System Restore Settings In Windows 7

Windows operating systems come with a handy feature called the ‘System Restore’. This feature allows you to easily backup all the system configurations and settings onto your hard drive. In case of data loss or system crashes, Windows restores your files and settings either automatically or when prompted to do so by your operating system.

This feature works by saving the various important data in your computer as a system file. These files are referred to as System Restore points. Although this feature is handy in crucial situations, it consumes a large amount of your disk space. You can modify the system restore settings and get more disk space by following the given instructions.

Instructions

• Click the ‘Start’ button on your taskbar and open the Start menu. Right click on the icon labeled ‘Computer’ and select ‘Properties’ from the drop-down menu.
• In the properties window that appears, select the ‘System Protection’ option on the left hand side.
• Each hard drive has various partitions. Each partition is labeled under a name with a specific drive letter. Select the partition for which you need to modify the settings, and click the ’Configure’ button placed under the ‘Protection Settings’ header.
• The various configuration settings you may choose:
• Restore system settings and previous versions of files - On clicking this button, Windows creates a fresh system restore point, which saves all your current settings and configuration. Note that this will not delete any previous restore points from the computer.
• Only restore previous versions of files - doing this keeps all your previous restore points intact. 
• Turn off system protection- doing this stops windows from automatically setting up restore points on a regular basis. This is not recommended, as you may have issues with backing up important data in case of a system crash or a virus attack.
• Windows provides you with the option to specify the amount of space that System Restore may use to save various restore points. To do this, adjust the slider below the ‘Disk Space Usage’ header, to change the percentage of disk space that System Restore can consume. 
• Click the ‘Delete’ button to delete all restore points saved in your system.
• Click ‘OK’.

You may set a fresh restore point at any time your system is functioning properly. Always keep at least one such restore point saved in Windows. Windows 7 Support sites will give you more information on this.