The ELUSIVE and misrepresented "SYSTEM RESTORE"..

[Guest]

I just got done reading the posts regarding SR and I felt like I'D already
been there and was reading what I wrote before I wrote it!!! I'm not a
"Computer Geek", but I am a college graduate and I even have a bit of common
sense when the directions don't work "just" the way a company says they will
as far as figuring it out myself, but XP Pro is XP Pro, and as much as I try-
it makes NO sense to put this false sense of security in the minds of the
people that spend their hard earned dollars into any of it! XP isn't based on
DOS like the previous Windows programs are, even though they say the
operating system for XP is NT which "IS" Dos based
I'm so frustrated at the run around since even stepping away from 98 (years
ago). Nothing about any of it has been less than a hassel, and the bottom
line still remains-- WHAT IS?& WHY DOES "SYSTEM RESTORE" or the much touted
concept of it even exist if it is redundant in reality? The big selling point
with XP was the security and the fact that as long as you set restore points
(in response to the person that said that it was a persons fault for not
doing so)System restore is a Windows XP version of backing up ie: if you set
a restore point before doing any changes to your computer, and you make a
mistake, whether it is your fault or the fault of whoever made the program
you down loaded-you are under the false sense of security that System Restore
will put your computer back the way it was before the mistake was made,
without you loosing any of your original information!That was the BIG SELLING
POINT! So why doesn't it work!!! For SR to tell me that there has been NO
CHANGES MADE TO MY COMPUTER at the same time I'm looking on the screen at the
changes that I HAVE MADE, is UNACCEPTABLE!!! Not to mention unethical for
alot of people that have sttod by and tried to be lyal to this company! I'M
DONE!!!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I just got done reading the posts regarding SR and I felt like I'D
already been there and was reading what I wrote before I wrote
it!!! I'm not a "Computer Geek", but I am a college graduate and I
even have a bit of common sense when the directions don't work
"just" the way a company says they will as far as figuring it out
myself, but XP Pro is XP Pro, and as much as I try- it makes NO
sense to put this false sense of security in the minds of the
people that spend their hard earned dollars into any of it! XP
isn't based on DOS like the previous Windows programs are, even
though they say the operating system for XP is NT which "IS" Dos
based
I'm so frustrated at the run around since even stepping away from
98 (years ago). Nothing about any of it has been less than a
hassel, and the bottom line still remains-- WHAT IS?& WHY DOES
"SYSTEM RESTORE" or the much touted concept of it even exist if it
is redundant in reality? The big selling point with XP was the
security and the fact that as long as you set restore points (in
response to the person that said that it was a persons fault for
not doing so)System restore is a Windows XP version of backing up
ie: if you set a restore point before doing any changes to your
computer, and you make a mistake, whether it is your fault or the
fault of whoever made the program you down loaded-you are under the
false sense of security that System Restore will put your computer
back the way it was before the mistake was made, without you
loosing any of your original information!That was the BIG SELLING
POINT! So why doesn't it work!!! For SR to tell me that there has
been NO CHANGES MADE TO MY COMPUTER at the same time I'm looking on
the screen at the changes that I HAVE MADE, is UNACCEPTABLE!!! Not
to mention unethical for alot of people that have sttod by and
tried to be lyal to this company! I'M DONE!!!

If someone was under a 'false sense of security' --> that's because they did
not do the research nor thought things out. It's like calling a ship
unsinkable - if you believe that - you are only fooling yourself. You
should research and understand something before you go 'trusting' that it is
flawless. Before that - you should be careful and do what you know how to
do to prevent issues. (backups using programs you do understand, etc.)

If you don't fully understand something and you go ahead and trust it
because 'someone else told you it is so' <-- then the results are your own
doing, for not learning things on your own.

Good luck in your future adventures - whatever they may be. I hope your
rant helped you. =)

Maybe this web page can:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/srfail.html

 

[GRAND_POOBAH]

System Restore is never meant to be a backup program. It simply stores
some *SYSTEM* files for recall should you wish to recall an earlier date
for system configuration. A perfect example would be just before you
install a new driver, or piece of hardware. What it will NOT do is back
up a letter you wrote two days ago. That type of backup is for
third-party backup programs. Please note the name: SYSTEM Restore.

