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General discussion

5/27/05 Windows System Restore has run astray

by Lee.Koo May 26, 2005 2:36AM PDT

Thanks to all of you who contributed to this past week's Q&A topic.
Frances, I hope this week's members' submission to your questions gives you some direction in helping you solve your System Restore issue. And if you have a moment please swing by the discussion below to tell us what worked for you.

Members, if you have additional advice for Frances, please feel free to post them in this thread below. Thanks everyone and have a great weekend!
-Lee Koo
CNET Community


Question:

I've successfully used System Restore (Windows XP Home
edition) on more than one occasion. Suddenly, it won't work
for me. The message simply states, "The system cannot
restore, no changes have been made to your computer." I've
tried different restore points, including dates I set myself.
I followed Microsoft's suggestions by going to compmgmt.msc
in the control panel (also CMD, net start), checked the view
logs in the event viewer, and so on. Nothing has helped. I
have more than enough sufficient disk space. Any suggestions?

Submitted by: Frances P.


Answer:

Frances, the most likely culprit is that the System Restore folder has been corrupted somehow. Aside from just a simple Microsoft XP glitch, this can happen when the system is shut down (example: power outage, or turning off the power switch) while it's in the process of making a system restore point in the background. Windows creates new restore points periodically or whenever a new program or device is installed. If you installed a new program or device and the system hung, requiring you to forcibly restart the computer, this could have caused this problem. Of course, knowing how it might have happened just lays that question to rest; you still have to fix it. You already mentioned that you'd tried Microsoft's recommended first solution and it didn't work, so here's the fix:


1. I'm assuming you have no other problems with the computer other than an inability to use System Restore.

2. I'm also assuming you are using XP SP1 or XP SP2. The original non-SP version of XP had several issues with System Restore that were fixed in SP1. If you aren't running SP1 or SP2, please download and install SP2 from the Windows Update site. Also check to see if you have automatic updates enabled for any future critical patches and security updates.

3. On the assumption that your System Restore folder has been corrupted, do the following (note that you will lose all previous restore points by using this method.)

a. Right click My Computer - Properties, then click on the System Restore tab.
b. Check the box that says "Disable Restore on all drives"
c. Click "Apply" then reboot your PC. (you will be prompted to reboot)
d. After the system fully reboots, go back to the System Restore tab again and uncheck the "Disable Restore on all drives" box.
e. [optional, but recommended] Reboot once more.
f. After the second reboot, go to Start - Accessories - System Tools - Restore and choose "Create a Restore Point"
g. Name the restore point whatever you wish (Date and time will be automatically added)
h. After the restore point has been created (assuming without error), go back to Start> Accessories>System Tools> Restore and choose "Restore my computer to an earlier date and time". Select the restore point you created.

4. If all goes well, you should receive a message that the system has been successfully restored.

James
Doctor Micro, Inc.

Submitted by: James S.

Discussion is locked

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Honorable mentions
by Lee.Koo May 26, 2005 2:36AM PDT

*** HONORABLE MENTION ***

Answer:

Assuming your system is in good health and that your have checked for viruses, spyware and disk errors, there are 2 possible causes for your problem;

1/ The first is if information relating to system restore in your registry has been corrupted. The solution to this is quite simple. Press [start] [run] and in the box type ?c:\windows\inf\sr.inf? (leaving out the
quotations).- then reboot. If restore still does function normally move on to the next solution.

2/ The second cause is if the data in your "systems volume information folder" has been corrupted. This is the folder where your back up data is stored, and unfortunately it will have to be deleted so that future restore points can be made. To achieve this do the following:- Right click [My Computer] [Properties] then click on System Restore tab. Put a check in the box for Disable Restore on all drives.Click apply, then Reboot your PC. After the system reboots, navigate to the System Restore tab and turn it back on. Click apply. Navigate to [System Tools] [Restore...] and choose [Create a Restore Point] Provide a name for the new restore point. Try and restore the new point just created. It should now work properly!

Regards,

Submitted by: AussiePete (Peter)

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Answer:

Hi There,

This is for Frances P., and her/his issue with System Restore "stuck" issue. I have also, at times had tons of problems with this "so-called tool" for XP - and I know they run XP Home. I run XP Pro with SP2. Always updated, very secure - hopefully theirs is as well, as they didn't mention IF they did or did not have SP2 on theirs? But, I sure hope they do.

