This could be handy...

http://support.microsoft.com/default...304449&sd=tech

For Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition ... How to Start the System Restore Tool from a Command Prompt

For Vista ... http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...3bda91033.mspx

Here is my favorite System Restore, but the command prompt is in the Recovery Console. I like to use this before I do a Repair install because that saves time having to sometimes reinstall applications that may have lost associations with the Repair install.

Here's how it works...

Boot to the recovery console (option 2) on your XP OS disk.
get past the select active drive which is usually 1.
get past the administrative password.
and you are at a command prompt.
change directory back to the root with "CD\"
the type the following at what is usually the c:\> prompt...

cd windows\system32\config
ren system system.bak
exit

You have to go back into the recovery console, but this time there will be no prompt for administrative password.

Do the cd\ again to get back to the root, and type in the following...

cd c:\system~1\resto~1

Now here is where the calendar comes in.

dir rp*

Look for the rp# that is closest to the date in which you need to complete the restore point from. For this example I will use rp423.

cd rp423\snapshot

Now we just need to use the following copy commands and when prompted to over write the files answer A for All or Y for yes (use A if available).

copy _registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy _registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy _registry_machine_sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy _registry_machine_security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy _registry_user_.default c:\windows\system32\config\default
exit

There are no typos in this. The period after user_. is necessary. This should reboot the system to the currently chosen date.

Drawbacks: If when you get the the rp* and it projects a futuristic date, then there are no restore points to recover from as system restore has been turned off.