IIS Aid

Restore points in Windows XP has always been an extremely useful feature and I've often wondered why the System Restore Service was never included in Windows 2003 Server. I've never been able to find any official statement from Microsoft, but perhaps it was because a server environment is not intended to be in such a state of flux as that of a desktop. Even so, how accurate is this assumption when you consider the number of Windows updates that you need to install to keep your server environment secure and up to date.

I recently needed to install a load of Windows updates on a remote Windows 2003 Server where there was no chance of me getting physical access in the event something should go wrong. Before proceeding I needed to ensure I was able to quickly and effectively restore the server operating environment. I remembered seeing several guides on how to enable restore points on Windows 2003 Server, however I had never seen any that covered doing this while using a remote desktop connection which is what I'll cover in this guide.

Disclaimer: This guide involves installing a Windows XP Pro service on a Windows 2003 server requiring registry modification, and is in no way recommended or endorsed by either myself or Microsoft. Although I have personally had success using this method, if you chose to implement the steps covered in this guide you do so totally at your own risk!

Configure RDP client

The most obvious problem when trying to install a Windows XP based service such as the System Restore Service on a remote Windows 2003 based server is how to get access to your Windows XP install CD from your server. Luckily, using the standard Microsoft Remote Desktop Client you are able to connect to the local drives on your PC so they are accessible to your remote server. To do this open your Remote Desktop Client and click on the Options button as shown below in figure 1.

Figure 1

Once the options screen appears, click on the Local Resources tab and then click on the More button as shown below in figure 2.

Figure 2

You'll now be presented with a list of local devices you are able to connect to as shown below in figure 3. Deselect all the devices apart from the drive letter which corresponds to your local CD/DVD drive.

Figure 3