Poll: How useful do you find Windows System Restore?

but it never solved an issue I was having. I can't judge it's usefulness based solely on personal experience, however. I tend to create a HD image at regular intervals or when I'm installing some piece of software and prefer this method as a bailout rather than system restore.

in the 15 years I've been using Windows, usually with good results.

System Restore has got better with the newer versions of Windows.

Why have I used it? A variety of reasons ranging from plain idiocy in 'messing about' with the OS to a quick and safer way to restore to a previous state after a software install.

In the early days it helped remove viruses, but the malware writers have become too clever for that trick nowadays.

Mark

My experience is that my machine tends to lock up when creating System Restore points, and with Vista they are never available when I have a serious problem.
When the computer is working fine, I can see a few of them (much less with Vista than with Windows XP)but when the computer is compromised then I've had to go to a factory reset, since the restore points don't help.

It is nice to know you have that program around. I remember some of the earlier iterations of Windows that didn't have those things, and it could be very difficult to recover from a system crash. I haven't had to use if for a year or two, but glad it is around. I also do extensive data back ups, so can recover most of my work if I have to. I can always reinstall the O/S and other programs, but recovering work that you have created can be a problem.

I'm what I think is "computer savvy" but not very knowledgeable beyond just a little below the surface, really. I did a dumb thing by deleting one of two copies of my wireless printer, which screws up every time the power goes off in a storm, and the remaining one no longer worked. I tried going to a half dozen support sites and wasted more time trying to find the install disk when I thought about trying to go to a restore point that was before I did the dumb deletion. I had no idea what would happen, or what files would then be missing or anything, but I took it step by step and voila! There was my original printer icon back again and everything is working fine. I'm sure somebody more geeky than I could have fixed the original problem a better way, but this worked for me.

When using backup, I usually boot to safe mode when I can. From there I get about a 50% success rate. What annoys me is after a half hour or more the system boots normally and displays an informatiom box declaring that system restore failed and none of my files or programs have been change. GRRR!

Even when using a backup disk, windows declares it can't continue because it can't find a particular file. GGRRR!

I only ever needed it once. Can't remember the exact circumstances, but I somehow got Vista Home Premium where it wouldn't start up when I tried to fix some kind of problem. I put in my restore DVD, and tried to restore the computer using a week old System Restore backup. It wouldn't work. Can't remember the exact error message, but in the end I had to just give up and re-install. Funny thing is, when I re-installed, it fixed the original problem, so guess it wasn't all bad.

That's why System Restore is pretty useful to me.

When traditional cleanup tools like Malware bytes don't work, and the clock is ticking, try a System Restore. The only think the client PC loses is some updates, and updates can be a source of problems!

System Restore is not my first step, but it has worked wonders for me, many times.

I've used System Restore a couple of times in the past but I use Norton Ghost to do a full backup on Sunday and an incremental backup on Wednesday, to an external HD.

I find Ghost is much better because in a worst case scenario it can restore EVERYTHING.

I use Windows restore points, but haven't needed to actually USE one.

I usually take restore points before installing new software - JIC!

Now that I am using VMWARE Workstation, I use the VMWARE checkpoints for my virtual PC's.

Everytime I have tried to use 'recover' in my Win 7 Home Premium it hasn't worked. At first, it would not open the service. I couldn't make any backups at all. After many hours of trying to figure it out with MS Help, I reloaded the OS. Now it makes backups OK but when I go to 'restore' it goes through all the motions but then says it couldn't do it because the service was denied access to the b/u file.

I'm still running XP.
If I ever come across the need to use system restore, the system is always unable to restore to the point and date that I choose.
When the worst comes to the worst I have do a factory reset.

I only tried it once, a few years ago. Didn't seem to do anything, and certainly didn't fix the problem it should have.

If anyone was paying attention I was here earlier this year wondering if anyone could help or had advice on my restore.It was not setting points manually or otherwise well I never found out what the problem was but in a serendiptious moment I needed a antivirus and so I installed MS essentials which does an automatic restore before every scheduled scan. problem solved

its a waste of time. i have tried to use it several times and it never works, but it goes thru the motions then tells me it didn't work. then someone told me i shouldn't even use it! so i don't bother with it anymore,but im sure it was meant ofr a purpose so that bugs me that it wont do what its supposed to do.

Everytime I download a program or make changes to my computer, I make a restore point first, then if I don't like the download or changes, I can undo it with no problems. Saves me lots of time and aggravation. I would really hate to lose the restore option.

After several unsatisfactory experiences with Windows System Restore, going back to Win98 days, I switched to ERUNT.
[ERUNT = Emergency Recovery Utility - NT] provided by Lars Hederer for FREE at www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/ and other download sites. On first cold boot each day a complete backup is made of the entire Registry and saved to folder Windows/ERDNT or other location of your choice. ERDNT will take the system totally back to whichever day you choose, plus it runs from Windows Recovery Console if needed. 30-day's-worth are kept by default when AutoBackup option is used, the oldest being deleted for the latest, but that is configurable too . For double protection, the backup registries can easily be saved or copied to an exterior storage device. See the home page for full details.

I find it very useful, it's saved me many times.
I have downloaded wrong updates etc.
Usually I do everything semi automatic and it means mistakes every now and then..

Maceman

I can't seem to get back to the original question and the poll that went with it. My memory says that the poll generally was favorable to system restore? Yet, when I look at these comments, I see mostly negative comments.

i'm surprised that there is so little support for system restore. It's certainly not a perfect solution, but for me, SR has worked enough times to be part of my tool kit.

I've used system restore many times over the years, today being the most recent. There are a variety of reasons I use it, and sometimes, it doesn't work. But its worked often enough for me to continue to use it. It is faster than Acronis and doesn't take up the drive space, however, I do use Acronis for my main computer simply because it is so much more reliable.

The one time i was hoping for it to restore, the restore failed on every restore point i checked.

Not really sure how it is helpful, I am more afraid of it than anything. I don't understand exactly what it does and am afraid it might wipe out something I want to keep. And so far, it has done nothing for me.