Using Windows XP's System Restore Feature (Page 3)
To adjust the level of hard drive space utilized by System Restore in XP, access the System Restore Wizard by going to the Start menu, and then clicking on . On the left side of the wizard is a description of what System Restore does for you, and under that is a clickable link reading "System Restore Settings". Clicking that link will open the System Properties control panel with the System Restore tab selected.
You can skip a few steps by right-clicking the My Computer icon in the Start menu and selecting Properties. You could also click , select the Performance and Maintenance panel, and the click on the System panel. For both options, once the System Properties panel opens, click on the System Restore tab at the top of the panel.
Once there, note the few options available. Yours may look different than the one shown here, as I have two hard drives on this particular computer. If you only show a (C:) drive, that's perfectly fine. If you have more than one drive, though, I suggest turning the System Restore option OFF for all drives other than C:, as C: is the only one with your operating system and applications on it (unless you've really been going crazy and changing default locations).
There's a "Settings…" button to the right of the drive list. Click on the (C:) drive in the list to highlight it, and click the "Settings…" button. In the resulting "Drive (C:) Settings" window, under Disk Space Usage, there is a slider to adjust the amount of hard drive space alloted to the use of System Restore.
At its minimum, you are limited to 200MB, which is what I normally set my own machines for. If you'd like to be certain you've got a good selection of restore points, you could drag the slider to about 400MB, which should give you at least five automatic restore points. Once changed, click "OK" to go back to System Properties.
On the System Properties panel under System Restore, there is a checkbox which, when checked, turns off the System Restore feature. I would recommend leaving it on (enabled), but feel free to disable it; you can reenable the option at any time. However, if you plan to reenable it when you've already had a problem with your machine, you will NOT be able to use it to restore your machine. You've told Windows you don't want it tracking your system, so no restore points will be available. It's like a motorcycle helmet; in California, you don't have to wear one, but the minute you lay your bike down on the pavement going 70MPH, you can't reach back and grab the helmet and strap it on!
