An operating system like Windows XP is configured to perform a restore point by default every 24 hours ().
A restore point is created if a change in the registry is detected by the system.
In the case you have to add or remove applications regularly (downloading, testing, debugging new software). It is therefore recommended that you optimize the rate at which restore points updated for security constraints.
Below is a simple explanatory procedure of how to configure this setting:-
First of all, open the registry editor by typing regedit in the Run menu and press OK.
Click on: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore.
• In the right table, double click on click on the DWORD entry named RPGlobalInterval.
Modify from Hexadecimal to decimals.
The default parameters are settled to a time laps of 86400 sec (24 hrs). Modify this value dividing it by 2(43200 sec) if you wish to have two restore points. This practice may be very useful in case of system failure.
Note that you can create manually your own restore point (Before installing a demo version of a software for testing purposes)
To perform this setting :
Go to Start menu > all programs > Accessories> System Tools > System Restore .
Then select the option “create a restore point”.

In the text box, enter the description of your restore point (This is very important in view to identify between the different restore points created, the one you created manually and the others default to your system.) It can be the name of the program you are going to install.
At this point, you can roll back from any modifications made from your previous configuration.