Where are the system restore backup files?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Momma
  • Start date Start date
M

Momma

Since system restore is so finicky about retaining previous
files, I would like to know where it stores these files
(path name and extensions).

I have been burned by system restore which goes south when
needed.

In Win98SE I can capture 26 previous registry backups and
restore them through a nifty bat file I found through the
Win98 newsgroup.
 
Look for a hidden folder called System Volume Information.

Restore points cannot be backed up.

Ted Zieglar
 
Ted said:
Look for a hidden folder called System Volume Information.

Restore points cannot be backed up.

Ted Zieglar
Click to expand...
Thanks for that.

I managed to change the directory status so I can see the
files (which mean nothing by their designations). The
restore points go back four months, but using System
Restore, I can only see back a few days. If these points are
present, why not show them? If these points are not to be
used, why preserve them?

I am also aware of the problem of not being able to restore
to a recent status if (some files) are removed. This seems
rather contrary since I should think System Restore is
supposed allow a user to "go back."

Any "go back" programs that work?

I do understand the difference between a "restore" which
seems to merely merge saved settings with current ones in
the registry, and a more substantial "replace" that
substitutes a past registry for the present one.
 
Ted said:
Look for a hidden folder called System Volume Information.

Restore points cannot be backed up.

Ted Zieglar
Click to expand...
Ooops. One correction:
While the contents of the RP subdirectories contain files
dating back quite some time, the sd's themselves are no more
than seven days old. There are about 39 RP sd's. In Win98SE
only one of the RB files was created per day, plus the
scandisk (user initiated) backups. So XP clutters the HDD
with these close-in restores, and denies returning back to a
known-good if more than a few days past. The whole concept
of using these massive registries ought to be revisited.
 
Ooops. One correction:
While the contents of the RP subdirectories contain files
dating back quite some time, the sd's themselves are no more
than seven days old. There are about 39 RP sd's. In Win98SE
only one of the RB files was created per day, plus the
scandisk (user initiated) backups. So XP clutters the HDD
with these close-in restores, and denies returning back to a
known-good if more than a few days past. The whole concept
of using these massive registries ought to be revisited.
Click to expand...

In a practical sense restoring the system back more than a few days is
likely to cause more problems than it cures.

System Restore should be used primarily to undo the effects of a
recent event (e.g. to recover from a botched or rogue application
install) and not to delve back into the depths of relatively ancient
history.

Likewise with the registry backups in Windows 98/Me. Going back to a
registry that is more than 5 days old is very likely to be
problematic, if not disastrous.


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
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