If it reports "no changes made" then nothing in the SYSTEM has been
changed since your last restore point.

GP

--->

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I just got done reading the posts regarding SR and I felt like I'D
already been there and was reading what I wrote before I wrote it!!!

I have no idea what posts you are referring too, but see below.

I'm not a "Computer Geek", but I am a college graduate and I even
have a bit of common sense when the directions don't work "just" the
way a company says they will as far as figuring it out myself, but XP
Pro is XP Pro, and as much as I try- it makes NO sense to put this
false sense of security in the minds of the people that spend their
hard earned dollars into any of it!

What false sense of security? In what way do you think System Restore is
misrepresented?

System Restore is *not* meant to be a backup solution, and has never been
represented as such. System Restore is not a cure for all problems, and is
certainly not a substitute for a backup. It's a quick and easy way to revert
the operating system (not your data) to the condition it was in a day, or a
few days, ago, and that's all. It is a very useful feature, one that has
gotten me and many others out of trouble many times.

You still need to backup your own data files.

XP isn't based on DOS like the
previous Windows programs are

Correct, but change "the previous" to "some previous."

even though they say the operating
system for XP is NT

Sorry, I don't understand that at all. You can't speak of an operating
system *for* XP; XP *is* the operating system. XP is just its marketing
name; under the hood, XP is actually a version of Windows NT, specifically
NT 6.0.

which "IS" Dos based

No. No version of Windows NT has ever been DOS-based.

I'm so frustrated at the run around since even stepping away from 98
(years ago).

I'm sorry to hear you are frustrated, but I don't know what you are
frustrated by or what runaround you are talking about.

Nothing about any of it has been less than a hassel, and

Any of what?

the bottom line still remains-- WHAT IS?& WHY DOES "SYSTEM RESTORE"
or the much touted concept of it even exist if it is redundant in
reality?

See above for what it is. It's not at all redundant, and I have no idea why
you think that it is. You've told us nothing about your problems

The big selling point with XP was the security and the fact
that as long as you set restore points

I don't think that, with Windows XP, or with any version of Windows, that
there is a single "big selling point." Each new version has a bunch of new
features and improvements. They need to be looked at as a group, and each
person needs to look at them and decide whether he thinks they are worth the
cost and trouble of upgrading. Certainly security is a big issue, but it's
not the only one.

(in response to the person
that said that it was a persons fault for not doing so)System restore
is a Windows XP version of backing up

As I said above, most people use the word "backup" to refer primarily to
backing up of user data--your word processes sing files, spreadsheets,
pictures, music, etc. Since System Restore doesn't do anything for these
types of files, I think the word "backup" is a very poor way of describing
it.

ie: if you set a restore point
before doing any changes to your computer, and you make a mistake,
whether it is your fault or the fault of whoever made the program you
down loaded-you are under the false sense of security that System
Restore will put your computer back the way it was before the mistake
was made, without you loosing any of your original information!That
was the BIG SELLING POINT! So why doesn't it work!!!

It does work. It's never failed to work for me when I've needed it, and not
just on my own machine.

But remember two points:

1. System Restore, like every other component of Windows, is a complex piece
of software, and it's written by humans, who are not perfect. Very few
things work perfectly all the time, and there have been reports of
occasional problems with System restore, just as there have been with other
Windows components. However, once again, I've never had a problem with it.

2. Every software component in your computer is subject to corruption by
outside influences. You haven't said anything about the specifics of what
problems you are experiencing, but I wouldn't necessarily rule out the
possibility that, whatever they are, malware (viruses, spyware, etc.) isn't
a factor. Over and above that, hardware problems often turn out to be the
cause of what starts out by being blamed as a software problem.

 

[Jerry]

If you're a college graduate then I guess you missed the English class on
paragraphs and sentences. Your rant would have been easier to read if it was
not all run together.