Turn Off System Restore

If you customize the configuration of your computer for security or other reasons, turning off the System Restore feature on your Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 computer will prevent your changes from being overwritten. To do so:

Windows XP

1. Open the Start menu, highlight Programs, then highlight Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. In the window that opens, make sure that My Computer is selected on the left, then right-click anywhere on the screen and select Properties from the menu that opens.
3. In the window that opens, select the System Restore tab. Click the checkbox next to Turn off System Restore, click Apply, then click OK.

Windows Vista

1. Open the Start menu, type into the search box system, then click on System in the search results.
   
2. In the System control panel that opens, click on System Protection in the lefthand panel. Type in your Administrator password if prompted.
   
3. While in the System Protection window, uncheck all disks.
   
4. After unchecking the disks, when prompted, click Turn System Restore Off.
   

Windows 7

1. Open the Start menu, type into the search box system, then click on System in the search results.
   
2. In the System control panel that opens, click on System Protection on the left hand panel. Type in your Administrator password if prompted.
   
3. While in the System Protection window, click on the Configure option below the list of available drives.
   
4. Click on the Turn off system protection option.
   
5. A window will prompt you to confirm the disabling of system protection. Click Yes when prompted.
   

Page last reviewed: September 3, 2009