System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bowen

I have a problem with System Restore only keeping restore points 5 days
back at the most.  So for example, the oldest restore point I have
currently is from September 6, 2007.  I've had this Vista x64 install
for around a month now.  I should have restore points dating back to
about August 1st or so.

I've got plenty of HD space too......around 500GB free I believe so
that's not an issue.  I don't have any viruses.  I bet this is an easy
fix, it's just that I don't know what that is.  Vista is supposed to
automatically make restore points every day doesn't it?  According to
this post at this site, Vista is supposed to save restore points for
around 136 years.  'Vista's System Restore Points are set to delete
after 136 years ! - Windows Vista'
(http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread82418.html)

While I don't need it that long, I'd like it save them for around 6
months to a year or even whatever the default is supposed to be.  I had
a problem with a Windows update about a month ago.  I think it was a
security update or something.  Anyway, I don't know which one or why,
but it borked my system and I couldn't even boot, not even in Safe Mode.
So I put the Vista x64 DVD in and went to use System Restore and I
didn't have any restore points.  I had no other choice than to reinstall
Windows.  I just want to know why it's doing this and how I can stop it
before I have to use System Restore again and I have to reinstall again.

Thanks in advance!


--
Bowen

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - brink

Bowen;449718 Wrote:


Hi Bowen,

When you are in System Restore, make sure you check *Show Restore
points older than 5 days *to see your older restore points.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/76905-system-restore-how.html


By default System Restore allocates 15% of your hard drive for restore
points.  This tutorial will show you how you can see how much space is
being used and change it to your needs.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/76227-system-restore-disk-space.html

Shawn


--
brink

*There are no dumb questions, just the people that do not ask them.*
_http://www.Vistax64.com (\"http://www.Vistax64.com\")_
*Please post feedback to help others.*

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Michael

Bowen,

There should be a check box in lower left of list box of available restore
points for "show restore points older than 5 days" .
If I select that box I have restore points back to 8/29. Is the check box
missing or just ineffective on your setup?

Michael

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bowen

brink;449742 Wrote:

Thanks Shawn and Michael, the 5 days is actually with the box checked.
So, I looked at the tutorial link that you posted and here's how much
space it says.

Used Shadow Copy Storage space: 21.939GB
Allocated Shadow Copy Storage space: 24.063GB
Maximum Shadow Copy Storage space: 69.864GB

I've got 2 HD's one is 250GB and the other is 500GB, but I'm only using
System Restore on my C: drive and it has 397GB free so I know I have
enough room.  By looking at the space that System Restore is using that
I posted above, is this why it's deleting them or should is there
another reason that doesn't present itself here.  I'm just not sure how
much room is required to keep older points.  Thanks.


--
Bowen

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - brink

Bowen;449875 Wrote:

Bowen,

It looks like you have enough space allocated.

Do you have a 3rd party program that may be deleting them?  See:

'Missing Restore Points/Shadow Copies in Windows Vista:'
(http://bertk.mvps.org/html/missingrpv.html)

Shawn


--
brink

*There are no dumb questions, just the people that do not ask them.*
_http://www.Vistax64.com (\"http://www.Vistax64.com\")_
*Please post feedback to help others.*

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Ken Blake, MVP

On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:06:09 -0500, Bowen






Others have already told you about the "Show Restore points older than
5 days" setting. I wanted to add one comment: reverting to a restore
point more than a week or two old is likely to cause other problems,
getting other files out of synch with the registry. For that reason,
there's no real value to having restore anywhere near as old as six
months to a year.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bowen

brink;449934 Wrote:

The only 3rd party app I have that I've run since actually looking at
System Restore is Perfect Disk which is a disk defragger that you're
probably familiar with.  Before I was thinking if a 3rd party app was
interfering in some way, but I couldn't think of what it might be save
Perfect Disk or a few Registry cleaners that I use.  Speaking of which,
I use: TuneUp Utilities 2007's reg cleaner and the the free reg cleaner
called Wise Registry Cleaner and finally TweakNow's Powerpack 2006's reg
cleaner.

I don't think it's the reg cleaners because I remember previously that
I looked at System Restore prior to running the reg cleaners and my
restore points were still there after I ran them and even after
rebooting.  I didn't look before or after I ran Perfect Disk though, so
maybe that's the culprit.  The thing is, I was using Diskeeper 11 and I
had the same problems, so either Diskeeper and Perfect Disk are erasing
restore points or it's another problem.


--
Bowen

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bowen

OK, well I finally got around to using Perfect Disk and I've confirmed
that it's the culprit.  Diskeeper was doing the same thing too.  Prior
to running Perfect Disk, I had 9 Restore Points saved.  Then I ran PD
and it wanted to do a boot time defrag and I agreed and after it
finished, all my restore points were gone.

This is OK since my system is running flawlessly right now, but what I
want to know is how can I program PD to stay away from the Restore
Points?

Thanks for all your help.  At least I know the cause, so the problem is
50% solved IMO.  I know I could simply uninstall PD, but that's not a
real fix since Diskeeper does this too.  There's got to be a way to work
around this.


--
Bowen

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bowen

Here's another thread at Techguy Forums and Rollin' Rog, one of the mods
there contacted Raxco.  They said that it shouldn't be doing it.  It
happened to him too, BTW.  Anyway check out the thread here:  'System
Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Tech Support Guy
Forums'
(http://forums.techguy.org/windows-vista/622999-system-restore-deleting-restore-points.html)

Post #9 is the one where he contacted them and they responded.


--
Bowen

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bert Kinney

Hi,

I had the same experience with PerfectDisk and Vista. Restore points should
not be deleted unless PerfectDisk is run at boot up. Running PerfectDisk
from within Vista should be save.

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bert Kinney

That's correct. Give it try and let us know the results.

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bowen

Bert Kinney;456651 Wrote:

Well, you were correct Bert, it didn't delete any restore points within
Windows.  However, it took an hour and sixteen minutes to complete and
PD said I didn't even need to defrag.  The thing about doing a boot time
defrag is that it only takes......well it only took 5 minutes the last
time I did it, but of course it wipes out the restore points.

I think what I'm gonna do is go ahead and do boot time defrags and then
immediately make a manual restore point afterwards.  I imagine the boot
time defrag only defrags certain files, where the Windows defrag does
the entire hard drive.  At least now I know though.

Do you happen to know a workaround for doing a boot time defrag while
saving your restore points?  This would be a little annoying and out of
the way, but couldn't you say, burn your restore points (at least some
of them) to a DVD-RW and then do a boot time defrag and then just copy
them back afterwards.  Would that work per chance?


--
Bowen

System Restore Deleting Restore Points Automatically.... - Bert Kinney

And make sure the system is running correctly before hand. And remember all
Shadow Copy's will be effected including Previous Versions.


You may want to check with Raxco Support on this.


I don't know of any workaround to this.


No, this will not work.  :(

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org