System Restore usually doesn't work for me. Why? 1

[melburstein]

When I do a System Restore, it seems like no matter what date I pick, it always ends up with the message:

----------------------------------------------------------
System cannot be restored to:

[date]

No changes have been made to your computer.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Even though I am sure there have been changes, I still get the above message.

Can anyone shed some light on this to help me understand why System Restore does not work for me?

Thanks

 

[linney]

System Restore will never restore to a point or time where the selected restore point time is itself in some configuration error state.

What often works however is running System Restore from within Safe Mode.

System Restore Service. Make sure it is set to Automatic and started in your services.

Q302796 - Troubleshooting System Restore in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q302/7/96.asp

Maybe turning off and back on will get it working, but you will lose all previous Restore Points.

Q310405 - How to Turn On and Turn Off System Restore in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q310/4/05.asp