At any rate, I'm just a die hard 'techie', who gets ALOT of CNET Newsletters (along with the Help.com ones - by the way - many of which I'd love to have, but more than that, I'd love to help others and get this person resolved). Since I'm disabled and cannot work outside the home, my Computer is my only way of 'helping others' - so, I use it for that as often as I'm able to.

So, here are 'my' suggestions - and I pray that one might work for this person and their situation, as I also very much dislike "stuck times"...

First - possibly, their System Restore 'might' have become 'corrupted' in and of itself!!! For which - IF they have NOT installed the SP2 for XP Home that they are running - THAT would (and should) install a "fresh new version" of it for them and it would work again!!

Second - I, personally, do not 'use' System Restore, because it requires so many resources (even though I do have plenty to handle it - I just don't like the way it works - and this persons issue is just one example)... So - this person could use what "I" 'choose' to use 'instead' - which is the "Go Back", and now I cannot remember who the Manufacturer of it is anymore - but it is MUCH better and "does so much more - and 'always' works"!!! Plus, you have the support of the company behind you with that product!!! I just "disable" System Restore in the "services.mmc" by doing Start/Run/ and typing what I just put in quotes - but without the quotes - and finding system restore - and doing the drop down for Disable on the first AND second tabs!!!

It sounds to me like this person has plenty of space, as do I, and that their System Restore 'system file(s)' got corrupted somehow - either on their own and/or by a Windows Update - goodness only knows these days, huh?

But, my 2 suggestions would be to install the Service Pack 2 if not already on their computer - because it really is great. My daughter and son both have XP Home with it, so I know it's fine for that version as well as mine, which is Pro. OR - to get the Go Back Product, and just 'disable' the System Restore that Windows gives you - which is really not that great anyway, to be really honest...

As I said - I am a die hard techie, and do beta test for Microsoft, and others, so have seen many things, and have my system pretty Optimal and keep it that way - and would 'never' in my Life, tell anyone, no matter who or where, to do anything that "I" would not do myself - I promise you that!!! I am just a good hearted disabled old fashioned person - who happens to adore computers and everything about them as well...

You take care, and keep up the great columns, because I read them always, even if I don't typically write in... this one really got me, because I've been there!!!

And, if you don't choose my answer - well, that's just fine too - I enjoyed explaining and writing what "I" do - so that maybe someone or others who read it will benefit, if not Frances P.

Have a Great Week,
Judy S.

Submitted by: Judy S.

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Answer:

How to Restart or Reinstall the SYSTEM RESTORE Service
Several readers have written to say that their SYSTEM RESTORE feature has stopped working, sometimes after installing updates. The first thing to try is stopping and restarting the service. To do this, open the Services node from the Computer Management console (right click My Computer and select Manage. Expand Services and Applications and click Services). In the right pane, scroll down to SYSTEM RESTORE Service. Right click, select Stop. After the service has stopped, right click again and select Start.
If this doesn't work, you might have to reinstall SYSTEM RESTORE. Here's how:
1. First ensure that all hidden files and folders are displayed (in Windows Explorer, click Tools | Folder Options | View tab, and click the option button that says "Show hidden files and folders." Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files." Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types").
2. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Windows folder where you installed XP (by default, C:\Windows). Click the Inf folder.
3. Scroll down to locate the sr.inf file. Right click it and select Install (you might be asked to insert the XP installation CD or point to the i386 installation folder on the hard disk).
Note that this procedure will destroy any restore points you made previously, but if SYSTEM RESTORE isn't working, you can't use them anyway.

Submitted by: Kira S.

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System Restore workaround
by grmckne May 26, 2005 11:00PM PDT

I partition HHD with same size partition or larger than working partition with Partition Commander 9.01 and when I think needed I copy working partition to the new partition, labeled backup. Then when I think I need to backup I delete entire backup partition and copy working partition to the backup partition. Thus I have two working partition available to boot. This takes about an hour, but the peace of mind is worth the bother. This has worked great for me, with 98se
Win 2000 pro, and even Linux.
Gerald R McKinney
grmckne

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System Restore
by Bronte May 27, 2005 10:47AM PDT

You should be aware that if you have Norton GoBack installed on your computer, it becomes the default System Restore. Microsoft XP (Professional or Home version) will no longer function. It will simply advise you that you have no available restore points. Personally, I much prefer Norton GoBack to XP's System Restore. GoBack has saved me so many times that I couldn't live without it!

