The Dark Side Part 4: System Restore? What a great idea!
I'm trying to be as positive about my Windows experience as possible. It's not easy. But as the popups and virus alerts have subsided, I've managed to poke around and find some really useful stuff on my Windows system. Stuff that doesn't exist on the Mac. One of the most impressive of these is the System Restore feature. I haven't actually tested it yet, but from the looks of it, the way it works is, you open the System Restore application, and there are two options: either restore your system to the state it was in at an earlier date, or create a restore point, which is essentially a record of the state of your system at this particular moment in time. System Restore actually creates restore points on its own, at regularly scheduled intervals as well. On the fly. In the background.
Now I don't know how well this works, but it's a great idea. I would absolutely love something like this for Mac. On Mac, if you want to "restore" your system, you're essentially relegated to the "Archive and Install" procedure, which, you know if you've ever done one, sucks. Hard. Wouldn't it be great if we Mac users could apply the latest OS update, for instance, and, two days later, when we realized some key functionality is broken, simply run a System Restore-like application and be back to where we were in a few short minutes? I think it would. And I'm sure you agree.
I really hope Apple has something in the pipe like this. Since my first broken Mac OS X update, I've longed for a tool like System Restore, and it's been one of the few things I've actually envied the Windows folk for having.
Now I don't know how well this works, but it's a great idea. I would absolutely love something like this for Mac. On Mac, if you want to "restore" your system, you're essentially relegated to the "Archive and Install" procedure, which, you know if you've ever done one, sucks. Hard. Wouldn't it be great if we Mac users could apply the latest OS update, for instance, and, two days later, when we realized some key functionality is broken, simply run a System Restore-like application and be back to where we were in a few short minutes? I think it would. And I'm sure you agree.
I really hope Apple has something in the pipe like this. Since my first broken Mac OS X update, I've longed for a tool like System Restore, and it's been one of the few things I've actually envied the Windows folk for having.
Labels: TheDarkSide, Windows
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, September 20, 2005 at 12:47 AM.
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7:00 AMSorry to piss on your parade, but it's a Microsoft reassurance tool. It works for the demos, for the lessons, the certification and the web tutorials. But in the real world of non-Microsoft-certified drivers and marathon software installations, that oh-so-useful "On the fly. In the background." comes back and bites you in the arse.
See, the kind of thing that screws your system to make a System Restore necessary tends to be the insidious sort. It ends up that you don't realise you have a problem until Windows has overwritten your useful Restore Points with dodgy ones. And then it's too late. Reinstall.
12:20 PM
I figured it was too good to be true. But, you know, trying to be positive, and all that. Upbeat. Still, I'd love to have a Mac version of System Restore. One that worked, of course.
12:03 PM
Thank you, I just wanted to give a greeting and tell you I like your blog.
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