[Denise]

Hi,

Because of a corruption on computer that was preventing me from getting any MS updates, I ended up having to do a Restore using the Restore discs provided with my E Machines PC (not actual MS XP discs).

I had tried the System Restore option (found in my System Tools) but the restore dates only went back a few months, 6 I think it was. I have no idea where & when the corruption occurred, so I went Restore by disc route.
I’ve been reloading personal data and reinstalling programs lost from the restore, a few each day, just in case the corruption reappears. My thinking is the only way I can gauge if it reappears is if the MS updates stop working again.

After that brief history on my PC woes, I have questions on System Restore. Should I run into this sort of trouble again, I am hoping I can use the System Restore rather than wiping out everything using the Restore discs.

1) Can I make restore points go back further than 6 months?
2) Before downloading any software or MS Updates, should I create my own a restore point?
3) Before creating a restore point, should I run my AV/Spyware scans and perform maintenance such as disc clean up, defrag, clean out temp folder etc.
4) If I disable System Restore before running AV & Spyware scans, will I lose my previous Restore points?

Thanks - Denise