System Restore is a great Windows feature, especially for those of us who install and delete software on a daily basis. When the feature first debuted, most of us would set a restore point each and every time we downloaded anything.

But as time has passed, most of us have become lazy with our restore points because of the long navigation process required to reach this tool. In a perfect world, we would have a desktop icon we could click to effortlessly create a restore point. Well, the world might not be perfect, but we can still easily have such an icon.

Step 1: Write two lines of Visual Basic Script

This is not nearly as hard as it sounds. Just open Notepad and type (or copy/paste) this:

rp = “Shortcut created restore point from ” & WScript.ScriptName

GetObject(”winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore”).CreateRestorePoint rp, 0, 100


Your screen should look like this:

Now, click File then Save As. Name your file something like “System Restore Script” so you will remember what the file is. Instead of saving it as a .txt file, type .vbs after your chosen file name. You can save this file in any directory, so long as you remember where it is for the next step.

Step 2: Create a shortcut

Go to your desktop and right click in a blank space. Click New and select Shortcut.

Click Browse and find the file you just created. Click Open. Now type wscript.exe in front of the path of the file you just selected and click Next.

In the next window, name your shortcut. Click Finish when you are done.

Your shortcut will now appear on your desktop.

Step 3: Test your shortcut

To make sure your shortcut works, double click it. Now open the system restore by going to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore. You should see the restore point you just made in the description.

You will know the restore point is the one you just made because it will start with “Install: Shortcut created restore point”—a phrase you should remember from the first line of code we typed in step 1.

From this same window, if you click Choose a different restore point and then Next, your restore point should appear at the top of the list.

Now there are no excuses not to use the System Restore feature—just click your shortcut right before you download files or install software.