System Restore causes loss of data files.

[Guest]

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

 

[Guest]

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

What type of files are being affected by System Restore on the D: Partition?

 

[HEMI-Powered]

Today, when =?Utf-8?B?am9oYW4=?= uttered these immortal words,
such was the importance of this profound pronouncement, that is
is being saved for future reference

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two
partitions, C and D. Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2
plus all my applications, all that on the C-partition [what a
hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and installer files from
applications are located on the D partition - there is no
system nor any system files on the D partition. I installed
Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on
the D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the
updater in the installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16
May. That was the LAST installation I did, and SR made a
restore point just prior to installing AR 7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I
found on the net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB
file), which I found after I updated to AR 7.0.9, also the
installer AR 6.0, and some other files. Apparently those
downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last Restore
Point (RP). On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May.
After that I noticed immediately that the installer files of
AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D partition were unsaved. More
specifically those files are called AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and
AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the installer
files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are
system files and not as data files. If that is really the
case, then there is something fuzzy with SR. What is the
definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

Bert, I honestly do not know the technical details of what you
seek to understand, but I applaud you for wanting to know so as
to avoid a future problem. I suppose if I wanted to find this
stuff out, I would start by searching the MS KB, then Kelly's
Korner of XP Tweaks, and maybe then Googling with some specific
search strings that are germaine to your questions. I, for one,
would appreciate you posting what you learn, as I think many
people would like to be more knowledgeable about what System
Restore is supposed to do, what it really does, and the best way
(s) to make it work the way we want it to.

 

[Guest]

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

What type of files are being affected by System Restore on the D: Partition?

 

[Bill Sharpe]

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

:

What type of files are being affected by System Restore on the D: Partition?



System Restore does not monitor data type files on any monitored partitions.
Here's a list of files and folders System Restore monitors:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/filesfolders.html



No. As suggested, just stop monitoring the D partition.



Yes.

VB Script to run unattended Restore Point Creation as a Scheduled Task.
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_sysrestorepoint.htm

Single Click Creation of a System Restore Point/Runs as a Scheduled Task
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_sysrestorepoint.htm

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

You've got the right approach separating system files and data ,but EXE
files are not data files. Follow the suggestion of others and just have
system restore monitor your C: drive.

Bill

 

[Bert Kinney]

Hi Johan,

Executable file types such as .exe files *are* monitored file types.
System Restore looks at file extensions, not at what the file is used for.

Text files (.txt) are *not* monitored file types, but if you change a text
file such as readme.txt to readme.exe, the readme.exe will become
monitored by System Restore.

The best solution is to stop monitoring partitions other than the one
Windows is installed on.

If you want to exclude an executable file from being monitored on the
monitored Windows drive, place it in the My Documents folder. The My
Documents folder is not monitored by System Restore. This is not true in
Windows Vista.

Please take a look at this list of files and folders that System Restore
monitors.
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/filesfolders.html

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

What type of files are being affected by System Restore on the D: Partition?

System Restore does not monitor data type files on any monitored partitions.
Here's a list of files and folders System Restore monitors:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/filesfolders.html

No. As suggested, just stop monitoring the D partition.

Yes.

VB Script to run unattended Restore Point Creation as a Scheduled Task.
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_sysrestorepoint.htm

Single Click Creation of a System Restore Point/Runs as a Scheduled Task
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_sysrestorepoint.htm

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

 

[Bert Kinney]

Today, when =?Utf-8?B?am9oYW4=?= uttered these immortal words,
such was the importance of this profound pronouncement, that is
is being saved for future reference

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two
partitions, C and D. Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2
plus all my applications, all that on the C-partition [what a
hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and installer files from
applications are located on the D partition - there is no
system nor any system files on the D partition. I installed
Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on
the D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the
updater in the installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16
May. That was the LAST installation I did, and SR made a
restore point just prior to installing AR 7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I
found on the net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB
file), which I found after I updated to AR 7.0.9, also the
installer AR 6.0, and some other files. Apparently those
downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last Restore
Point (RP). On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May.
After that I noticed immediately that the installer files of
AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D partition were unsaved. More
specifically those files are called AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and
AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the installer
files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are
system files and not as data files. If that is really the
case, then there is something fuzzy with SR. What is the
definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

Bert, I honestly do not know the technical details of what you
seek to understand, but I applaud you for wanting to know so as
to avoid a future problem. I suppose if I wanted to find this
stuff out, I would start by searching the MS KB, then Kelly's
Korner of XP Tweaks, and maybe then Googling with some specific
search strings that are germaine to your questions. I, for one,
would appreciate you posting what you learn, as I think many
people would like to be more knowledgeable about what System
Restore is supposed to do, what it really does, and the best way
(s) to make it work the way we want it to.

Hi Jerry,

Thank you, and yes, it takes a lot of research using many methods. It's an
ongoing process. I have shared this knowledge in several ways.

Most of what I know is in my web site. http://bertk.mvps.org

These two pages will get you started.

