System Restore "unsuccessful"

[Nick4000]

Hallo folk,

When I run system restore it seems to go well until the end when there
is an erro message saying system restore was not able to complete or
was unsuccessful.

I do have system restore points and was able to select one and go
through the usual procedures. One web site suggested using system
restore in safe mode but this was also unsuccessful.

I'm running Windows Vista Home Premium on a Dell c521 4200mhz, 1 gb
ram

I have a restore partition and the option of returning the drive to
factory defaults.

If I do this might it
a) cure the problem
b) wipe installed programmes
c) wipe personal files etc
from the hard drive?

Gail

 

[AJR]

The restore partition returns the computer to the original state of purchsae
.. Any programs, changes and/or additons are not carried over.

Why has been necessasry to use System Restore?

 

[Brent]

I could never get System Restore to work in either XP or Vista until one
day I attempted it from Safe Mode and have not experienced a failure
since.

FWIW.

 

[Nick4000]

The restore partition returns the computer to the original state of purchsae

Any programs, changes and/or additons are not carried over.

so factory defaults are like a reformat to original in a way?

Why has been necessasry to use System Restore?

I can't find another way of trying to repair a programme except via
the registry settings. Unfortunately I have needed to use system
restore a few times since getting vista and it has worked fine until
now.

Gail

 

[Michael Solomon]

so factory defaults are like a reformat to original in a way?



I can't find another way of trying to repair a programme except via
the registry settings. Unfortunately I have needed to use system
restore a few times since getting vista and it has worked fine until
now.

Gail

Can you remove and reinstall the program using Programs and Features in
Control Panel.

The symptoms you describe can sometimes occur when a restore point is
corrupted. There's no fix for that. Another possible issue is that an
application made some change or itself is corrupted to a point System
Restore is unable to go back to that point. Sometimes you can work around
this issue by going back to an earlier restore point. If you meant in your
post that you had tried other restore points previously and everything
worked but you are unable to use any restore points now to restore the
system, then it would appear the application with which you are having so
much trouble has made changes or caused corruptions that as I said, cannot
be fixed by System Restore.

In that case, trying to uninstall the program would be the next thing to
try. If that won't work, try reinstalling the program if you have not
already tried to do so.

 

[Rock]

Hallo folk,

When I run system restore it seems to go well until the end when there
is an erro message saying system restore was not able to complete or
was unsuccessful.

I do have system restore points and was able to select one and go
through the usual procedures. One web site suggested using system
restore in safe mode but this was also unsuccessful.

I'm running Windows Vista Home Premium on a Dell c521 4200mhz, 1 gb
ram

I have a restore partition and the option of returning the drive to
factory defaults.

If I do this might it
a) cure the problem
b) wipe installed programmes
c) wipe personal files etc
from the hard drive?

Check the documentation that came with the computer or check with the
computer tech support on whether the recovery process is destructive or not.
Usually it is, restoring the system to the as received from the factory
state, all added 3rd party programs and data is lost. Since System Restore
worked at one point (as you posted later), something changed between then
and now, what changes were made to the system? Since it worked in the
past, I would surmise doing a system recovery to factory defaults will work.
But then what caused the problem in the first place.

One way to help protect your system is to use a drive imaging program to
create a complete image of the system and store this on an external drive.
Then when a problem occurs that you can't fix, you can restore a recent
working image. In this way installed programs and data are preserved. I
use Acronis True Image Home which works well in Vista.

 

[Rock]

Hallo folk,

When I run system restore it seems to go well until the end when there
is an erro message saying system restore was not able to complete or
was unsuccessful.

I do have system restore points and was able to select one and go
through the usual procedures. One web site suggested using system
restore in safe mode but this was also unsuccessful.

I'm running Windows Vista Home Premium on a Dell c521 4200mhz, 1 gb
ram

I have a restore partition and the option of returning the drive to
factory defaults.

If I do this might it
a) cure the problem
b) wipe installed programmes
c) wipe personal files etc
from the hard drive?

Additional have you looked through MVP Bert Kinney's system restore site?
http://bertk.mvps.org/index.html

What security apps are you using? Norton/Symantec? McAfee?

