How to Create a Windows Restore Point Using PowerShell
Windows is an incredibly versatile tool, an operating system with enough freedom to handle a huge range of tasks, from playing games to writing novels. But Windows is also prone to bugs because of how deep into its operations a user can worm. With the right permissions, everything is open for access and alteration. If you’re experimenting with new skills in PowerShell, installing a bunch of software you want to test, or simply worried that a future official update from Windows might contain bugs that break something important (which happens with annoying frequency), then a restore point becomes a vital part of your computer hygiene.
Restore points are a vital part of your computer hygiene routine.
Restore points are essentially frozen copies of what your computer’s operating system looked like at a certain point in time. Note that restore points do not freeze copies of your personal data, they’re just there to create safe copies of those essential parts of your operating system that, well, allow it to operate. This is actually super useful, however, because you can restore the base operating system in many cases without having to touch any of your personal files. That said, you should always maintain good file backup practices for the data that means something to you. Whether that data is stored on an external hard drive, a cloud service like Sync.com, or an old-fashioned data disc, don’t keep only a single copy of what matters most!
Note: you can create a system image, which creates a stored copy of everything on your computer, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.
PowerShell to the rescue!
Once you learn how to command your Windows computer with PowerShell you'll never want to go back to using the old GUI (graphical user interface). I do provide some basic instructions for setting restore points in older versions of Windows using the GUI, however.