How to restore Windows XP to a previous state

 To perform the System Restore, you must be logged on to Windows as an administrator. If your computer is part of a network, you might have to ask the system administrator for help.

To verify that you are logged on to Windows as an administrator, follow these steps

1. Open the Date and Time dialog box.

a.       Click Start, and then click Run.

b.      Type the following command in the Run dialog box, and then click OK:

timedate.cpl

                        Use one of the appropriate steps, depending on the result.

o    If the Date and Time Properties dialog box appears, you are already logged on as an administrator. Click Cancel to close the Date and TimeProperties dialog box.

o    If you receive the following message, you are not logged on as an administrator.

To use System Restore to restore Windows XP to a previous state, follow these steps:

1. Log on to Windows as an administrator.
2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore.

3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click to select the Restore my computer to an earlier time option, and then click Next.

4. On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next.

Note A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.

5. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
6. Log on to the computer as an administrator. Then, click OK on the System Restore Restoration Complete page.

If you successfully restored your computer to a previous state and the computer runs as expected, you are finished.