System Restore Failed
'System restore did not complete successfully. Your computer's files system and settings were not changed.'
This message has greeted a lot of folks when trying to do a System Restore and at this point panic may set in.
There are a number of reasons why the restore may not have worked.
System Restore will work better using Safe Mode. If there is a conflict with another program using Safe Mode may stop the interference from the other program.
If there is malware of any kind on the computer, the malware can most certainly cause System Restore to fail. Even though the malware has been removed, it may have damaged some of the system files.
Program conflicts such as some versions of Norton's security applications, Zone Alarm and Real Player may also cause System Restore to not work.
The solution as to why the System Restore failed can be difficult to track down. This site by a Microsoft MVP has a number of trouble shooting sugestions to try.
In the event you cannot restore your Windows, hopefully you have a good backup of all your important data.
Remember System Restore is for your Windows System, not for your data files such as documents or email. System Restore will not restore emails or other data files.
There are numerous files for Windows XP stored in Application Data (C:\Documents and Settings\{user}\Application Data)and in AppData for Windows Vista and Windows 7. Be sure to backup those files as well.