Driver errors, hotfixes that stall halfway, internal software conflicts… there are too many reasons why Windows might throw in the towel, and as users we need to be prepared. A brute-force solution would be access to a secondary computer, but in most cases good backup discipline is enough. Now, the operating system does what it can to protect its integrity, but if you prefer an alternative to classic restore points, you should try RollBack Rx.
I admit that restore points have rescued me more than once, especially during the Windows XP era. The fixed idea of getting better performance by using modified drivers and other questionable alterations had poor XP on the ropes. Now, one thing is to 'look for' such problems, and another is that they appear out of nowhere. A poorly installed hotfix, a bug in a driver that hangs everything, and the occasional clumsy family member can leave an installation in flames.
Of course, restore points are not perfect (sometimes they make things worse, or none are available), and many users choose to replace them with an external solution. The concept of 'snapshot' or 'time machine' is very popular these days, but the challenge is to find good software to handle that task. That's when the home edition of RollBack Rx comes into play.
RollBack Rx: An Alternative to Restore Points
The download process is a bit inconvenient (you have to visit the page, fill out a small form, and use the link they send to your e-mail), but in return you get a zip file of about 16 megabytes (32 MB uncompressed), and RollBack Rx installs in a few seconds. The interface is intuitive despite being in English, showing a report with the number of snapshots generated, the number of scheduled tasks, and the available disk space.
The mechanics of RollBack Rx are based on a global snapshot or baseline that weighs several gigabytes, and all subsequent backups are in a way "attached" to that baseline, adding 200-300 megabytes per snapshot. While nothing stops you from deleting that huge backup, the truth is that RollBack Rx needs it, and will create another.
One of the most interesting aspects of RollBack Rx is its ability to work "outside" Windows, creating a special menu at system startup, which you can access with the Home key. There you will find options to return to a previous state, create a new snapshot, or uninstall that environment.
The scheduled tasks in RollBack Rx speak of a daily snapshot at the first boot of the computer, and a maintenance phase based on the defragmentation of snapshots. Remember to disable this last task if you use solid state drives, since defragmentation is not relevant on them.
In general, RollBack Rx does not require any adjustment to its factory settings, except in the case that you decide to install a Windows update that cannot be undone. If you try, that could generate a conflict in RollBack Rx, but it is solved by visiting the advanced section and enabling the option "Allow install of Windows Updates that cannot be rolled back".
In summary, RollBack Rx is a very attractive alternative to restore points, and the limits in the Home edition (for example, a maximum of seven snapshots) do not represent such a negative impact. Personally, I would only like the download to be a bit more direct.
Official site and download: Click here
