How to disable or enable System Restore

System Restore is a very useful feature included in WindowsVista which allows you to restore your system and files to a previous state. We have covered this tool on many occasions. However, we did not show you how to enable or disable this tool for one partition or more. In this article we will cover these two topics.

How to open System Restore

First, type 'system restore' in the Start Menu search field and press Enter or click on the search result. Alternatively, you can go to Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore.

The main System Restore window will now open. Click on the 'open System Protection' link shown below.

In the new window you will see a list with all your partitions and when was the most recent restore point created.

How to disable System Restore

Each partition on which System Restore is enabled has a box checked on its left. To disable System Restore on any of the selected partitions you need to uncheck those boxes. Unchecking all boxes will mean that System Restore is completely disabled.

When you uncheck a box, you will receive a warning like the one shown below.

Click on 'Turn System Protection Off' and System Restore will be disabled.

NOTE: Unless you use other system recovery tools, it is recommended to leave System Restore enabled at least for your main system 'C:' drive.

How to enable System Restore

Enabling System Restore on other partitions than the 'C:' drive is very easy. In the System Protection tab, simply check the other partitions for which you want to enable it.

When done, click on OK. From now on, System Restore will create restore points for all the partitions that you have selected.