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Automatic restore points, Windows 7


ray5450

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I have my Windows 7 machine task scheduler set to make automatic restore points every 3 days, but it never does.  It will make one unexpectedly about 1-2 times a month.

The history in task scheduler says that restore points are being started and completed every 3 days, with no indication of any error. The history entries are exactly the same for when the 1-2 automatic restore points result,and when the expected restore point is missing.  For the 9 or so that are missing every month, it is either as if it is "pretending" to make restore points every 3 days, or every 3 days it makes one and somehow it is immediately deleted.  (?)

I have searched this problem and have found only incidences of when there are never restore points created, or when the idle requirement option is set.  I do not have idle requirement set.

I need assistance in getting it to make restore points every 3 days.  I can offer attached screen shots of the task scheduler settings tabs for system restore, the contents of its configuration file, or anything else.

Thanks.

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My advice is do not rely on Windows to make restore points. Do it yourself before installing new software and/or on a weekly basis. I do that as part of my regular PC maintenance schedule.

The system created ones seem to be made rather randomly whatever settings you use but I think that if you check there are by default multiple triggers. On my PC, which I do not remember changing from default, it is set to create new ones on start up and at 0.00 daily but only if this criteria applies:- 

"By default, Windows will automatically create system restore point when new software is installed*, when new Windows updates installed, and when a driver is installed. Besides, Windows 7 will create a system restore point automatically if no other restore points exist in 7 days."

Task Scheduler checks at those specified times but other conditions apply too so check under the Conditions tab what those are. My guess is that this is the 'problem' - if the PC is not idle at those times a restore point won't be create then either. The one that does seem to apply irrespective of the other triggers is the >7 day one.

There is also the possibility you have not assigned enough space for the restore points. Key restore points can be 2+GB and most are around 1GB so if you've only allocated say 6GB you're only going to have 3 or 4 restore points available at any time before they're deleted. 

The default Windows 7 allocated space is 5% so if you're using a relative small primary drive SSD (120GB or less) that 5% so it could easily be you just have 6GB for restore points. I use 10% and currently have 5 restore points, none of them system created.

 

* I do not think that includes portable software and it does not include updates to already installed programs. That's why I put in a manual restore point before updating anything.      

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for your response.  I selected to be notified of any responses here, but no notice came.  I just happened to check here....

"My advice is do not rely on Windows to make restore points."  --I know they cannot be completely relied on, but they are nice to have when they are there.

"My guess is that this is the 'problem' - if the PC is not idle at those times a restore point won't be create then either."  --I stated in my previous post that I do not have the idle requirement set.  I do not have any conditions set, except AC power, and I rarely, if ever do not use AC power.

"There is also the possibility you have not assigned enough space for the restore points..."  --The space I currently have allotted contains a list, at this time, of 9 restore points (from installs, updates, etc., but none as a result of my schedule setup.)  9 or 10 are plenty for me.

"you're only going to have 3 or 4 restore points available at any time before they're deleted. "  --Before being deleted, thye must be created.  None of the 9 show that they were created by my schedule setup.

I had task scheduler setup to do this in Vista and it worked fine...every 3 days.  As far as I can tell, it is set up the same way, but it is not working, although the history says it is working.  (??)

 

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Just looked into this a bit more and I found this :-

"Windows controls the creation of automatic restore points based on a frequency setting to help limit the number of restore points that get saved. By default, Windows won’t create an automatic restore point if another restore point has been created in the last 24 hours."

That I did not know. Could it be the explanation? Apparently changing the Registry's Restore Point frequency setting to off may allow you to do what you want. 

The quote is from 'The How To Geek' web site which also details how to do that. I've always found it a good source of advice on a lot of niche subjects like this:-

https://www.howtogeek.com/278388/how-to-make-windows-automatically-create-a-system-restore-point-at-startup/

 

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Thanks, for your response.

What you found does not apply, as my setting is for every 3 days, not 24 hours.  If I do not install any software, etc., a restore point does not get made for several weeks... even though I have this setting for every 3 days.  Again, the history in task scheduler says that restore points are being started and completed every 3 days, with no indication of any error, but yet those restore points it says that are being made every 3 days are not on the list of restore points.

I have already tried disabling my task scheduler setting and configuring the registry to make restore points.  I used instructions posted somewhere for it, but it had no effect.

