Windows 7: Restore/Backup

I'm totally lost when it comes to restore/backup. I'm not dumb, but my comperheadion is off when I tried to put 2 and 2 together and (without asking) be able to come up with 4. In this case, I've tried and now I need your help please. Situation: When I think of something or how to do something with this computer, I google it, read about it and maybe even find a program to do what I want. So I down load it, install it and it's nothing like it states or it's not what I really wanted. I hope I'm explaining this right. So I go and delete it along with CCleaner and Norton in the register and BINGO! Either I've taken a left when I should of taken a right or the computer missed me up. Go to log in the next morning and the computer is acting kinda of funny. So before installing a program I know I do a restore (default settings) and then I do a back up from windows (default settings). So now that I have a restore and backup, which one would I use? Any other information on this subject would be helpful as well. Thank you.

You shouldn't "delete" installed programs. You should uninstall them.

Not sure what you mean about doing a restore and backup before installing a program.

If you are uninstalling programs incorrectly who know what shape your registry and PC is in.

There is not much point in restoring a backup if the backup is faulty.

A better and less confusing explanation is needed.

Thanks for answering me. Lame as I usually don't ask the right questions, but heck I tried right. Let me see if I can ask it a better way. I asked a DELL Tech what would be the best way to keep my system as clean as possible and if something happens what can I do. He said do a restore/backup before you install a program. That way there, if the program is no good or you uninstall it or something weird happens you can always go back to when the system was stable. Is this better? Thanks.

You wouldn't do a restore and then a backup in that case. You'd do a backup, then install the program. If you then don't want the program, you can uninstall it or restore your backup.

Most people would just uninstall it, rather than restoring a backup.

Backups come in several flavors:

System Restore points

Images of the C drive.

Images of other drives.

File-by-file backups of personal data.

Which you would use depends on the circumstances.

System Restore points only restore your registry to an earlier point in time. Images restore entire partitions.

Image restoration is not the normal way to get rid of a program. It's gross overkill for that situation.

You need to uninstall programs correctly and practice decent maintenance--which usually includes some reliance on System Restore, images, or both.

Quite right. Or I think better still please install sandbox and run all the programs in the sandbox.

They shall disappear without leaving a trace and you wont have to either delete them or uninstall them. Unfortunately till date there is no perfect uninstaller available and even uninstalling programs leaves a lot of muck in the Registry and elsewhere.

Maybe sandbox is not perfect either but it is better than an Uninstaller. Someone better acquainted with running sandbox will be able to clarify. The best is to take an image from time to time and restore the immediately previous image when you want to be rid of a program that you have installed.