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Norton Internet Security can also cause problems...
by John_ajazzfan May 27, 2005 11:04AM PDT

I had this problem too. Turned out that when I did the Restore operation the system also restored a previous version of Norton (I had installed the latest version and was troubleshooting a driver issue caused by Norton Internet Security) which conflicted with the newer version of Norton. I couldn't even get the Help screen to show up!

Don't purchase the latest version of Norton if your system uses any InCD drivers, InCD is incompatible with Norton. I lost my CDRW driver (Sony drive)after installing Norton. After a week of troubleshooting with Symantec they finally admitted the inadequacy of their program--and refused to write me a software patch. I've since switched to McAfee and have had no more problems.

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Norton Internet Security and InCD
by Trailhop May 27, 2005 9:45PM PDT

I, also, had a problem with Norton Internet Security and an InCD driver.
And I had a problem removing Norton System Works from my daughters computer.
I have since removed everything that is by Norton and refuse to have anything by Norton on my and my daughters computers. Norton needs to patch these and other issues... and it wouldn't hurt if they improved thier support site.

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Restore system
by DDGGRR May 28, 2005 10:11AM PDT

The best way to use the xp restore system if you have problems is to turn off your fire walls and then restore the system and then turn on the fire walls again. Thst is what microsoft help desk told me to do and it work every time. The reason for the conflict is because their are a lotg of fire wall with diffrent systems.

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Norton Internet Securty and InCD
by RoeMaier May 29, 2005 3:51AM PDT

I to have had trouble with InCD. I think it is a Nero program and has to do with burning CD's

Roe

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RE: Norton and InCD
by theprof1986 May 29, 2005 11:23AM PDT

If you are not using InCD (to create an large floppy disc which you can delete and add stuff without burning another session), I would recommend uninstalling

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My System ,better off without norton and system restore
by webbfeet May 28, 2005 8:35AM PDT

my pc use to crash alot, the only thing I have changed is I got rid of Norton, I use EZ antivirus, their virus defs are updated regular and often, plus the Ez found things that had gotten by norton on my daughters pc.System is kept off, the system restore constantly runs and creates restore points every day or so,your hard drive my have 20 or 30 restore points, taking up space, harboring bugs, virus and other stuff.Plus system restore on Win xp will omit your your custom restore points and keep what it wants,bottom line why copy something over again and again,you still can restore with it off. webbfeet

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Quit Norton and went to McAfee... Maybe the wrong solution.
by gchenarides Jun 15, 2005 11:17AM PDT

Just a note about your change of heart with Norton. I have two computers running the latest Win XP with Norton System Works on my desktop and Norton Internet Security on my laptop, and have not had any issues caused by either. I recently bought my wife a Dell 4700 desktop which came with a trial McAfee which I left installed.
I installed the several Spyware programs, as well as the new Microsoft beta, and setup her e-mail on Outlook Express and browser.
All was well for several weeks then she started to get fewer e-mail messages from her friends. She occasionaly received some and other times none. I tried for many, many, hours doing all kinds of things to fix the issue to no avail. I finally gave up and called my ISP, Earthlink, for their tech support assistance. After trying numerous possibilities he called me back the following day and requested I REMOVE, not just disable, McAfee and he sent several test messages which all came thru. I then had several friends send her messages as well as sending from my desktop, and again all the messages came thru. The tech told me that his research had showed several instances where McAfee had caused e-mail issues with Outlook Express. I thought I would pass this along for whatever cautionary worth it may have.

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xp-home setup-goback does not affect xp`s sysrestore on CPU
by natgreen40 May 27, 2005 1:26PM PDT

WHERE DID YOU GET THAT INFO? i BELIEVE THESE PGS ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE!! COME-BACK!

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GOBACK NOT UPDATED SINCE 2000! COULDN'T MAKE IT WORK IN XP.
by Xgenei Jul 9, 2005 4:15AM PDT

For the issues with old-windows, the GOBACK pro version (cost $35 or so) was the answer to a prayer. And by the way the disabling you have to do every time you back up so it's routine to do that. Restoring from a backup then is routine -- you restore, then install GoBack. But I digress.

I thought XP System Restore, which does NOT ACTUALLY restore but about HALF THE CONTENTS (I am right -- this is STU-PID), was just another microsoft AP-category killer. And so Semantic bought GoBack out for a song, and just milked it as a ''freebie.'' No more engineering -- no more updates. 99% of users wouldn't know the difference, so who would care? And who would buy the pro version?

