damnyank

My Windows XP Home has not created any automatic system restore checkpoints since February (about two weeks after I bought this system new)! It had only created two in the two weeks before that and one was on initial turn-on of the system!

System restore creates checkpoints when ever I download Windows Updates or add something to the computer - it created a restore point when I installed my scanner and when I installed Family Lawyer. I can also create system restore checkpoints manually (as I have been doing alomost daily and jokingly labeling them "JUST IN CASE")

The following is from System Restore Help - so you know which restore checkpoints I am talking about not working:

"System checkpoints :

System Restore creates restore points on a regular basis even if you have not made any changes to the system. System Restore automatically creates these restore points:

every 24 hours of calendar time

or

every 24 hours that your computer is turned on

If your computer is turned off for more than 24 hours, System Restore creates a restore point the next time you start the computer. The computer must be idle for a few minutes before System Restore creates a scheduled restore point."


I have been trying to track this down for over a week or so and can't quite locate what I am missing! I am sure it is something simple (I hope) that I am overlooking.


Also I can not locate the "Drive Settings" they are talking about in the following Help Quote:

"To resume System Restore monitoring

Open System Properties.

Ensure that the Turn off System Restore check box is cleared.

Under Drive settings, select the drive or partition by clicking it, and then click Settings.

Ensure that the Turn off System Restore on this drive check box is cleared. "

Some more information - I do not let my computer run 24/7 - I work nightshift and it is normally on and off twice during the daylight hours and shut down from around 5 PM until 8 AM the next morning. Thus it is never on for 24 hours straight - nor off for more than 24 hours- eith of which should produce a checkpoint per the Help info.

It states the computer must be idle for a few minutes for a checkpont to be established. What is considered "idle"? I am running NAV 2002, Win Doctor, Clean Sweep Internet and Smart Sweep as well as Zone Alarm - do these running affect the "idle"??

Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated - just please keep it simple as I am very far from being a puter whiz!

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/suggestions!

allan

How much space do you have allocated for System Restore and how much free space is on the drive?

westy1

Right click my computer on desk top and choose properties, then system restore tab, there you can see the check box that allows you to turn off system restore.
also you can see if your drive is being monitored.

If everything looks ok here you may have to go into the registry to make some changes, have a look at this link.

http://support.microsoft.com/search/...;en-us;Q295659

damnyank

Allan - I have the default 12% (8588MB) allocated and have 57.36 GB available.

Westy1 - everything looks okay on the system restore tab.

I checked out the link and all I could find that did not follow what the article said was the "TIMER INTERVAL" - the very last item under VALUES THAT MUST NOT BE MODIFIED .

Mine is set to 120 rather than the default value of zero.

Of course I am a wimp when it comes to changing anything in the registry - especially when it warns not to modify it!

I also don't understand the the terms "pulling time" and "wakes up and checks for the condition of its disk space" which makes me really leery of changing the 120 to zero!

Any advice???

daddyo

damnyank, when you installed Win XP, were there any error messages that told you that there were missing files? If you skipped those files and proceeded to install XP, chances are that System Restore won't work, as well as a few other utilities. This happened to me. The only way to fix it is to do a reinstall of XP and let the system upgrade itself. You won't lose any programs or settings, but the missing files will be replaced. It's preferable to do this with another CD other than your original, since the missing files would still be missing.

I worked for days trying to get System Restore back, and this is the only thing that worked for me. All the Knowledge Base stuff was bupkiss.

Hope this helps.

damnyank

Thanx for replying daddyo - but I bought this system new with XP installed as OEM and of course since it is an HP - they don't give you a system/restore disk with it - they put that stuff in a "hidden" part of your hard drive and then want you to spend money on a long distance phone call ( not even an 800 number) and also $9.95 for "shipping & handling" on the CD - sounds like a pretty good racket to me!

So all I can do is assume (I hate that word) that I got a complete install with no missing files from the factory!

allan

And you have the Service enabled?

damnyank

allan - yup - got it enabled!

allan

Well, the only other thing I can think of is to look in your SVI and make sure it isn't full. The system is supposed to "rotate" the restore points, but maybe there's a problem there. If you don't know how to gain access, let me know.

damnyank

Allan - I don't even know what an "SVI" is - let alone how to access it!!!!

Please enlighten me - I am always trying to learn!

daddyo

OK, one more thing that also worked for me is to turn off System Restore and reboot the computer. This wipes out all past restore points. Then re-enable System Restore, reboot and then manually create a new restore point. This should create a new, valid restore point. I have done this twice when System Restore stopped working and it seemed to help.

Another thought that comes to mind is if you right click your C drive and select properties. Under the ADVANCED tab in disk cleanup you'll find a selection that lets you remove all but the most recent restore point. I think I would try that first, to see if you have a corrupted restore point.

I hope this helps.

allan

Sorry - the System Volume Information folders are hidden folders where XP stores your restore points. See my post here:

http://www.TweakXP.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=4147

damnyank

Allan

So sorry it took me a day to get back to you - but as I explained in my initial post, I work nights and 5 PM is my bedtime.

I tired your suggestion and not being knowledgeable in DOS may be my biggest problem:

Anyway I followed your link and did the Windows XP Home Edition using the NFTS File System.

#1: I don't know if I was in the root directory or not - my prompt came us as: C:/Documents and settings/damnyank> (I may have the slashes backwards)

#2 When I typed in "C:\System Volume Information"E/G/Bruce:F and hit enter, I got:"C:System Volume Information" not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

What am I doing wrong???

By the way - I just downloaded an update on MSN Messenger today and I got a restore point for that! So part of it is workring at least!

Any help will be appreciated!

damnyank

Allan

I posted a response to you earlier today - it shows on my puter - but there was a problem with the site and the string never updated showing an answer from me. Thought I'd throw this out to see if it updates!

allan

Had the same question today on my site. Here's the thread - it should answer your question:

http://www.tweakxp.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=4172

damnyank

Allan

I checked out the link and got into the root directory okay and still came up with the same thing I in my last post re: SVI not recognized as an internal or external command, etc:

I then tried XP Guru's suggestion going in thru the "unchecking hidden files" route and got to the SVI file - but saw nothing that looked out of the ordinary to me - there were 32 folders (RP1 thru 32) A Driver .cfg, a filest.cfg and a driver table

Now what??????

damnyank

Allan

You are not going to believe this - well, maybe you are - but I went ahead yesterday afternoon at 3:11PM and manually created my usual "JUST IN CASE" restore point.

Since I was off work last night and I am off tonight also - I have been just putering around most of today - actually had some success helping evasser out with a "non-problem" printing in Outlook Express - but the big news is:

System restore created an automatic checkpoint at 3:34 PM.

I left the puter to eat an early dinner and when I got back and checked it - there was an automatic restore point.

Magic - just fabulous - wonder what will happen tomorrow or the next day..............

Thanks for your patience and help - regardless of why it is working today - I did learn somethings about SVI's etc.

allan

You're very welcome and I'm glad it worked out for you. Keep in mind you can delete some of those old restore points if you like - XP will renumber the rest automatically.