and ur pc goes slow down then u can use restore option and it will help u out...
restore option just rollback ur all the transaction that u made since the date, to which u restore ur pc...
and it restore ur pc to that time state...
if u have viruses in ur pc then i suggest u that u should reinstall win xp on ur pc...
3 people like this
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
20 Jan 08
I have run two different virus programs and both came up clean so I don't think that's the problem.
@TechnoMom (28)
• United States
20 Jan 08
Which AV programs did you use? They don't catch everything. I blogged about a problem that I finally had to clean out by hand recently - see http://technomom.com/2008/01/02/malware-woes/ .
I keep system restore disabled because it's one of the ways malware stays on your PC.
When a machine is acting really oddly, though, I prefer to back up my data, reformat the hard drive, and do a completely clean installation of the operating system and applications. When the system is back up, I restore the data, but scan it very thoroughly with eSet, Kaspersky and sometimes BullGuard (all extremely good AV programs) to be sure there's on trace of any malware traveling with the documents.
@mehale (2200)
• United States
19 Jan 08
Using the restore feature is really quite simple and safe. You don't need a cd or anything. I would recommend using a date that is far enough back the computer was working correctly. Usually the earlier the date you use the better. If this fixes the problem then great, if it doesn't you have the option to un-do the restore. It is perfectly safe to do. Hope this helps!
1 person likes this
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
20 Jan 08
I didn't realize I would have the option to undo the restore. I think I'm going to have to do some reading up on this one.
@IddiKlu (176)
• United States
20 Jan 08
It sounds as if you caught a virus. My suggestion, get the 30 day free trial of Pandasoftware.com and run it after disabling your present anti virus software (don't ever run 2 of these the same time).
Next clean out your temp file at C:\Documents and Settings\your.name.folder\Local Setting\temp
Finally defrag your drive(s) at Start - Programs - Accessories - System Tools
I had more info, for you but with the stupid restriction of not being able to paste, I will not waste my time.
Recover and restore from Help will show you how many days you can go back. If you don't like what it does, you can reverse it afterwards.
1 person likes this
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
20 Jan 08
I have run 2 virus programs and supposedly don't have any. I have defragged and it's still not right. There are so many things I can do that I have to sit and figure out what I think will be the best. Thanks for the advice it's appreciated.
@IddiKlu (176)
• United States
20 Jan 08
Some of the better known anti virus programs, like Norton's, McAfees and AVG are so wide spread, that virus writers have an end run around them. Just as Microsoft has most Viruses directed against them. I would still suggest you run Panda.
Just because 2 programs show no viruses, doesn't mean you don't have any.
1 person likes this
@panjanglow (45)
• Malaysia
20 Jan 08
If you want to use system restore to restore your Win XP,you must make sure your computer is free of virus and malware previously. Otherwise, your computer would store those viruses and malwares. If after restoration,the same problems still persist then you may try to repair your XP using the Windows XP CD. If this step still cannot help then my suggestion is to backup your important stuffs and format your computer.
1 person likes this
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
20 Jan 08
I'm almost certain that there are no viruses since I have run two virus programs and come up clean. There are so many options for this that I don't know where to start...lol...
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
19 Jan 08
i agree - do a system restore to the earliest time as possible. the computer's help will tell you how to do it.
When you get it back to somewhat normal, try running msconfig (go to "run" on the start menu and type msconfig...then go to start-up tag and you will need to look up each program individually to see if it is important to your computer or if it is a virus (a trojan or adware in most cases)...this is really the only way to get rid of it...
1 person likes this
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
20 Jan 08
The problem I find with msconfig is I never know what I need and what I don't. I did find a list in my help pages on my pc but most of them aren't even on my pc so that even has me stumped!
@MGjhaud (23252)
• Philippines
26 Jan 08
I’m trying to absorb your computer problem but unfortunately it’s still unclear to me. If you want to clean up your entire system, then look for WinXP (whatever edition you like) and have your computer reformat. That way, for sure your virus and other problems will be okay. Just have a back-up for your important files then if you don’t want to get them fully gone. And that’s just it.
1 person likes this
@shotgunner101 (315)
• United States
20 Jan 08
Well if you want to know the truth when i run into a problem like this i format and start over ;p.If you dont want to lose everything youve been working on then youve got a few options.Well restore cd,professional comp repairman,and call your manufacturer and ask them to fix it :P
1 person likes this
@douchrti (176)
• United States
20 Jan 08
It sounds like you might have a Virus. I recommend dnloading and running a program called "HiJack This". Run it and save the Log results. Head for a reputable help Forum like MajorGeeks.com
Register for the Forum and post your log results in the Malware section of the Forum.
They are good people there and will help you.
Heres the link for MajorGeeks Help Forum.
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/index.php?
Hope this helps.
Take care,
1 person likes this