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It seems like eons since I logged in here, and the first thing I read is this topic, which by the way is near and dear to me.

I discovered the true value of a fresh restore point, when needed, years ago.  I think I was running Windows 98 (or some such) then.

Anyway, on Windows 7 the syntax for making a new restore point is different than on some of the other OS's currently in use.

Here is the syntax that I use for Win-7.

Set SRP=GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore")
CSRP=SRP.CreateRestorePoint("Hacked the registry", 0, 100)

I put these two lines in a script with the extension of  .res 

Then I put the script in my "Startup" folder, so it runs every time I boot up my PC.

You can set the amount of hard drive space that is reserved for Restore Points, so they don't just take over the entire HD.

Nothing is worse, than needing a fresh restore point and not having one.

Good Luck Mate!

:cool:

 

 

 

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Thanks, for your response.  I am aware there is a setting to make a restore point with every start up, but that is not what I am trying to do.  I need to set task scheduler to create a restore point every 3 days.

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If your computer is a "Busy" one, having to use a three day old restore point could be a disaster!!! 

From 40 years of experience, I know from which I speak! 

But do it your way.  I suspect you will regardless of others admonitions.

Good Luck,

:cool:

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"to use a three day old restore point could be a disaster"  --Not at all.  For the last year, I have been using  only a single one month old restore point, if needed, which, luckily, I have only had to make use of once or twice.  Restore points every day would end up being full of too many of almost the same.  I usually need one further back if something happened that I did not notice right away, which is what often happens...to me, anyway.   Too many the same will push the older ones I would need off the end.   I had 3 day restore points with Vista for over 10 years and it worked out perfectly.  I am not sure what you consider "busy".

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I was going to say something about the frequency too but that does depended on how much space you've allocated to restore points.

Having a smallish 120GB SSD primary drive I reserve about 8% which in practice means about 10GB of space and 7 or 8 restore points. I put in a manual restore point every week and delete those if more than a month old but only if I've had no problem.

That saved me recently; I had this weird issue I won't bore you with but I couldn't find a solution and the web site of the program involved is now just an archive with no mention of similar issues. I worked my way back through the 6 restore points I had and it was only using the last one, six weeks old, that fixed whatever the problem was.

If I'd been creating restore points every three days I'd have nothing but month old restore points and how I would have fixed the problem I've no idea as I'd tried every other method I could think of to no effect.

What I really wish was that there was a restore point save option either provided or as a third party tool. Whilst you can backup the Windows System Volume Information folder which contains, amongst other things, the restore points, I've never had the confidence to risk testing if they actually work months later. Instead I content myself backing up the registry once a month and hope I never have to use it. So far so good.      

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@ray5450

Try to disable System Restore and enable it again after rebooting. If the problem continues (no restore points although the scheduled task) then there must be something wrong with the Windows installation and if I were you I would consider reinstalling Windows. By the way, do you use any antivirus program? I used AVG but abandoned it when it started messing up with the OS functionality (now I use Avira). Avast must be pretty much the same with AVG since Avast owns AVG too. Anyway, you can try disabling your antivirus program for three days and check if it makes any difference.

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@walksinsilence

"If I'd been creating restore points every three days I'd have nothing but month old restore points and how I would have fixed the problem I've no idea as I'd tried every other method I could think of to no effect."  --I have never had a problem with 3 days.

"What I really wish was that there was a restore point save option either provided or as a third party tool."  --I have thought about that, also.  I agree.  Although, there is the option of an image backup, which I also have ready, if I ever need it, but restoring this is very time consuming.

 

@harrytri

Okay, thanks.  I'll give those a try.

 

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Creating a backup image was what I meant and programs like EaseUS Todo allow you to do that for individual folders without having to go through all the permissions hoops required just to be able to copy the SVI file folder.

But, as said, I've never had the guts to try importing that back in full or just adding the backed up restore points from it. But if it did work you could create a scheduled task for backing up the SVI to run at boot or every three days. But I really do not know if any of this is possible or practical - just floating the possibility.

For me manually creating restore points seems like the best solution but I agree it should be possible to automate that to do as you want.   

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"I agree it should be possible to automate that to do as you want."  --I believe it is possible, but something is wrong.  It is possible in Vista and works fine.  The task history in Windows 7 says, every 3 days, the restore point creation is started and completed successfully.

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