Here is a description of System Restore:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/description.html

Tips on keeping System Restore healthy:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/healthy.html

The folks at AumHa Forums have created a forum that deals primarily with
System Restore issues. http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=54

I have also shared this knowledge on the Microsoft Newsgroups.
Here's a Google group search of "System Restore" in the MS Windows XP
newsgroups.
http://snipurl.com/1l6to

So take your pick.


Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

 

[Bert Kinney]

Answered in your previous post.

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

What type of files are being affected by System Restore on the D: Partition?

"Exclude specific folders from system restore backup"
http://www.tweakxp.com/article37472.aspx

In order to exclude an external hard drive permanently, assign the
value "X:\* /s" (w/o quotes) to the new multi-string value and replace
"X:" with the hard drive letter.

 

[Bert Kinney]

Answered in a previous post.

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

What type of files are being affected by System Restore on the D: Partition?

Today, Detlev Dreyer made these interesting comments ...

Per your last, I fully agree, but if you don't turn it off,
Windows will automagically set-up monitoring of any other devices
it can see including extended partitions or partition(s) on
external HDs. In my case, I have 2 extended partitions on my
internal and 2 on my external. Besides wasting space on those
drives, I don't want a sysstem restore accidently wiping out
files that had nothing at all to do with why I did the restore in
the first place.

I don't honestly understand all the nuances of System Restore,
but at first glance, it seems to me that it will restore ALL
monitored partitions to the date you specify, and quite possibly
un-save data files. I remember a good saying about bugs that goes
like this: if a program does what the programmer intends even if
the user doesn't like it, it is a feature, but if a program
doesn't do what the programmer intends even if the user does like
it, it is a bug. So, maybe what happened to the OP is a
"feature" of SR.

 

[Bert Kinney]

There's no need to post the same question three four times, Johan.

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

What type of files are being affected by System Restore on the D: Partition?

I don't understand what happened on the OPs system. It is my understanding
that SR does not track user data, so I was very surprised to see effect he
posted about. Maybe Bert Kinney will see this thread and jump in.

 

[Guest]

Hi Bert,

The list of monitored file type's are located in the following hidden file.
%systemroot%\system32\restore\filelist.xml

Can you tell me how to see those hidden files? I cannot see anything that
starts with %systemroot% on the C-partition, not even with the /Hide
protected systemfiles/ box unchecked. %systemroot% looks like a li/unix
thing.
johan

 

[Bert Kinney]

Hi Bert,


Can you tell me how to see those hidden files? I cannot see anything that
starts with %systemroot% on the C-partition, not even with the /Hide
protected systemfiles/ box unchecked. %systemroot% looks like a li/unix thing.
johan

Hi Johan,

%systemroot% is the environment variable for C:\Windows
Go to Start - Run and paste %systemroot% then press enter and you will see
what I mean.

%systemroot%\system32\restore\filelist.xml

is equal to -> C:\Windows\system32\restore\filelist.xml

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

 

[Guest]

Hi Bert, thanks for the info. johan

Hi Johan,

%systemroot% is the environment variable for C:\Windows
Go to Start - Run and paste %systemroot% then press enter and you will see
what I mean.

%systemroot%\system32\restore\filelist.xml

is equal to -> C:\Windows\system32\restore\filelist.xml

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

 

[Guest]

Hey, wait a minute,
I just had a look at
%systemroot%\system32\restore\
and at
C:\Windows\system32\restore\
and there was NO filelist.xml present in the folder. I did find a file
called filelist.xml in the folder
C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386

However, I know SR works, so probably SR is using the
C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386\filelist.xml

By the way, I read filelist.xml with notepad and the number of extension is
huge. If SR is copying all the system files with those extension to a SR
backup folder, then that backup must be in the order of GB. So better limit
the number of Restore points.

johan

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

C:\WINDOWS\system32\Restore\filelist.xml is a "super-hidden" file. To see
it, you need to go to Folder Options>View menu and uncheck "Hide protected
operating system files". While you're there, make sure "Show Hidden files &
folders" is chosen, and that one should stay that way, while the "protected
operating system files" should be re-hidden when you're finished with the
job, since leaving protected OS files unhidden can cause inconveniences when
doing major file copy/deletions, and it's just bad policy.

No, filelist.xml from the I386 folder is *not* the one used by system
restore.

 

[Guest]

Oh yes, I know about the setting of hidden system files and to make them
visible. I should have thought about it that filelist.xml was probably
invisible.
Thanks for reminding me and the tip.

 

[Bert Kinney]

Hi Johan,

To address restore point size, only monitored file types that have changed
will be added to a restore point. So it depends on how may monitored file
types have been changes and there size. I would normally see restore points
about 50 - 60mbs in size. This can change dramatically when large
application are installed such as MS Office, and when Windows updates are
installed.

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

 

[Bert Kinney]

Yes, that will unhide the filelist.xml file, but there's no need to as you
have already viewed the one in the i386 folder. They are the same.

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org