System Restore Not Working in XP Home?

[golfnut]

I have tried to restore my computer back (several times with several different dates) and system restore keeps telling me it can not do it. The system restore function has always been "on" yet it does not work. Can anyone tell me why and how I could fix it? Thank you.

[redwudz]

Some system changes will make it impossible to go back to an earlier date. Try making a restore point today and see if it is available tomorrow. If not, you have a problem.

You can also go to system restore settings in 'Control Panels>System>System Restore'. It will tell you which drives are being monitored and show how much space each is alloted for restore usage. You can also turn off restore on the drives from there.

System Restore also has a downside as some malware likes to use it. Then when you do a restore, it comes right back.

[Ron B]

From time to time, when my computers are running fine and configured correctly, I do a thorough spyware and virus scan, then shut off the System Restore. Then I reboot and turn it back on. The computers seem to run a little faster and you still can restore the computer to a previous time when it was working correctly.

[Capmaster]

I had a similar problem on my P4. The older restore points constantly disappeared, no matter how often I created one. I never solved why it was doing that ...

By contrast, my new system, which is about 3 weeks old, has good restore points all the way back to the initial OS installation

[Vanster]

I had the same problem about a year ago. I ended up putting my Windows installation disk in and hit "R" for repair instead of reinstalling the system. That took care of it for me.

[golfnut]

redwudz I tried your suggestion last night and set a new restore point. Tried to go back to that restore point this AM and it did not work so I guess there is definitely something wrong with it, problably some type of malware I'm guessing cause I still can not download any type of antivirus program such as AVG or Spybot. Will reinstall and reformat today sometime. Thanks to the rest of you guys also for taking to respond to this problem. This forum really does have some great members who try to help. Thanks everyone and have a nice day.

[Bjs]

Two problems users may want to think about .

The first is related to the way some ms update's work ... I noticed that wpa or wga tool and other's would set the restore point so it could not be removed , this is why earlier restore point's could not be returned to ... I pointed out to ms this was a dangerous practice that could lead to a massive liability claim when relying on system restore point's to return the system to previous stable state ... you cant if there gone ... no wonder so many user's have decided to do complete reinstall's .

Secondly , the very fact that when the restore point is used , all program's installed after the event have there executable's nulled , and thus nolonger fuction ... this on it's own may not affect the performace of the registry , but a down and outright curse , a baine of the os design which affect's alot of user's ... no mention of this on their site when I asked about the issue .

For those having to seek professional service's in relation to this matter ... please send a copy of your receipt to local microsoft support department for full refund of cost's ... just keep bugging the crap out of them ...

There's spam ... too easy to deal with ... and there's flooding their mail bag's with junk ... now that dose get their attention ... and might lead to a solution .

The second problem in relation to the inabililty to downloading file's , when all else work's ...

Empty you virus vault's ... they can still cause this issue even if the have been quarantined .

Big bad bug's ... grab hijackthis and do a system scan and see who is actually lurking in the background (empty internet temporary folder , and temp , hold down shift key when doing so) ... these are hidden files and folders .

Go into windows explorer , tool's , folder options , view tab , check "show folders and files" , and the two below it , answer yes , hit apply , then ok .

Now visit each active account under document's and settings , each account will have "local settings" ... the two folder's are here you need to empty out ... do not rely on system tool's to do this job ... their crap at it .

To get rid of some , hijackthis has an option to remove file's on reboot ... use it with discretion .

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Another problem with downloading is secondary firewall's .

Having a system firewall is fine ... but check your browser's setting's , the security may be set to high , which prevent's downloading file's of specific type's .

Check firewall is not blocking .

People with dsl service's , running xp with sp2 have 2 firewall's ... the os one , and on the modem ... if modem , it might just be as simple as turning it off and allowing it time to cool down ... or even reset the unit ... I dont advise people to tinker with the firewall within these device's , but for the sake of it

Change the default user name and password ASAP ... I have seen this too often ... the welcome mat is open for hacker's .

