You cannot do a "system restore" without a restore CD from the manufacturer. Usually, a "system restore" involves formatting the hard drive and reinstalling the OS and all applications that came preinstalled from the manufacturer. I hate these. It is much better to get an actual full install disk for the OS you want to install. That way you don't get a bunch of crap software/trial versions slowing down your system. As far as MS word goes, if you bought it online, then you should have had to download an installer file( or files), save those to CD or whatever. Saving the Program Files folder is useless as you will need the installation CD/DVD to reinstall the programs. (Yes, I know that sometimes you can copy the Files/Folders over for certain programs and run a "crack" to set them up in the registry, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal). If you cannot get a system restore CD from the manufacturer, then I would suggest trying out a Linux distribution (Ubuntu is good and easy to install). Most Linux distros come with OpenOffice, an office suite that is fully compatible with MS Word (among others).
Oh, I just read that Gateway support link you posted. Apparently there is a special partition on you hard drive that contains the system restore files. Sorry, I forgot to read that part. So, you won't need a system restore CD unless there is a physical problem with your hard drive and the F10 thing won't work. I still say install from a Full Install CD/DVD for your OS of choice.
Good luck...