 

[Jonathan M. \TacticalSniper\ Boyko]

As already been said, recovery partition you have will erase your entire
operating system and all the files on your main drive and would install
Windows as if you just bought the computer. It is a last resort.

If System Restore says the restore was unsuccessful, you should try any
previous restore points. If none work - then... Um, well, they won't work.

--

«Kono kuni wa mada, hontô no hero wo shiranai»

TacticalSniper
http://tacticalsniper.blogspot.com/

 

[Nick4000]

Thanks Michael and Rock.

Michael,

Can you remove and reinstall the program using Programs and Features in
Control Panel.

Did that first with no success.

The symptoms you describe can sometimes occur when a restore point is

corrupted.

I tried a number of the system restore points to see if another one
worked but gave up after about five go's.

Rock,

Ah yes drive image!!! I was planning to make a copy!!!!! I have
thought long and hard about what might have caused the change. I have
installed AVAST, PDF Creator Plus (the problematic programme I have
been trying to resolve). Possibly installing Acrobat against Vista's
advice? and then uninstalling it when it didn't work even with
administrator privileges as some other programmes have done quite
happily. But then restoring the registry would surely have fixed this?

I am running AVAST and windows firewall.

Gail

 

[Nick4000]

Thanks Michael and Rock.

Michael,

Can you remove and reinstall the program using Programs and Features in
Control Panel.

Did that first with no success.

The symptoms you describe can sometimes occur when a restore point is

corrupted.

I tried a number of the system restore points to see if another one
worked but gave up after about five go's.

Rock,

Ah yes drive image!!! I was planning to make a copy!!!!! I have
thought long and hard about what might have caused the change. I have
installed AVAST, PDF Creator Plus (the problematic programme I have
been trying to resolve). Possibly installing Acrobat against Vista's
advice? and then uninstalling it when it didn't work even with
administrator privileges as some other programmes have done quite
happily. But then restoring the registry would surely have fixed this?

I am running AVAST and windows firewall.

Gail

 

[Mike Matheny]

Nick4000 used his keyboard to write :

Hallo folk,

When I run system restore it seems to go well until the end when there
is an erro message saying system restore was not able to complete or
was unsuccessful.

I do have system restore points and was able to select one and go
through the usual procedures. One web site suggested using system
restore in safe mode but this was also unsuccessful.

I'm running Windows Vista Home Premium on a Dell c521 4200mhz, 1 gb
ram

I have a restore partition and the option of returning the drive to
factory defaults.

If I do this might it
a) cure the problem
b) wipe installed programmes
c) wipe personal files etc
from the hard drive?

Gail

Your restore points are corrupted - only way to correct is to disable system
restore and then re-enable - of course you will lose all your restore points.

 

[Rock]

Thanks Michael and Rock.

Michael,


Did that first with no success.

corrupted.

I tried a number of the system restore points to see if another one
worked but gave up after about five go's.

Rock,

Ah yes drive image!!! I was planning to make a copy!!!!! I have
thought long and hard about what might have caused the change. I have
installed AVAST, PDF Creator Plus (the problematic programme I have
been trying to resolve). Possibly installing Acrobat against Vista's
advice? and then uninstalling it when it didn't work even with
administrator privileges as some other programmes have done quite
happily. But then restoring the registry would surely have fixed this?

I am running AVAST and windows firewall.

Well you can try contacting the authors of PDF Creator Plus for info on how
to manually remove the program. You could also turn off system restore on
all volumes, this will cause all restore points to be deleted, then turn it
back on, create a restore point and test to see if you can restore to it.
If so then the problem was in a corrupted restore point, and at least you
have fixed that issue.

If that doesn't fix system restore, then run sfc /scannow from an elevated
command prompt.

Unfortunately you don't have a Vista DVD, only a recovery DVD. If you had a
Vista DVD you could try running startup repair accessed by booting the Vista
DVD. It can help with other problems besides startup problems.

If that didn't do it you could try a "repair install" which would be to run
an upgrade on the current installed version by booting the Vista DVD from
within Vista. Unfortunately that won't work with a recovery CD/DVD.