Sp2 + dsl + another firewall product ... dont care who made it ... SHUT IT DOWN NOW ... now try downloading ... pete sake ... and re-engage afterward .

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Capmaster

"By contrast, my new system, which is about 3 weeks old, has good restore points all the way back to the initial OS installation"

Wait for the update's to roll in , and bingo .

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There are only three true method's of restore that actually work as expected .

1: The R option ... not alway's

2: The complete reinstall option ... a pain in any given situation ... all that work , reinstalling a multitude of tool's and patch's ... zzzz ... then re-figuring out why some dont work like last time round ... zzzz

2: Smart bugger's like myself use system image file's ... mine was after xp activation , before the crap get's a chance ... this mean's you to mr ms ... stay out ... damn ie7 .

I use drive image ... even works with late system's using sata .

Boot disc with win98 loader , drive image and partition commander included ... another cd with a bootbale linux for pre-rescue of file's , before it's wipeout time ... you need the latest to support some higher intel chipset's using sata hard drive's .

That remind's me now what that product was called ... wipeout ... must get some more ... thank's for jogging the old brain cell's .

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Ps : use hijackthis to disable some startup item's ... they can be called when needed only ... otherwise they sit there doing nothing ... quicktime for one .

And delete messenger update ... locate and clear it right off ... it's been known to cause problem's .

Happy hunting .

Edit :

Avg free can handle most , if not all infections of restore point's ... though whether they will work correctly is another thing to watch out for .

Turning off the system restore point is only a valid choice , provide the original cause of infection was determined , and it , and it's possible hiding backup's have been dealt with prior .

Locate and destroy , then turn restore off , reboot , reset new restore point .

If you going to go that far , I'd through in adaware se , avgfree , and hijackthis in the tool kit ... and possibly do a registry cleanup .

[handyguy]

Yes, it's possible your Restore got infected.

You can try turning it off, restarting the computer, then turning it on & restarting to see if that works.

[MOVIEGEEK]

1.In Start->Run type 'services.msc' ,look for System Restore Sevice and make sure it's set to Automatic.
Also go to MSCONFIG->Services and make sure System Restore Service is running.
2.If that doesn't help then run CHKDSK: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
3.If it still doesn't work then the system files are messed up and you might try sfc /scannow(you need the Windows CD).

[GKar]

I have tried to restore my computer back (several times with several different dates) and system restore keeps telling me it can not do it. The system restore function has always been "on" yet it does not work. Can anyone tell me why and how I could fix it? Thank you.

In either of your 2 threads regarding this problem, has it been suggested that you try the "repair" option? Boot with your windows xp cd and hit f2 when prompted for repair.

[golfnut]

Thanks again guys for the great replys. Here' what I would like to do first, empty temp folder and temp internet file folder, turn off system restore, reboot, turn system restore back on, then try to restore to previous date.

Can anyone tell me a fast way to delete the above 2 mentioned files quickly. I have so many files in each folder that it will take forever deleting 1 file at a time, is there a quicker way. Thanks again.

[golfnut]

OK, I just emptied both temp and temp internet file folder, turned off system restore, rebooted, turned system restore back on and have now lost ALL system restore dates. There are no dates highlighted that I can restore to. Just my luck. Really ready to throw this thing thru my office window.

[GKar]

I'm glad you tried the suggested Windows XP "repair" option first before you wiped out your restore points.

[golfnut]

Gkar not everyone can be as smart as you obviously think you are. I would appreciate your ignoring this and all posts made by me. I do not need smart a_ _ remarks or comments, just help, if you don't want to help without the sny remarks then no one is forcing you to. I would have tried your repair suggestion had I know how but you did not offer to give any directions. As I have said in previous posts here I have limited computer knowledge, that is why I am seeking help. Have a great day anyway.

[GKar]

Gkar not everyone can be as smart as you obviously think you are. I would appreciate your ignoring this and all posts made by me. I do not need smart a_ _ remarks or comments, just help, if you don't want to help without the sny remarks then no one is forcing you to. Have a great day anyway.

You are right, I apologize...

I just google alot for answers, I'm not smart....

