Hacking System Restore

[boltsink2303]

:HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore is the key where you find allof System Restore's settings. all the settings in the following list are REG_DWORD values:

CompressionBurst. This value specifies the idle time compression in seconds.That is the

amount of time to compress data after the computer becomes idle. System Restore can

compress data for the amount of time specified, and then it must stop until after the nexttime the computer becomes idle.

DiskPercent and DSMax. These values together specify how much disk space System

Restore uses. System restore uses the greater of the two values. Thus, for hard disks

smaller than 4 GB, System Restore uses 400 MB, which is the default value of DSMax. For

hard disks larger than 4 GB, System Restore uses 12 percent, which is the default value of

DiskPercent.

DSMin. This value specifies the minimum amount of free disk space that System Restore

requires during the installation process. This value also specifies the minimum amount of

disk space that System Restore needs to reactivate and resume the creation of restore

points after Windows XP disabled it due to low disk space.

RestoreStatus. This value indicates whether the last restore operation failed (0x00),

succeeded (0x01), or was interrupted (0x02).

RPGlobalInterval. This value specifies the amount of time in seconds that System Restore

waits between creating system checkpoints. The default value is 24 hours, or 0x15180.

RPLifeInterval. This value specifies the time in seconds that System Restore keeps restore

points before removing them from the computer. The default value is 0x76A700, or 90 days.

RPSessionInterval. This value specifies the amount of time in seconds that System

Restore waits before it creates the system checkpoints while the computer is turned on. The

default value is zero, disabling this feature. You can change this value to 0xE10 to create a

restore point every hour that the computer is in use. On a computer that you customize

often, such as a lab computer, you might create a restore point every hour.

ThawInterval. This value specifies the amount of time in seconds that System Restore waits

before it reactivates itself after adequate disk space becomes available. Start the System

Restore user interface, and it reactivates immediately.

The remaining settings you find in SystemRestore aren't useful to customizeand Microsoft warns in

no uncertain terms that you shouldn't change them. However, you can disable System Restore by

setting DisableSR to 0x01, and doing so doesn't remove existing restore points like it does when

you disable System Restore in the user interface. Editing the remaining settings can do bad things

to your computer's performance, so limit yourself to the settings I described .

[Andromeda43]

Boltsink,

Do you know why some computers running XP (Home, usually) will have a restore point for every day the computer was turned on, , , and some only get a new restore point on some "Event" like installing new software of DE-Installing some software?

It's so exasperating to need a restore point to fix some minor problem and find out that the last restore point was made a month ago. That's a long time to have to back up to, just to fix some minor problem.

While searching for a resolution to this problem, I found this Visual Basic script from one of our Internet Forum contributors.

Set SRP=GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore")

CSRP=SRP.CreateRestorePoint("Hacked the registry", 0, 100)

I copied this text into Notepad and then saved it as "SetResPoint.vbs"

Any time this script is run, it will make a new Restore Point.

Putting it in the Startup folder insures a new Restore Point will be created every time the PC is booted.

He named his restore point "Hacked the registry" as more or less a joke.

I found it stands out above the other restore points so I just left it that way.

You can change that to whatever comment you like.

I do this for my customers who wouldn't know a restore point if it bit them.

It means that when they call me to fix something,

I've got several restore points to pick from to fix their little problem.

It helps them and it helps me.

Cheers Mates!

Andromeda43 B)

[DL.]

@Andromeda43: You can probably also just schedule it to run at logon by using "Scheduled tasks".

[gosh]

Whenever you quote from a Microsoft article you should reference it, you didn't write that article, someone else did.

By default system restore will create a restore point the first time it's running and once every 24 hours when the computer is idle, or on the next startup if it's been more than 24 hours since a restore point was last made.

-gosh

[MrCobra]

I find it easier to disable system restore completely and use a reliable backup program to backup my box every 24 hours. Data that's more critical gets backedup as needed and everything goes on an external drive. Having a bootable "restore" disc also comes in handy.

[Glenn9999]

Whenever you quote from a Microsoft article you should reference it, you didn't write that article, someone else did.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/295659 I believe is what the OP was quoting?

[boltsink2303]

if u dont find it useful dont read and comment on it. No one said I wrote this but you. You obviously couldn't understand or you wouldn't be picking an obvious fight over something like copy infringements. Knowlege of the computer is everywhere. If I find a good hack that I've used and I want to pass on, its none of your GOSH **** business. So keep on picking your battles like an id***. And soon you will become a perfect one.

Now that that's out of the way, I've never used windows xp home. My windows xp pro makes a restore point everyday and also when you install new software, but I could make it to where it would just do it on installations of new software or everyday. I thought all windows OS's had this option. One way to solve your problem of monthly restore points is to get mcafee or some sort of program that erases extra restore points so the computer will have to create more if this is the avenue you want to go. Good info Andromeda, appreciate it.

Very good suggestion Cobra. Might give it a shot. Definately will free up a little more space.