Comments for Why can't I rely on System Restore for backups?

Comment from anthony on 2009-10-26

2009-10-26T18:53:25Z

I recently had to use the system restore that restores the cpu back the the factory installed conditions wiping out all programs I installed. Is there a way or a program that can bring it back? (I do not have the install disk anymore.) I seen some that restores deleted files but do not mention programs.

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Comment from XP Guest Account acting like Win2k Guest Account on 2009-09-05

2009-09-06T01:37:17Z

I always turn off system restore because in my situation and the way in which I use my computers it becomes a very irritating and useless feature,

a> if it doesn't restore user data why does it create restore points for every folder I create and delete?

b> it becomes a resource intensive item when monitoring the 20+ drives in my system,
(Yes I've actually made it up to the full disk count of 26, when the last USB drive I plugged in became B:\ I wish I had another just to see if I would get a windows dialog "no more available drive letters")

c> system restore can harbor infected system files, not that I've ever had an infection on any of my systems but I've seen .exe files and .dll files in restore points,
Microsoft documentation System Restore Monitored File Types

d> to see the contents of these RP## folders change the folder options to show hidden & system files & folders and uncheck the "Hide protected OS files" and then right click on "\System Volume Information" and change the security permissions to allow inherit from parent permissions and then look through the RP## folders and you'll see .exe & .dll files

e> also if system restore contains the registry backups you mention then it can also contain those corrupt registry entries created by malware / spyware bad BHOs etc. in fact all the AV and anti-whatever programs such as Spybot Search & Destroy help files tell you to turn off system restore when attempting to recover from an infection.

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Comment from Ron on 2009-02-17

2009-02-18T01:50:02Z

I'd like to ad one point: be aware about making a system backup image...it's best to FIRST run all your "anti" software to get rid of all the viruses and malware you have. Otherwise, if you end up having to use the backup image, you're going to have all the junk you had before you started.

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Comment from Angel on 2009-02-17

2009-02-17T18:45:33Z

Hello Leo,

I heard that having System Restore on could be a security issue. Is this true?

Thank you

Not that I've heard of. Only thing I can think of is using it to restore something you thought you had removed.

- Leo
18-Feb-2009

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Comment from whs on 2008-12-11

2008-12-12T03:31:34Z

Hi Leo, thanks for the answer. You are right in the sense that a true backup must be to another media. That's why I use Norton Ghost PLUS a very handy Maxtor One Touch disk that I leave disconnected. However, as long as the HDD stays alive (and that is the base case for most folks), it is possible to recover files and folders from the shadows in shadowstorage. And that has come in handy in several instances - especially if they are system files.

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Comment from whs on 2008-12-09

2008-12-10T05:23:52Z

I am slightly confused regarding the statement that "System Restore does not backup your data". If I inspect my shadows in the shadowstorage (e.g. with Shadow Explorer) I can see all my files that existed at the time the shadow was written and I can even reimport them. The same goes for system files. How does that relate to your statement that I quoted above? Thanks in advance for your answer. WHS

That's a Vista-only feature. Technically I'm not sure it's part of System Restore. Even if it is, it's not a backup. Consider what happens if your hard drive dies - your shadow storage dies too.

- Leo
10-Dec-2008

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Comment from Robert George Douglas on 2008-09-07

2008-09-07T07:50:42Z

Dear Leo,

This is do with back-ups. I have some difficulty with finding my current active files which must be miniscule compared with your gargantuan back-up base. Can you please give some tips on your 'filing' system as regards finding specific files in the mass of those that must accrue from your nightly back-up ?

Thank you

Robert George Douglas

Actually has very little to do with the backups, per se. The backups are simply images of my hard drive, so they're organized the same way things are laid out on my harddrive.

As for how I lay things out on my hard drive ... well, that's been a long evolution over many years as my needs have changed, and likely wouldn't apply to you. Best advice I can offer it to plan a hard drive organization that makes sense to you, and then the backups shoudl follow.

-Leo

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Comment from Bevin on 2008-08-29

2008-08-29T07:14:24Z

Thanks RonH. Yes, I was looking to use Add/Remove programs but I could not identify the kbxxx updates that were loaded at the time the problem began. When I selected Update History from Windows Update, the only thing listed was Microsoft Update download (!!!!) and looking in C:\Windows listed about 10 kb's. I decided to first test my theory of the problem being caused by an update, by Restoring to an earlier date (which I assumed would roll back those updates). The time it would take to uninstall each likely kb, then reinstall the program, would be wasted if an update was not my problem.
So I would still like to know if Restore does roll back Windows updates. Leo???
Thanks, Bevin.

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Comment from Ron N. on 2008-08-28

2008-08-28T12:22:04Z

You can uninstall MS updates from the Add/Remove programs area. You probably will have to put a check in a box at the top to display them.

The best registry backups are made by the free ERUNT progam. Works with Vista and XP. I put this on every customer's computer. Do some googling. Packrat1947

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Comment from Bevin on 2008-08-28

2008-08-28T09:07:40Z

Leo, Does Restore (XP) roll back Windows updates? I have a problem with a program that suddenly developed unusual behaviour after a packet of Windows updates was installed. I want to Restore to a date prior to the Windows update to test program behaviour. And if the problem goes away, I will re-install each of the updates testing for the "baddie". Will this work?

I believe it will.

-Leo

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Comment from Carl R. Goodwin on 2008-08-27

2008-08-28T01:55:49Z

The ONE thing that I don't really like about Vista is the inability to decide how many restore points/memory is used (as I could in XP). Every week, I run maintenance, and when I run disk cleanup, there are at least 5 gb of restore points saved. Waste of disk space.

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Comment from novice on 2008-08-21

2008-08-21T17:56:11Z

A related question if someone can answer. Restoring from full image backup would restore even the user data and files to that previous date. Or is there a way to restore ONLY the programs and settings?

More specifically, is there a way to somehow backup the windows updates (and even the MS Office updates) so that when we reinstall it from the recovery DVD (factory fresh image) we do not have to download the hefty updates again?

If yes, does the method involve downloading all the updates again or the already downloaded updates can be used?

The short answer is: not really. A backup is just a backup of files on you disk. It doesn't "know" while files are system files, which files are parts of updates, and which files are your data - it's all just files. So a restore is either complete (all files) or partial (you choose which files and folders to restore). Updates are also frequently invasive, meaning that they touch things you wouldn't expect to be touched. There's simply no way to keep it all straight.

The solution many people take is when building out a new machine is to first install everything. Get it all up to date, and then take a full backup snapshot of the machine at that point in time. That way they have a known good image that they can revert to, and would have to take only updates released since that point if they need to revert to it.

-Leo

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A comment on: Why can't I rely on System Restore for backups?

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