System Restore

The Restore Point Shortcut has to be made when you use Start-->Search   Create Restore Point.    So when you see the results you again Right Click the Search result and instead of Doing Run As Admin you use Create Shortcut Command from the Context Menu.

So same thing you did to find it before except using the other command : Create Shortcut.   

Images are great put Restore Points have purposes as well :=}

OK, I'll make another one, I must have missed that when I did it. 

No, do not need to make another Restore Point.

Search for Create a Restore Point and when it is found Right Click it and use the Create a Shortcut command.

Please go over the Right Click Context Menu : https://www.howtogeek.com/884813/why-the-right-click-menu-in-windows-11-is-actually-good/

https://www.howtogeek.com/747755/how-to-right-click/

 

You'll be much better off creating disk images on a regular basis. System restore is great - when it works. Over the years I've seen too many instances of System Restore failing at the one time it's needed. Creating disk images on external media (or an internal 2nd drive) and keeping at least two full images is a virtually foolproof method of insuring you always have a safe haven to which you can return if needed.

 

Thanks Allan. I've always kept back up files, on a portable hard drive, for years, of my photos, files, etc, and updated them regularly. I suppose a backup of operational system is different; if thats what you mean. I created one of windows 10 installation when i upgraded it myself from window 7, but my new desktop is brand new, installed, from a local dealer and so i haven't got one of windows 11.

 

I can't remember how i did it last time either. 

 

The image is not only of your OS, but all files on the drive. You can restore any or all of the image if and when needed. It should be done on a REGULAR BASIS. Here is something a put together for another site a few years back. I hope it helps:

Disk Imaging software takes a "snapshot" of your drive as it exists at the time you create the image. You can then restore the entire image or any file(s) or folder(s) you choose. It is a virtually foolproof way of backing up your system and providing a safe haven in the event of a catastrophe that requires you to blow away your system partition and restore it to a previous state. It also allows you to "test" various software and be confident that you have a the ability to return to the prior state any time you choose.

I  used Acronis True Image for many years, but when they switched to a subscription model rather than outright user ownership, I moved to Macrium Reflect. It is every bit as reliable as Acronis and perhaps a bit more powerful. EDIT: Macrium now also uses a subscription model, but it is much more reasonable and, IMO, a better product than True Image.

1) I create an image of my system partition once a week to a secondary drive, rotating between two drives, and keep the 2 or 3 most recent images on each of those drives. In other words, week 1 the image is stored on secondary disc A and week two the image is stored on secondary disc B. I also image my other partitions about once a month. I always enable "verify image" in the options. It takes a little longer, but insures a valid image (the last thing you want is to try to restore an image only to find it is corrupt - it happens).

2) I also create an image before performing any drive level function (ie, changing the size of a partition) or making any significant change to the OS such as installing a service pack, or even when installing a "questionable" Windows update, etc.

3) Images may be created on any medium (external drive, usb drive, cd's or dvd's, etc). For obvious reasons they should not be stored on the same drive you are imaging. The easiest option is a second internal hd if you have one and, if you're really ambitious, to an external drive as well (one week to the internal & one week to the external or just duplicates on the external - that's actually the procedure I follow).

4) Images may be created "in the background" within the OS. If you need to restore the system partition, that will need to be done before the OS loads. You can start the process within the application in the OS and it will then tell you it needs to reboot to finish the process. Alternatively, you can boot to a "recovery disk" which you create from within the software (or to the application disk itself if you have one). Even easier, you can also use a built in tool to create a rescue environment on the PC itself (when the system first boots you will have the choice of booting to the OS or the rescue environment - the OS option can be an automated choice after "X" seconds so you do not need to make a manual choice every time the system boots). Non-system partitions or drives can be restored without a reboot.

Edited by Allan, 12 December 2025 - 07:07 AM.

Topic closed as it was getting argumentative.

Chris Cosgrove