A: I would if it cost twice as much.

I have been diligently rechecking for an updated version ever so often since 2001 -- you guys may have some long awaited good news. Hope so. But if you got that old version 3 to work right with XP -- you must have pixy dust I don't have. So I'm anxious to hear more.

BTW (more digression) one other factor is the NTSC file system is WAY more reliable -- very ''industrial'' -- which of course makes it far less likely that a conservative user, who does do system images (USE ACRONIS TRUEIMAGE OH MY MANY BROTHERS & a few sisters.)

Most of the world is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP -- and then they PAY PAY PAY. So HA HA HA. Unfortunately the market is then ruined when MS does its thing by keeping the inflation numbers artificially low. No I am not stoned -- just gamboling <8^).

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Caution using GoBack
by GregCoben May 27, 2005 2:24AM PDT

GoBack is a great product (currently offered by Symantec), except for two things. One, it takes a hardware inventory of your system, two, it loads itself before Windows does. The problem occurs when your non-bootup hard drive crashes and you have to replace it with a new one. When GoBack loads it sees that the hardware is different, and it goes into a convulsion that prevents Windows from starting, even in Safe Mode. There is an obscure way to get around this, but you have to dig through the Symnantec Knowledge Base to find it. The GoBack user manual tells you how to disable it before making any significant changes to your system, and provided you remember to do that -- and have the opportunity to do that -- things will be fine. But it is a royal pain in the whatever if worse comes to worst.

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Re: Caution using GoBack
by bond007x May 27, 2005 5:00AM PDT

I agree with Greg's comment. Forgot about this. Also experienced this once or twice and decided to use System Restore rather than GoBack v3. Perhaps GoBack v4 works more nicely with WinXP? Not sure.

Also, GoBack protects itself from modification and is "low level" below the OS. Generally a good thing, but this can also be a royal pain when trying to recover data using partition programs such as Partition Magic, etc. Again, there are work arounds, but adds more technical analysis time to already stressful situation when trying to recover access to a messed up hard disk.

Been there, done that.

Last story: Once upon a time, I trusted GoBack v3 to reverse damage caused by "any" virus. Had so much faith that I didn't even use Anti Virus! This worked great, until a virus came along and tried overwriting my entire hard disk very quickly during bootup. This caused GoBack to overflow its "change buffer" and I was no longer able to "Go back" because the changes suddenly exceeded Goback's history buffer. Yes, I lost nearly everything. Lesson learned. Happy

(this wasn't a fault of Goback, but a fault of my lack of forecasting such problems.)

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Go Back
by mlmccutcheon May 27, 2005 6:32AM PDT

I think I remember seeing that when you do a compatability search for Go Back and XP piror to upgrading to XP you get a result saying that you cannot install XP whith GoBack installed.

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GOBACK
by GIZMO97 May 27, 2005 6:55AM PDT

THAT'S REALLY FUNNY I JUST CAME ONLINE AND YOU JUST DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM THAT I'M HAVING TRYING TO INSTALL GOBACK AFTER I HAD A WESTERN DIGITAL HARDDRIVE INSTALLED.IF YOU CAN GIVE ME SOME ADVICE ON HOW TO GET IT TO INSTALL I WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATED. WHEN I TRY TO INSTALL IT IT TELLS ME THAT THE UNINSTALL WAS SUCCESSFUL,GO FIGURE!
THANKS FOR ANY HELP
RAY

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GoBack uninstall problems
by marklaquinta May 27, 2005 10:34AM PDT

I have used GoBack for years, and day in and day out I think it has saved me a hundred times, but when GoBack goes wrong, it will take your system with it. I advise everyone to have a redundant backup system with GoBack on top and a disk imaging program such as Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost periodically creating images that can be used to restore your system if GoBack fails. One particular problem is uninstallation of GoBack, which is sometimes incomplete leading to a vicious circle in which windows cannot boot and you can't get to the GoBack screen either. I quote below from an e-mail response from Roxio technical support
Follow these instructions to uninstall GoBack in Windows.
1. Create a new folder in the root of c:\, call it goback.
2. Copy three files from the c:\program files\roxio\goback folder to
this new goback folder:
Setup.exe
GBReboot.exe
GBSetHlp.vxd
3. From the desktop do a Start>Run, type the following command in the
run box and click OK:
c:\goback\setup /u
Say yes to uninstalling your copy of GoBack. The computer will reboot
and GoBack will uninstall.
Thank you for using Roxio's ASK US. (Roxio managed GoBack after Adaptec and before Symantec).

