So what - it has failed for me and many users here many times.
It is unreliable and you can never predict when it will let you down.
Your argument is ”I have never had problems, so if others have problems , it is because they have other issues".
This is a pointless discussion as you refuse to accept the simple fact - it is unreliable. If it works for you, fine but don't presume that is true for all users.
What's pointless is you making a sweeping statement implying it's unreliable, when you simply don't have anything to back that up, except "posts" from "many users"...which 99% have no clue what the root cause it.
Your experience doesn't apply to everyone.
@dalchina's example fell flat...the WindowsApps folder was the root cause.
I gave one example in Windows 7, where AV software was the root cause.
My argument was it's been totally reliable for me, (and many others), so if you actually read what I said, it raises the question "why does it work well for some, and not others".
I don't give two squats whether you use it or not.
You're entitled to your own opinions, just not your own facts.
I hear this all the time and I honestly don't know where that comes from cause for me, when I use system restore it usually takes about 2-3 minutes (on average) from starting the process to when the PC comes out of the boot process.
Yes sometimes it can take longer, but typically if it takes that long I've found the process will fail to recover. However, I'll say my success rate is about 90 percent.
All that said, and I've had this conversation before, people need to understand System Restorer's intended purpose.... to restore the system to a previous state before an action was taken - example driver install. It is NOT a backup tool and never was intended to be one.
I backup my system all the time and have images - however, I use system restore where the need arises for say a failed driver or software app I'm testing. In fact I often create a Restore point prior to certain drivers installs, example GPU driver updates. If I don't like said driver, I do a System Restore. If the restore fails and I don't like the results, I use the image I have on hand.
So, a system restore is not a backup, but a recovery service only affecting system files, registry entries, and system settings. A backup restores everything (or everything you backed up at the time).
As to the OP's issue... as been stated backup software can wipe restore points when the entire OS is backed up. When one is just backing up certain folders like Pictures or Documents, this isn't such an issue.
The issue as some are aware of is the way backup programs interfere with VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) service when backing up an entire OS (in keeping things simple).
Anyway my post is for general info and not specifically targeted at you (Bree).
Peace
Yep.
Not interested in above discussion.. a waste of everyone's time.
Returning to Terrypin's issue: here's the Macrium thread- very detailed:
Could Macrium be a possible cause of my System Restore points disappearing?
None lost here either.
Thanks @OldNavyGuy, I've been slow coming to this conclusion but I think you're right.
VSS reports earlier today (in an elevated command prompt) do not seem to point to a capacity problem...
C:\WINDOWS\system32>vssadmin list shadows
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line
tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2013 Microsoft Corp.
Contents of shadow copy set ID: {5006c321-59ec-4456-bc54-690f3bb6c86f}
Contained 1 shadow copies at creation time: 07/07/20 12:03:40
Shadow Copy ID: {244971bf-e7d6-4e3a-bd5e-e590067f142a}
Original Volume:
(C:)\\?\Volume{0aa994fb-aeb9-4b19-863d-c873ece9fcb0}\
Shadow Copy Volume:
\\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy11
Originating Machine: Terry-2016
Service Machine: Terry-2016
Provider: 'Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0'
Type: ClientAccessibleWriters
Attributes: Persistent, Client-accessible, No auto release,
Differential, Auto recovered
Contents of shadow copy set ID: {b62323b3-95bf-479e-874d-0bb2b17a745d}
Contained 1 shadow copies at creation time: 04/11/18 06:38:05
Shadow Copy ID: {1ee712ad-ede6-4741-99fa-c75f24c0feee}
Original Volume:
(G:)\\?\Volume{00028375-0000-0000-0000-100000000000}\
Shadow Copy Volume:
\\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy1
Originating Machine: Terry-2016
Service Machine: Terry-2016
Provider: 'Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0'
Type: DataVolumeRollback
Attributes: Persistent, No auto release, No writers,
Differential
--------------------
And to see storage usage:
--------------------
C:\WINDOWS\system32>vssadmin list shadowstorage /for=C:
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line
tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2013 Microsoft Corp.
Shadow Copy Storage association
For volume: (C:)\\?\Volume{0aa994fb-aeb9-4b19-863d-c873ece9fcb0}\
Shadow Copy Storage volume:
(C:)\\?\Volume{0aa994fb-aeb9-4b19-863d-c873ece9fcb0}\
Used Shadow Copy Storage space: 416 MB (0%)
Allocated Shadow Copy Storage space: 753 MB (0%)
Maximum Shadow Copy Storage space: 11.9 GB (5%)
--------------------
Do you agree that this doesn't seem to indicate any attempt to use more space (416 MB) than that allocated (11.9 GB)?
However...
I then decided to see if doing the Sunday weekly MR full image backup manually right now would still delete all SRs. I fully expected it to do so.
It didn't! That single SR point was still there. I'll reboot my PC now and check again, but, that does seem to point to something special going on around 05:00 on Sunday mornings.
EDIT: It was happily still present after a PC reset. BUT I may have to repeat this test because I suspect that the SR points being deleted were those automatically created on startup. (Or both those and the manual ones.)
To avoid another hour's full backup I'll try say a Differential.
Did that and both my manual and auto SR points were still present. So I'm getting closer to a solution!
BTW, straying OT a bit, does the 64 minute run time of that manual backup seem reasonable?
Last edited by Terrypin; 08 Jul 2020 at 08:12.
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