System Restore points all disappeared except one system- created point

Thanks, Bree:

I've been looking there, and all I'm finding are successful creation of Restore Points and events about VSS service shutting down due to timeout:

System Restore: "Successfully created scheduled restore point."
VSS: "The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout. "

I've carefully reviewed the entries in System Logs--Applications for about the time of that major deletion of all my restore points, and all I see is reference to a successful creation of a RP at about that time. Seems that the RP created by System has a somewhat different description that the ones I manually created later:


"Successfully created restore point (Process = C:\WINDOWS\system32\srtasks.exe ExecuteScheduledSPPCreation; Description = Scheduled Checkpoint)."

Manually created RPs read:

"Successfully created restore point (Process = "C:\WINDOWS\system32\SystemPropertiesProtection.exe" ; Description = wed sept 11 7 am)."


VSS shutting down generally happens when I'm not accessing System Properties Protection and flips back on again when I go to create a manual RP. I just did that now and those services are running.

It is possible that the switch in those two services from Automatic to Manual might be a culprit here, but no idea how that happened.

It is very odd--and disconcerting-- that the deletion of about 30 Gigs of RP's dating from August 29 on is not at all referenced in the Event Viewer panel I'm looking at!

The location for the shadow copy entries that were posted earlier in the thread was event viewer Windows logs > system.

Thanks again, zbook. I looked there as well and have not found any of those error codes you mentioned, nor even any entries pertaining to system restore. I have found SR references only in the Windowss logs-->Applications. Those are the ones I listed above.

Compumind:

I use Windows 10 native backup. So I created a Recovery USB created disc . I have a backup disc for all my documents, which I run weekly.

So, i dont use any third party software for this...yet

So far, running sfc in the past never found any errors, and VSS generally does shut down once it's done its thing

The log collector will post a new file on the desktop that can be uploaded into the thread.
Once posted it can be scanned to search for shadow copy or other problems.

eliuri said:

I use Windows 10 native backup. So I created a Recovery USB created disc . I have a backup disc for all my documents, which I run weekly.
So, i dont use any third party software for this...yet

Do you just back up you documents? Or do you make a system image too?

For over two years the built-in Windows system image backup has been a deprecated feature. Even Microsoft recommend you use third-party software for this.

Microsoft said:

System Image Backup (SIB) Solution
We recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors.

Features removed or Deprecated in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

"@eliuri -

Regarding VSS.

Tell me something. What software do you use to backup your system?
Does it work correctly with no errors and produces a full, validated backup image?"

===================
Compumind. I gather that the removable Recovery Drive Windows 10 creates is not the same as system backup you're talking about here. Does Windows 10 actually have its own built-in backup for the System and not just the Documents? If so, does it work correctly.

My preference of course is to not use more software, because I'm not computer savvy. But if its needed, I'd consider it...So far for system glitches, I've used System Restore only, and not very frequently at all. Unlike what many here have said, SR has always worked well for the minor glitches Ive encountered. Could well be that in a major screw-up, it wont do the trick

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Bree said:

"Do you just back up you documents? Or do you make a system image too?

For over two years the built-in Windows system image backup has been a deprecated feature. Even Microsoft recommend you use third-party software for this.

"
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Good point, Bree. I just back up my docs, using Windows 10 to back them up. As well as synching with One Drive..But as i said above, I think that's just for docs and doesnt back up the system. So in effect , I'm relying on SR to do that. Which apparently--from todays events -might not be so ideal..As I said, its worked for me, and is fairly simple, but it may well be inadequate..

eliuri said:

Does Windows 10 actually have its own built-in backup for the System and not just the Documents?

Yes, See Backup & Restore (Windows 7) > Create a system image.

If so, does it work correctly.

Yes and no.

When it works it does so correctly. But it is notoriously unreliable and temperamental, often failing to recognise a system image that could be restored. That's why, as I said in post #16, it is now a deprecated feature and Microsoft "...recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors."

My choice is Macrium Reflect Free.

eliuri said:

Good point, Bree. I just back up my docs, using Windows 10 to back them up. As well as synching with One Drive..But as i said above, I think that's just for docs and doesnt back up the system...

There is an option when creating a backup in Backup & Restore (Windows 7) to include a system image, but I wouldn't recommend using it (for the reasons I've already given).

A Macrium system image, unlike the MS one, can be mounted as a virtual drive so that you can retrieve individual files from it with File Explorer.

Another method to protect computers from unexpected problems is to backup the registry.
This used to be performed automatically by Windows up through 1709.
Now it must be performed manually.