After GoBack is successfully uninstalled (really), it can be reinstalled in the usual way.

By the way, I really should mention that there are some incompatibilities still being worked out between Acronis True Image and GoBack, but if you make your True Image Backup with GoBack uninstalled or inactivated, its OK. Finally, sometimes a True Image backup partition will not write to a disk that has previously been set to GoBack. An ultimate solution to this problem is to quickly install windows onto the drive (no need to register or get updates, this is just to get rid of GoBack) and then run the Acronis program. This is all a lot of work but if you like your data you'll learn to love these two programs. Cheers!

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Go Back
by mwkendall1 May 30, 2005 2:11AM PDT

Something else you might want to know.
On an older system I was using, win98, My system had gotten so slow I decided to format HD and start from scratch. Reinstalled windows, when I tried to reinstall Go-Back, it said Go Back had already been installed and could not be reinstalled on this drive.
THE DRIVE HAD BEEN FORMATTED! No files on computer for Go Back, but got error message stating drive had been partitioned for Go Back already, could not reinstall.

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GOBACK
by GIZMO97 May 30, 2005 9:13AM PDT

I GOT THE SAME THING WHAT CAN BEEN IF ANYTHING?
RAY

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Go Back reinstall issues
by marklaquinta Jun 1, 2005 2:30AM PDT

Is it possible that you have a system with more than one hard drive? If you do, GoBack inserts information on all of the HDs and you need to take that into account. This is where GoBack fails as an easy to use program, and sometimes I think about giving up on it. At this point, you really have to keep your system basically intact. If you need to reinstall Windows and can't, you might try to temporarily disconnect the other HDs during the install, and then reinstall GoBack with everything connected back up.

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GOBACK
by GIZMO97 May 30, 2005 8:22AM PDT

THAT'S PROBLELY WHAT HAPPEN TO ME I INSTALLED A NEW WESTERN HARD DRIVE AND EVER SINCE I CAN'T GET "SYSTEM RESTORE" OR "GOBACK"!
RAY

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Addendum/correction to Judy S. (above) response
by bond007x May 27, 2005 4:47AM PDT

Hi Judy, et. al.

thanks for your reply. I generally agree, but for a few points:

--------excerpt from Judy S. entry---------
persons issue is just one example)... So - this person could use what ''I'' 'choose' to use 'instead' - which is the ''Go Back'', and now I cannot remember who the Manufacturer of it is anymore - but it is MUCH better and ''does so much more - and 'always' works''!!! Plus, you have the support of the company behind you with that product!!! I just ''disable'' System Restore in the ''services.mmc'' by doing Start/Run/ and typing what I just put in quotes - but without the quotes - and finding system restore - and doing the drop down for Disable on the first AND second tabs!!!
-------------------------------------------

1. START | RUN | ''SERVICES.MSC'' (not services.mmc)

2. ''GOBACK'' originally created by ''Wild File'' circa 1997, bought by Adaptec (1999?), split off into Roxio (2001?), and now bought by Symantec (circa 2003). See www.goback.com for more information. Tip: Very cheap when purchased as part of Symantec SystemWorks package.

GOBACK is an ABSOLUTELY essential lifesaver for Win9x systems! Worked great. Monitors sector changes and saves history on roughly 10% (adjustable) of total hard drive space.

AFAIK, Microsoft "bought license" to use a stripped down version of GOBACK for their System Restore function in WinXP. System Restore DOES work, and consumes less CPU resource than GOBACK, but more HD space due to snapshot duplication.

My vote is for System Restore (saves snapshot of registry AND critical system files) w/o consuming CPU resources. If you'd like to ONLY backup the entire WinXP registry, then use FREEWARE program: ERUNT (do google search to download). FAST, works great every time. Saved me a million times and many Kudos to this author!

GOBACK does a lot more than System Restore (more customizable) and in general doesn't overconsume CPU/DISK resources too much, but I like to conserve as many system resources for WinXP as possible.

