Purging System Restore in Windows Me

How to purge System Restore in Windows Me.

Note: This will delete any previously created restore points.

What to do

• Go to Start|Settings|Control Panel.
• Double-click 'System', then click on the Performance tab.
• Click 'File System' then click the Troubleshooting tab.
• Select 'Disable System Restore' and click 'Apply'.

This disables System Restore. You should now immediately re-enable it.

• Now deselect 'Disable System Restore' and click 'Apply'.
• Click 'Close', then click 'Close' again.
• Restart the computer.

Accessing System Restore without Windows Explorer

You should be able to fully remove a virus from a Windows Me computer clean booted into DOS. The virus should then be unable to run itself from System Restore. This will allow you to purge System Restore in Windows.

If problems persist, you could try using Program Manager (Progman.exe) rather than Windows Explorer to access System Restore. See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 279736.