Restore Point - Create in Windows 8

How to Create a Restore Point in Windows 8 and 8.1​

   Information

System protection is a feature that regularly creates and saves information about your computer's system files, programs, drivers, and registry settings as restore points for all drives that have system protection turned on. You can use these restore points to do a system restore to return these items to an earlier point in time without affecting personal files (ex: anything in C:\Users\(user-name) folder).

Restore points are automatically created by default just before significant system events, such as the installation of some programs, device driver, Windows Update, and by using a scheduled task once every seven days if no other restore points were created in the previous seven days. You can also manually create restore points at any time.

This tutorial will show you how to create a restore point that can be used to do a system restore with in Windows 8 and 8.1.

System Restore isn't available for Windows RT and Windows RT 8.1.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to create a restore point.

Here's How:

1. Do step 2, 3, or 4 below for how you would like to open System.

2. Open the Power User Tasks Menu, click on System, and go to step 5. (see screenshot below)

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OR

3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click on the System icon, and go to step 5.

OR

4. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click on the Recovery icon, click on the Configure System Restore link, and go to step 6. (see screenshot below)

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5. Click on the System protection link in the left pane. (see screenshot below)

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6. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

7. Click on the Create button. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will create a restore point for all drives that have system protection turned on.

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8. Type in a description that helps you to identify the restore point when doing a system restore. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: The current date and time are added automatically to the restore point.

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9. When it's finished creating the restore point, click on Close. (see screenshots below)

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10. If open, you can now close the System or Recovery window if you like. (see screenshot below step 4 or 5)


That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Make a "Create System Restore Point" Shortcut in XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Add "Create Restore Point" to Context Menu in XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Automatically Create System Restore Points in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Turn System Protection On or Off in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Change Maximum Disk Space Used for System Protection and System Images in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Do a System Restore in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Undo the Last System Restore in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Delete System Protection Restore Points in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Enable or Disable Automatic System Restore Point Creation in Windows

 

[Antonimo]

Is there any way to making Instant Restore Points at start up just like we got used to doing in Windows 7 - System Restore Point : Create at System Startup - Windows 7 Forums ?

 

[Brink]

Hello Antonimo, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Yes, you can use that exact same method from Windows 7 to do so in Windows 8. It's the same.

 

[Antonimo]

Hi Brink,

Thanks for the reply.

I have tried the Windows 7 version, but after confirming at the UAC prompt, nothing seems to happen.

Is this possibly an administrator issue?

 

[Brink]

It depends on which option (step 1 or 2) you used. If you used step 2 for an instant restore point, then you will not be notified of the restore point being created.

 

[BrianB]

I am trying to set up a restore point but I'm not having much luck. If you'll notice beside the arrow in the included pic, it just says "searching". It's been searching for a while now. Also, "configure" and "create" aren't clickable buttons? What am I doing wrong?

 

[Brink]

Hello Brian,

Have you been playing in the Services?

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/12411-services-start-stop-disable-windows-8-a.html​

Double check to make sure the services below are enabled and set to Automatic. Afterwards, try again to see if that may help.

Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider

Volume Shadow Copy
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Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[BrianB]

Hello Brian,

Have you been playing in the Services?

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/12411-services-start-stop-disable-windows-8-a.html​

Double check to make sure the services below are enabled and set to Automatic. Afterwards, try again to see if that may help.

Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider

Volume Shadow Copy
​

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Awesome! That worked perfectly. Thanks a ton!

 

[rdwray]

Instant_Restore_Point.vbs works great, how do I run this at boot and not logon?

 

[Brink]

Hello rdwray,

You could use the same Method Two in the tutorial below to do so with Task Scheduler, but at step 6 use At startup for "Begin the task" instead.

System Restore Point : Create at System Startup - Windows 7 Help Forums

See also: Task - Create to Run a Program at Startup and Log On - Windows 7 Help Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[rdwray]

Hi Shawn, I tried with adding the new folder to Task Manager and it failed. I use both setting as a user and administrator. I noticed when selecting Start a program that Program/Script was available as settings. In the past I have also seen that WScript had to be started and .vbs as an option, is that the case here? thanks...

EDIT: I tried starting cscript and restore as an option and this did not work either.

I have this running on a scheduled "time" and it works fine, but I cannot get it to work at "startup"

 

[Brink]

Were you using Method Two below to create the two separate tasks?

System Restore Point : Create at System Startup - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[rdwray]

Can't use method 2 because it wants a password and I don't use them.

 

[Brink]

Are you able to leave the password field blank since your administrator account doesn't have a password created for it?

 

[rdwray]

No, it refuses to allow the creation of the task. I assume it is because the script is on C:.

 

[Brink]

Well, you may just need to create a password for your account to be able to this.

 

[rdwray]

I'll have to pass on that, no one is ever around this PC. Why does it have to be in the programs folder?

 

[Brink]

You could save the .vbs file anywhere you like to run it from.

It's just in the tutorial for the shortcut, the shortcut was specified for that location, and moving the .vbs file to another location would break the shortcut.

 

[rdwray]

Based on the location, then yes I have the "scheduled" task running as stated in method 2. I also had a second "trigger" set to run at startup, but it has never worked.