System Restore: How to 100% Completely Disable?

Quexos · 30 Nov 2023

1. I have turned it off with the provided "System Protection" Tab in system Properties.
2. Added registry setting:

Code:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\SystemRestore]
"DisableSR"=dword:00000001

3. GPEDIT.MSC set to "Turn off System Restore" = Enabled

...and STILL that damned thing turns itself on and makes restore points at ~random times a while later.

Anyone know a way to NUKE that @#$#@#$%#$%ing program once and for all without dism-izing the system into a broken mess?

dalchina · 30 Nov 2023

What exact problem, other than an apparent utter detestation of it, are you experiencing (beyond finding an appropriate way to disable it)?

Sytem Restore is a valuable tool and a useful complement to 3rd party disk imaging.

Why? Restoring using a restore point does NOT affect user data.
Where it is both feasible and appropriate to use it, it's much more focussed.

It is also more convenient to use. I have one created daily on schedule.

Usually easy to disable:

System Restore: How to 100% Completely Disable?-1.jpg

- you could even allocate it zero space.

Ghot · 30 Nov 2023

Quexos said:

1. I have turned it off with the provided "System Protection" Tab in system Properties.
2. Added registry setting:

Code:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\SystemRestore]
"DisableSR"=dword:00000001

3. GPEDIT.MSC set to "Turn off System Restore" = Enabled

...and STILL that damned thing turns itself on and makes restore points at ~random times a while later.

Anyone know a way to NUKE that @#$#@#$%#$%ing program once and for all without dism-izing the system into a broken mess?

I just turned mine OFF like you did in step #1.
Mine has stayed off on both Win 10 and Win 11.

Quexos · 30 Nov 2023

dalchina said:

What exact problem, other than an apparent utter detestation...

No, that's pretty much it.

I'm just looking for a way to disable it...that WORKS. FOREVER!

I make backup images, stored on external drives. I keep my data on other drives. I have ZERO use for SR, don't want it running, at all, ever, and sure don't want it thrashing my SSD making pointless backups. Sometimes it stays off for months, other times it just comes on a day after a clean Win10 install and changes the allowed space from "0" to whatever it wants, most likely when installing or updating graphics/audio drivers(?).

The fact that M$ provides like 3-5 ways to disable it, then blatantly ignores your settings pizzez me off to no end! Same goes for force installing Edge, even with 43.748 different tweaks to prevent it.

dalchina · 01 Dec 2023

Good strategy with data and imaging.

I can only say I've seen the opposite- once or twice - that it's been disabled unexpectedly.

Have you tried allocating zero space as I suggested?

Could it be that your hacks have come back to bite you perhaps?

I would also be interested to know what happens when you click on links hard coded by MS to use Edge- e.g. links on the lock screen, or News and Interests, given that you prefer to eradicate Edge. Thanks.

TairikuOkami · 01 Dec 2023

Setting the size to the minimum prevents it from "accidentally" creating a restore point.
There is also a scheduled task, which might be triggering it. Best way to do it is via a policy:

Code:

reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\SystemRestore" /v "DisableSR" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
schtasks /Change /TN "Microsoft\Windows\SystemRestore\SR" /Disable
vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /Maxsize=320MB

Quexos · 02 Dec 2023

dalchina said:

Good strategy with data and imaging.
Have you tried allocating zero space as I suggested?

Could it be that your hacks have come back to bite you perhaps?

I would also be interested to know what happens when you click on links hard coded by MS to use Edge- e.g. links on the lock screen, or News and Interests, given that you prefer to eradicate Edge. Thanks.

I set it to zero/minimum space, delete any existing restore point (usually none made yet), then disable it.
My "hacks" are just Windows own built in settings.
I never click on hard coded links, or use any of M$ bloatware, Cortana, News and Interests, Search, none of it. But if I did, I imagine I'd just get the the old "You need an app to open that" message, which translates in my brain as "You don't want to touch that spyware even with Bill Gate's di**."

TairikuOkami said:

Setting the size to the minimum prevents it from "accidentally" creating a restore point.
There is also a scheduled task, which might be triggering it.

Size was set to minimum before disabling it. System Restore changes it when it turns itself back on.
The scheduled task was disabled > deleted during my initial install and config process.
GPEDIT > "Prevent Windows from creating a system restore point during device activity that would normally prompt Windows to create a system restore point" is enabled.

Nothing seems to work short of "hacking" it out of the system completely, but that, of course, would cause all manner of other problems I would expect. Like whatever is turning it back on would fail or error bomb.