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Be aware of this
by supermanx1a May 30, 2005 3:38AM PDT

I run the IPG service dept at a big national chain and I'd like to share some things with everyone. The system restore in Win XP is very helpful to solve difficulties PROVIDED it is used properly and realistically. We were able in many instances to solve a variety of configuration problems simply by running the System Restore; however, 2 common things we have found out with many people who had problems with the restore are this: when the disk is running out of space, Windows will delete restore points starting with the oldest ones, sometimes that situation is extreme and all restore points are deleted. Secondly, when a restore point is created, it will also copy malware, spyware, viruses, etc. Therefore when you scan your entire disk and you choose the option of blindly deleting all infected files, you may not be aware that things in the restore or GoBack files are also infected and therefore are deleted in the process.
There is no surefire way to ensure that your computer is ENTIRELY free from viruses, spyware, etc. Competing antivirus and spyware programs will always find something that the previous scan from another company did not.
My suggestion is that when you FEEL that all the scans have done their jobs, then go ahead and create a restore point and hope that you don't need to use it.

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System Restore
by caroltapp Dec 25, 2005 12:37PM PST

Thanks for the help. I've been unable to use system restore for quite a long time. Tonight I logged on to this site. After trying several listed solutions, I found that this one worked for me. Thanks! I'm really relieved that I can now use it again.

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System Restore
by bugsjones069 Dec 31, 2006 10:11AM PST

Dear Kira S.
I think you are a genius! I tried everything to get system restore back to working again, and you were the only one that did it. I love you! I hope you are female. Thanks again, Bugsjones@comcast.net

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Other suggestions from our members
by Lee.Koo May 26, 2005 2:37AM PDT

****Other suggestions from our members*****

Answer:

My philosophy about things that don't work in Windows is to work around them. As far as restoring is concerned, I've been using GoBack for four or five years now. It's a wonderful program, and has saved my life on several occasions, particularly when I've installed bad or balky programs. Depending on the amount of space allocated to it, it can restore your computer to its previous working condition a minute, an hour, a day, a week earlier. You can turn the clock back yet keep recent copies of files. Highly recommended.

Submitted by: Bill M. of Ladysmith, BC

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Answer:

I've had that happen to me on one occasion and to make this short and sweet I turned system restore off and deleted all restore points,rebooted and restarted system restore. For a test I tried restoring to the restore point created when my system came up after the reboot( now I don't mean immediately tried to restore because I would not know where or not it was working properly, I simply browsed the net,,checked e-mails and after several hours I tried system restore(the one created after turning on sys restore and fron then on it has worked fine) . I'm not a whiz kid ,,just know what worked for me, Good luck.

Submitted by: Gary C.

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Answer:

Hi!!
Regarding System Restore Problem, this information may be of help as I had a virus that infected my System Restore about 18 months ago!
Hope it helps..

In your case log, you've indicated that after clearing the lovesan worm restore points are corrupted. If I have misunderstood your concern, please let me know. We shall be working to resolve this specific issue through the course of the case.

According to my research, this issue can occur when the restore points have been infected by the virus. At this stage, I suggest you scan and clean the worm again, and then restart the System Restore service.

Please refer to the following KB article to turn off and then turn on the System Restore feature:

How to Turn On and Turn Off System Restore in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;310405


Submitted by: Vern V.

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Answer:

Dear miss frances p., i think if you go to my computer , right click, then click on system restore ,then click on the drive you want to restore , then click shut off system restore, then restart your computer, go back to the system restore click turn on system restore, then restart one more time ( maybe, you can if you want ) then go to restoring my computer and try that. Sincerely Rita A.
P.S. And if that dont work will you write and tell me? cool!

Submitted by: Rita A.

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Answer:

days and each individual point has its own amount of restore information stored on your hard drive so when you do a lot of restoring you risk removing some if not all of the information that you need on critical restores. to keep this from happening...., every time you need to restore your system to a previous state and the restore operation is successful the next step is to go into system properties to turn restore off then right back on
so you can erase all old restore points and create new ones that way when you really need to restore the information collected in the next 90 days it won,t be corrupted by the old restore points that has never been cleaned out...,remember everything needs to be cleaned every now and then .....even restore points

Submitted by: BP

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Answer:

Hi Frances,

I have XP Pro and also have successfully used system restore. Mine stopped working about 2 months ago after over three years. I got the same errors you did and went through similiar trouble shooting.

I hate to say that after hour after hour trying to make it work I finally backed everything up on an external and formatted and reinstalled XP Pro.

