Recovering from an operating system failure

If you use a version of Microsoft Windows (XP or later), you could use the ‘Restore Point’ feature to revert your computer to a previous working state. Windows automatically saves its configuration daily, when it updates itself and also when certain events, such as the installation of an unsigned driver for a peripheral device, occur.

Versions of Mac OS (10.5 or later) include a feature called Time Machine, which can be used to backup both files and system configurations. If you have Time Machine enabled it is possible to restore your Mac to a previous state, with hourly backups available for the past day, daily backups for the past month and weekly backups for anything older.

In the next section, you’ll consider how to make your information less vulnerable to attack.