Need some help with System Restore!!!

I recently installed an external hard drive, and after I installed it I tried to open up Windows Media Player. Well, an error message popped up saying "an internal error has occured". So I un-installed the media player and reinstalled. Well, the same thing happened again. So I tried to use system restore, but when I try to open system restore a blank window pops up with nothing on it. I checked to see if system restore was active and it was. I am very confused with this. Please somebody help me!

 

I think you've hit on the biggest problem with MS's System Restore utility -- it doesn't always automatically kick in so it's best to open it up and create a restore point manually if you're worried about some change you're about to make to your system. Even then, System Restore only backs up a limited number of key Windows files and settings and installing new hardware or software may make undesirable changes to other files and data that aren't covered by what System Restore backs up.

I use Recovery Commander, which does much the same sort of thing System Restore does, except Recovery Commander ALWAYS kicks in when I begin to install new software to ask if I want to create a recovery point first. And, in addition, I also use the original Roxio GoBack to allow me to restore everything on my hard drive to a previous state. GoBack has saved me lots of time and headaches. It has a few wrinkles that you have to be familiar with (it modifies the master boot record and, consequently, won't "play nice" with other utilties that also modify the MBR) but I really like it. The Norton version of GoBack also works well, but it doesn't have as many "bells and whistles" as the original full version by Roxio.

I think System Restore would be a much better tool if you could configure it to run automatically -- to save a restore point the first time you boot up your system each day for instance. Because, as it now works (or doesn't!), often it will go for several days without creating any restore points and that allows too much time for Murphy's Law to wreak havoc.

 

You say when you open System Restore you just see a blank page? Nothing at all??? Or do you mean you don't see any restore points? Take a look at the calendar that should be displayed (after you select "Restore my computer to an earlier time" and click on the "Next" button). Dates when restore points were created by System Restore will be in slightly darker/heavier text. Click on one of those dates to choose a date and time to restore to. But before you do that you should probably create a new and current restore point in case restoring to an older one somehow creates additional problems.

Good luck!

 

When I open it, it doesn't show anything. Just a blank white window. I can't see any text or anything in the window. Sometimes I have to try to open it several times before it even brings up a window.

 

I download media player 10. But when I tried to install it is said "an internal application error has occured". I tried to do the fix thing in add/remove programs. But media player isn't even showing up in the list of programs.