It works beautifully now and much faster.

Little quirky things kept happening the past 6 months that gave me reason for concern about it. I have had no virus, etc. I am very diligent about virus protection, hackers, and adware.

After I was done setting everything back up, in retrospect it was easier to back up 60gigs of data, etc. then to spend the hours after hours trying to get system restore to work.

Submitted by: Susie O.

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Answer:

Do your restore in safe mode it will work....

Submitted by: Rob H.

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Answer:

run Windows ME, ie 5.5 , and had a similar problem for ages - System Restore doesn't restore - which persisted even after several complete reformattings.
At some point I thought to check Microsoft's Updates and downloads page, and found a (fairly vague) reference to System Restore drivers. Downloaded a fairly small file, and bingo!
Don't remember all the details, or know whether it's the same problem in all circumstances, but would be worthwhile having a look.
The reference wasn't one that jumped out at you, but mentioned "system restore" and was found in the index column on the left of the page.
Lotsa luck!


Submitted by: Doodles

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Answer:

I had exactly the same problem this week, except that I'm using Millenium instead of XP on this machine. The problem probably is with the operating system: look for error messages saying that you have a problem with certain programs. If the programs belong to your XP system (a name beginning with "ms," indicating Microsoft is a clue), then you'll have to reinstall the system.

You should have a disk for installing or re-installing XP. I have XP through Dell on a notebook that came with a disk that says "Reinstallation CD." While the process may seem catastrophic, I was able to reinstall ME without losing anything stored in my hard drive and without deleting the crippled version beforehand. I just put in the CD and followed instructions like a good soldier.

If your computer is still under warranty you should be able to get free tech support from your vendor, and if you bought the operating system independently, you should be able to get ample help from Microsoft. In any event, it costs nothing to log on to http://support.microsoft.com.

Submitted by: DB Jacob

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Answer:

I had the same problem with my HP after going to microsofts SP1 and 2 setup. I finally had to order a set of disk and reformat my system etc.
If you keep calling support you will find a tech eventually that knows how to help you.


Submitted by: Kerry C.

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Answer:
Hi,
The problem appears to occur after a defragmentation and likely the trouble actually prevents a reversal of the defrayment. That is what I supposed.
The facility returns after some time and it has had a chance to make more restore points. I like to make a restore point after I do maintenance lest I have the problem again.
Have a nice day!

Submitted by: Sy K.

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Answer:

This has happened to me many times also Frances, but invariably, only when I forget to log in a date myself. It pays to log in one every so often, and you will find that the one you have indeed logged in, will work everytime. The computer cannot think for itself, you have to aid and abet it, even the most complicated good program like Windows XP...Kind regards, Graeme.

Submitted by: Graeme M.

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Answer:

System Restore

The only time when System Restore has not worked for me is when and if any peripherals had been removed, such as a removable drive. It needs the original hardware setup when the System Restore creation point was made. Hope this helps.


Submitted by: Stephanie B.

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Answer:

I certainly am not an ms person but I had the same problem. Restore would not work for me on any of the restore points in my system so I created a new restore point near, same day that I had originally chosen. It worked perfectly and since them (six months ago) I have used restore twice on the restore points in the system and it has worked fine.

Submitted by: Allan D.

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Answer:

dear francis p,
try backing up to your last system restore date (undo): and try again,if you do not know the dates,in future keep a note of the dates, it worked for me i am running windows xp2

Submitted by: stephen

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Answer:

Frances, In reference to your problems with Windows XP System Restore I discovered a long time ago that their is one specific major fault with the System Restore System. If at any time you go to the "Control Panel" ("Add and remove programs") and remove either one or more programs than it voids out your using your system restore. In short what happens is when you use system restore it takes you back to a specific point in time; If anything is missing (programs you deleted via the 'add and remove programs') than it will not be able to find that program during the system restore and it will show you a reading of "Cannot Restore, no changes have been made to your system" Because of this problem I have shut off my system restore and just use the "add and remove programs". Not only did I get rid of the system restore but I also gained back a lot of space on my hard drive that it was taking up.

Submitted by: Bravehart4

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Answer:

Maybe you tried to restore Windows after deleting files that can't be recuperated, so on, the system is not able to restore without these files. Solution: first recover these files with an utility like the older "undelete" from D.O.S., there are several (Norton Utilities and a large list of freeware).

Submitted by: Alejandro F.