I will honor your request and not try and help you anymore.

[golfnut]

Thank you, I appreciate that, it takes a man to admit his mistakes.

[LDinOR]

Sorry you are having this trouble, Windows can drive you bats. Just wanted to make a suggestion for re-install: Download Zone Alarm free and AVG free and burn them to a disc so that you can install Windows while offline. Get your OS on and then the firewall and anti-virus so you are protected before you go back online. Spyware and crap that can slow your system down kind of leap onto your disc as soon as you start using the net. Personally I turn off system restore so that I do not rely on it. Google "turn off system restore" to find out how and why. Good luck!

[golfnut]

LDinOR thank you for the tip. I assume you are saying burn the 2 mentioned programs using a different computer than mine as I can not download antivirus programs right now due to some kind of virus problem, am I correct on this?

Also how do I check and turn on windows firewall right after installing a new windows application? Thank you.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Also how do I check and turn on windows firewall right after installing a new windows application? Thank you.

It's turned on by default with SP2,go to Control Panel->Windows Firewall to check.

[golfnut]

Thanks Moviegeek.

[LDinOR]

Right, use another computer if you can, but the reason is that you can install the OS and be protected before you go online with a new installation.

[golfnut]

Thanks LDinOR.

[TheFamilyMan]

Thanks for this thread. In all the years and systems on which I've used XP, the "restore point" feature eventually quits working, even for a restore point just created, so I've just given up using it. Also, it can really eat disk space after a while: recently I freed up 4GB by dumping old restore points. I'll try the above suggestions...thanks again. And BTW, I've always used antivirus/firewall/antispyware software on my systems and have used the XP repair more than once to recover my system with excellent results.

[TooLFooL]

first, in my opinion, system restore is not a healthy thing to do to your computer. it's a 'last-ditch effort' for me... if you're not careful, using it can really jack some other stuff up.

second, when restore quits working it definitly could be a virus related thing, that is a common symptom.

third, ...

I'm glad you tried the suggested Windows XP "repair" option first before you wiped out your restore points.

i thought that WAS kinda funny anyway! lol!

[Dv8ted2]

Thanks again guys for the great replys. Here' what I would like to do first, empty temp folder and temp internet file folder, turn off system restore, reboot, turn system restore back on, then try to restore to previous date.

Can anyone tell me a fast way to delete the above 2 mentioned files quickly. I have so many files in each folder that it will take forever deleting 1 file at a time, is there a quicker way. Thanks again.

Look for a program called directory snoop. Highlight the files, and hit wipe. Then select the files again and purge them from the master file table. With this program, you can also recover deleted files.

[Bjs]

Please note :

The F2 option while booting from os cd dose not always work as expected , especially when dealing with pc's showing "file not found" error type's upon boot up , or complete os issue's "unknown" to user ... no wpa file's , system file's no longer exist due to infection .

Drive rescue for recovery of file's , free , no longer updated , but work's well .

Deletion of file's by using "overwrite security binary tool's" can cause os issue's ... the os write's various information to location table's on the hard drive ... doing so may cause os registry issue's later as the information was not removed .

Secured deletion's can only be done via several rewite's of the entire hard disk by specialized tool's ... or if you lucky enough to access what is known as a degause unit in a secured government department ... one powerful magnetic release discharge , and their gone , never existed .

To delete a mass of temp file's , try

http://www.snapfiles.com/Freeware/system/fwdiskclean.html

Then this one halfway down the page

Drive cleanup wizard , show's you before anything is deleted .

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For personal "system restore" , dont rely on system restore to alway's be relied upon ... only a good disk image backup can be relied upon when all else fail's , and it's a hell of a lot faster .

[TBoneit]

OK, I just emptied both temp and temp internet file folder, turned off system restore, rebooted, turned system restore back on and have now lost ALL system restore dates. There are no dates highlighted that I can restore to. Just my luck. Really ready to throw this thing thru my office window.

You turned off system restore, Thus deleting any restore points and their associated data. Turning it back on should create on restore point for the time when it was turned off. Of course any prior points are gone.