The computer is nuts and you wish you could turn the clock back? You can with system restore built into Windows Xp (and Me).
System Restore provides Windows XP with an easy way to turn the clock back (and forward to the present again if it has to). Periodically, the System Restore program takes a "snapshot" of Windows XP's key internal settings and saves them by date, known as a "Restore Point". When Windows XP is behaving badly on your system, call up System Restore, and return to a Restore Point when everything was OK. Windows XP quickly loads the settings it used on that Restore Point's date, and when Windows XP restarts, it works just as well as it did on that day in the past. If you choose a Restore Point that somehow makes things even worse than they were, head back to System Restore and chose Undo my last restoration. System Restore promptly discards those settings, restarts, and lets you choose a different Restore Point. Since everything System Restore does is reversible, there's rarely much to lose in giving it a try.

How to Find the System Restore Program
Click your Start menu, point to Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools then to System Restore.

Making your own Restore Points
System Restore normally takes a snapshot of your computer's settings on a daily basis. It usually takes another automatic snapshot when you install a new computer part - just in case the newcomer causes problems. Windows XP simply slaps the date onto these System Restore points but you can create your own - call up System Restore and choose Create a Restore Point. You will be asked to describe your new Restore Point. You don't need to include the date in your description as Windows automatically gives each one a date stamp. But when you create your own Restore Point with a definite name, you'll know immediately which one to try

Tip: Create a new Restore Point every few weeks when things are OK. Good insurance.

What System Restore does and doesn't do
System Restore shouldn’t delete any of your letters, e-mails, or other data files. Since System Restore only deals with Windows XP's settings, it only helps with
Windows XP itself. It can't help you locate deleted e-mails or recover deleted files that are no longer in the Recycle Bin. Using System Restore to "go back in time" won't disinfect your computer of a newly acquired virus, for instance. Programs installed since the chosen restore date will have to be re-installed, but clean the old settings first.

System Restore requires a lot of space – small drives will not cope – and restore points may not go too far back in time because of this.

Restore Tips
Create a Restore Point before doing anything that will change the computer's settings: installing a new computer part, or adding new software. That gives Windows XP something to return to if the changes mess things up.
·When Windows XP is first installed onto your computer, it reserves about 12 per cent of your available disk space for System Restore to use. That's usually enough to extend about one month into the past. To change those settings, right-click on My Computer in your Start menu, choose Properties, and click the System Restore tab. (The "status" area should say "monitoring", meaning System Restore is up and running.)
·If your anti-virus program just disinfected your computer of a nasty virus, then quickly use System Restore to create a Restore Point called something like "Virus free Computer." Then, never use any Restore Points dated earlier than your newly created "virus free Computer" Restore Point. Those older Restore Points might return your computer back to a time when it was infected, but the old restore points will in time disappear.