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Answer:

had the same problem with restore point on xp windows ,home edition so what I did was delete all my restore points and set up a new point and went from there.Hope this helps it worked for me.

Submitted by: Louise B.

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Answer:

I remember having this problem, and have been racking my brains to remember what caused it. I think System Restore can get a bit finicky at times; I deleted all the restore points in the end; did some cleaning-up, a defrag, made a new restore point, and eventually got it working again. It was probably related to a habit I have of fiddling with XP settings.
I suspect this is not an uncommon problem, for which a house-clean, like running a registry cleaner, may be a solution.

Submitted by: Carolyn


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Answer:

This may seem a bit obvious, but have you checked to see if System Restore is actually turned on? If you ever have had low disk space (less than 200 Mb on any partition, I believe), the system will automatically shut down the system restore and will not give you any indication it is doing so.

Check your System Restore settings in your System settings in the Control Panel. Make sure that ?Turn Off System Restore On All Drives? is not checked. If it is, you need to uncheck it and reselect which drives it should monitor.


Submitted by: Nancy W.

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Answer:

Francis,

I really don't want to come across negative but you really need to review your usage if you have to use restore more than once a year (at minimum every six months). The theory of this item is to give you an emergency type rebuild of you system. Just as performing a backup, on a regular basis, is designed to collect dust until it's next rotation. Granted sometime you'll need to restore but taking care of your data should prevent this requirement unless you catch something or have conflicts.
If you like going back to previous versions/options try a revert program (Go Back) that will allow you to go back to a previous boot date/time.

On with your problem - Do a current backup first. Use a disk clean/sweep utility and get rid of excess cookies, files, programs, etc. Next, defrag your disk. Then (hopefully you have) optimize the disk and use the clean empty spaces option (zero unused sectors). I use Norton SystemWorks but others are available that are just about or as good. Review the Windows Doctor (WinDoc) for errors. Also, use Disk Doc to check it for problems. Basically your cleaning and optimizing your system.
Now, if needed do a files only restore.
Backup's from this date forward should contain only changed/updated/new files and programs. Then once a month (dependent on you) do a complete system backup. Remember backups are for system crashes, and recovery of harddrives not to revert to a previous date/time of usage. Use something like "Go Back" for that.
Lastly, use your utilities to monitor and maintain your system in background mode. You'll be much happier and do a lot less "maintaining" in the future.

Submitted by: mudhawaii


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Answer:

I had the same problem ! Thought in the end a virus must have hit me ! All i could do in the end was reformat the whole computer!

Submitted by: Buddy

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Answer:

Even though Frances indicates she has sufficient disk space, she may not be allocating enough space for System Restore or needs to delete some of her System Restore points she has created and are taking up too much space. To add more space she needs to go to Settings-Control Panel-System. Click on the System Restore Tab, then on Settings. There she can use the slider to create more disk space for System Restore. To delete old System Restore points, she can use Disk Clean-up which can be found under Start-Accessories-System Tools. Hope this clears up her problem.

Submitted by: Frank F of El Paso, Texas

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System Restore
by banjoslick May 26, 2005 5:30PM PDT

I am a puter tech and when I'm working on someone elses computer I will not mess with system restore.
In my personel computer I never turn system system restore on.
It eats up tons of disk space and if you know what you are doing you don't need to have it turned on any way.
Ask how to circumvent system restore and you will be told.
Waste of a good programer.
DRW
solution run chkdsk in the search if you are having problems and it will fix most thing.

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System Restore Corrupted
by pg44 May 27, 2005 4:38AM PDT

Run sfc /scannow this will restore any corrupted files to their original form as when XP was installed.
Remember to put your XP O/S disc in before starting this procedure as it may have to read disc to replace files.

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Help Messed up the scannow procedure
by spomerantz Sep 22, 2005 1:30AM PDT

I just ran this command based on recommendation from Dell (for a minor problem). Unfortunately, I am running xp pro sp2 and the disk they told me to use was xp pro 1a. Now I get blue screen. System restore won't work.

I can get into my system in safe mode. If I rerun scannow with the right disk, do you think it will work? Any other suggestions. I am at my wits end.

Dell wants me to reformat!!!! no way!

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System restore
by PapaDock May 27, 2005 1:03PM PDT

My problem with not being able to use my system
restore was because somehow I lost my administrator
status. Once it was restored so was my system restore.

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