System Restore File Question - Windows XP

[Bill]

Where are the system restore files in XP and what are they named? If I
back those files up to another hard drive or CD, will I be able to use
them if my primary hard drive fails and I have to start from scratch
with a new drive?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[Willit]

Restore is not reliable. It's a marketing gimmick for MS.
You can turn it off from Control Panel > System > and then
re-boot and it will purge it's file. Then re-boot, turn it
back on.


You still have to deal the problem, it's a crap program,
that half works, half the time. It's like a parachute,
will it open if you need it ?? Maybe !!! It is not
isolated from any viruses and must be purged to keep from
a re-infection. If you use it, fine, Have I, yes !!! But I
learned the hard way about it's reliability, it can't be
trusted !!I It's too easy to use NTBack-up to back up your
system state, but not to a cd, cause that's another issue.
Save it to a folder then burn it. Oh, I forgot you may
have to install NTBackup since MS decided you did not need
it in XP Home, that 75% of users have. Oh, you have a OEM
and you don't have NTBackup Get it here :
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi

Do a real backup and get Erunt for your registry. It puts
a folder on your root dir with a installer.

http://home.t-online.de/home/lars.hederer/erunt/

If you're a true MS believer, Keep drinking the purple
cool-aid, the hale-bop comet is returning, they have room
for you !!

System Restore :: In MS's own words .......lol

"The System Restore feature of Windows XP enables you to
restore a PC, in the event of a problem, to a previous
state without losing personal data files. System Restore
actively monitors system file changes to record or store
previous versions before the changes occurred. With System
Restore, you never have to think about taking system
snapshots as it automatically creates easily identifiable
restore points, which allow you to restore the system to a
previous point in time."

"you never have to think about taking system snapshots"
Oh, really.

Learn more:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?
url=/technet/itcommunity/Newsgroups/FAQSRWXP.asp

 

[cimex]

Not sure how much good the System Restore files will do you, since what they
"restore" is not the critical items, like data and settings, but just your
software configuration as of a number of days. If you lose your HDD, a bunch
of registry settings won't do you much good. You need to do a regular
backup. From an earlier post:

"You can use ntbackup that comes with XP to backup whatever you want
manually, or on a scheduled basis. If you happen to have XP Home, it is not
installed by default. " Instructions can be found
at:http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302894&Product=wi
nxp

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Bill,

Control Panel/Folder Otions/View tab, set the system to see hidden and
operating system files.

Then locate the System Volume Information folder on each protected drive.
This is where the SR points are stored as RPxxx folders. No, you cannot back
them up for later use. SR will only recognize the points currently in the
folder.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Where are the system restore files in XP and what are they named? If
I back those files up to another hard drive or CD, will I be able to
use them if my primary hard drive fails and I have to start from
scratch with a new drive?

No, they won't be of use in such a situation. System Restore,
although a very useful feature, is not a substitute for a backup.
You need a complete backup of the drive to do what you want.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Restore is not reliable. It's a marketing gimmick for MS.

System Restore is not a cure for all problems, and is certainly
not a substitute for a backup. But it is far more than "a
marketing Gimmick for MS." It is a very useful feature, one that
has gotten me and many others out of trouble many times.

 

[willit]

Sure it's useful, I agree , when it works. I have 273
systems on my net, I know that half of the restores won't
work.

What I said:

"If you use it, fine, Have I, yes !!! But I
learned the hard way about it's reliability, it can't be
trusted !!"

 

[Alex Nichol]

Where are the system restore files in XP and what are they named? If I
back those files up to another hard drive or CD, will I be able to use
them if my primary hard drive fails and I have to start from scratch
with a new drive?

No - that is not what they are for. They are there to allow you to
unwind any recent changes from the present, and are not a backup.

They are in the folder System Volume Information on each drive - have
Folder Options - View set to show Hidden files, and *not* Hide Protected
mode ones to be able to see this. And do *not* be tempted to try to do
anything with them manually

 

[Alex Nichol]

Sure it's useful, I agree , when it works. I have 273
systems on my net, I know that half of the restores won't
work.

Which means that it is not what you also always say 'just a marketing
gimmick'. Provided it is used within its purpose it is a useful tool
and in my own experience trouble is rare