Can I keep certain System Restore Points forever?

[Camille Petersen]

Assume I defined a System Restore Space which is sufficient to store only 2 System restore Points.

Now I create one SRP and want keep the current configuration forever.
If I later install or deinstall a lot of new software then the oldest SRPs are always overwritten.
That means that my favorite SRP is destroyed.

Is there a way to protect certain SRPs so that the live even after 20 SRP creations afterwards?

Camille

 

[Daave]

Assume I defined a System Restore Space which is sufficient to store
only 2 System restore Points.

Now I create one SRP and want keep the current configuration forever.
If I later install or deinstall a lot of new software then the oldest
SRPs are always overwritten. That means that my favorite SRP is
destroyed.

Is there a way to protect certain SRPs so that the live even after 20
SRP creations afterwards?

Even if this were possible, you don't want to do it. System Restore
should never be used to go back that far in time; otherwise instability
will surely result.

 

[Leonard Grey]

System restore points are incremental - you can't keep individual
restore points.

Plus, as Daave has already pointed out, you wouldn't want to.

A far better idea is to get into the habit of making regular backups.

 

[Bob I]

No.

 

[DL]

No
Better to use a Disk Cloning / Backup Tool, eg Acronis TI

 

[Terry R.]

On 11/5/2009 9:58 AM On a whim, Camille Petersen pounded out on the keyboard

Assume I defined a System Restore Space which is sufficient to store only 2 System restore Points.

Now I create one SRP and want keep the current configuration forever.
If I later install or deinstall a lot of new software then the oldest SRPs are always overwritten.
That means that my favorite SRP is destroyed.

Is there a way to protect certain SRPs so that the live even after 20 SRP creations afterwards?

Camille

Hi Camille,

No.

The best way would be to create a full backup of your system the exact
way you want it to an external drive. Then you can always go back to it
if needed. That is better than relying on SRP's.

Being a proponent of not having data stored on the same partition as the
OS, it would be very easy to do this with the OS on one partition and
data on another.

I usually keep a rotation of 3 full monthly backups for just the OS.
Data is backed up daily.


Terry R.

 

[Rich Barry]

Camille, open Windows Explorer and go to Tools>Folder Options>View>click
on Show Hidden files and Folders and Uncheck
Hide protected Operating System files. Then look in your C: Drive for
System Volume Folder. Open and you will see a Restore
Folder with all your Restore Points. You can copy all or any of the RP
Folders which are numbered and store them on a CD. If
you want to use a RP that you have on the CD replace it in the Restore
Folder delete the oldest RP Folder using that number for
the one you are using as the replacement. I never tried this but it
should work.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

No.

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

Assume I defined a System Restore Space which is sufficient to store only
2 System restore Points.

Now I create one SRP and want keep the current configuration forever.
If I later install or deinstall a lot of new software then the oldest SRPs
are always overwritten.
That means that my favorite SRP is destroyed.

Is there a way to protect certain SRPs so that the live even after 20 SRP
creations afterwards?

Camille

No, I don't think you can do this. Third-party imaging tools that create
individual files will give you this ability.

 

[SC Tom]

Assume I defined a System Restore Space which is sufficient to store only
2 System restore Points.

Now I create one SRP and want keep the current configuration forever.
If I later install or deinstall a lot of new software then the oldest SRPs
are always overwritten.
That means that my favorite SRP is destroyed.

Is there a way to protect certain SRPs so that the live even after 20 SRP
creations afterwards?

Camille

Not that I'm aware of (I've never looked into it), but there are a number of
free disk imaging/cloning programs out there that would provide a better
means of protection for you. System Restore is good for certain things, but
no way should it ever be thought of as a system backup.

SC Tom

 

[Bill in Co.]

No, I don't think you can do this. Third-party imaging tools that create
individual files will give you this ability.

If anything, this is begging for the proper solution to system backups,
which is either to 1) image or 2) clone the drive, and not bank on keeping
System Restore points forever, which is a poor and inadequate half measure.
Acronis True Image, for imaging, comes to mind.

 

[Rich Barry]

Camille, it seems to me that what you are looking for is Imaging
Software. What that will do is create an image ( snapshot ) of your working
OS and save it to another drive or dvd. If your OS becomes unusable you
just restore the image you saved. It will also
contain all the programs and windows updates that you had and were using at
the time of the image creation. Do a google search for
free and non-free Imaging Software. Clonezilla a free program and
Acronis True Image which will cost you come to mind

That being said here is
my way of saving restore points.
Open Windows Explorer and go to Tools>Folder Options>View>click
on Show Hidden files and Folders and Uncheck
Hide protected Operating System files. Then look in your C: Drive for
System Volume Folder. Open and you will see a Restore
Folder with all your Restore Points. You can copy all or any of the RP
Folders which are numbered and store them on a CD. If
you want to use a RP that you have on the CD replace it in the Restore
Folder delete the oldest RP Folder using that number for
the one you are using as the replacement.