System Restore failures

[John]

I've been using Windows XP for seven years, and the System Restore
feature has proved to be extremely useful. However, there have been a
few times when System Restore was unable to revert to the desired
restore point.

I have figured out a couple of reasons why this probably has happened:

1. A file that I had deleted was flagged as having a virus after a virus
definition update. The file had been on a drive that System Restore was
monitoring. It was in a sub-directory of the System Volume Information
directory for a restore point. I deleted it from that directory, and in
so doing I corrupted that restore point, correct? Does doing this cause
system restore to fail on any restore point, or only on the one from
which the file was deleted?

Am I correct in understanding that system restore points are NOT
cumulative? In other words, if I want to restore to five days ago and
there is a restore point for every day, system restore will sequentially
go back through all five restore points to get to the desired one?

2. I have an external USB hard drive which usually isn't connected.
Whenever I connect it, system restore starts monitoring it, even though
I had turned off monitoring of that drive the last time it was
connected. If I don't turn off monitoring of this drive before the next
restore point is created, and then I remove the drive and try to use
system restore, I *THINK* this causes system restore to fail, because
the lack of that drive corrupts the system restore data base. Correct?
And if so, is this true whether or not any files on this particular
drive have been changed? Is there any way I can get system restore to
permanently ignore this drive?

What are other user errors that can cause system restore to fail? Thanks!

John

 

[Peter Foldes]

Norton,Virus\Malware\Trojan, Corruption of the OS etc etc

 

[Gerry]

John

http://bertk.mvps.org/html/srfail.html

1. When you get a malware infestation the recommendations are
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/spyware.html and
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=15265

Restore points are not cumulative. However, you cannot remove individual
restore points. The choice is All by turning off System Restore, All except
the latest Restore Point using Disk CleanUp or None.

"Does doing this cause system restore to fail on any restore point, or only
on the one from which the file was deleted?" I don't know.

2. You should only allow System Restore to monitor the volume containing
Windows.
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/tips.html#11

Problems arise trying to use System Restore with Norton Security software on
the computer.

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Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
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