How to Disable System Restore in Windows 8

The system restore feature in Windows 8 is very useful when you have to restore your Windows back to a certain point of time. But if your computer becomes infected with malware, then you must first turn off System Restore in order to scan your system with a good antivirus scanner like McAfee Stinger. This is because some of the malware can stay redundant in System Restore points even after malware removal is done through an anti-malware product. If you want to scan your system for malware with a tool like McAfee Stinger, then you should first turn off System Restore in Windows 8. Here is how :

Note: You must have administrator privileges for the following steps.

  1. Press the key combination Windows Logo Key + Pause on your keyboard. This would open the System information window. In this window, click on the System Protection link on the left side as shown.

    Disable System Restore in Windows 8

  2. In the System Properties window that opens, select the System Protection tab, if not already selected. You would see all your installed hard disk drives and partitions. The System Restore protection status would be shown against each drive (partition). If the protection status is On, then Sytsem Restore is enabled for that partition. If the protection status is Off, then Sytsem Restore is disabled for that partition. To change the System Restore settings for a partition, select it from the list and then click on the Configure button.

    Disable System Restore in Windows 8

  3. This would open the System Restore settings for that partition. You can now select Disable system protection from the options and click on the OK button as shown.

    Disable System Restore in Windows 8

  4. Repeat these steps for all the partitions listed in the System Protection window separately to disable System Restore for all of them.

You should not disable the System Restore except for some special situations, for example, when performing a full system scan for malware using a tool like McAfee Stinger or some other tool that explicitly instructs you to disable System Restore. Under normal conditions, disabling System Restore is a bad idea and you should always keep it turned on atleast for the system partition (the one on which Windows is installed).