How to make Win8 make restore points automatically

tetelee

New Member
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8
Previously when I was using Windows 7, the system restore points were created automatically whenever I installed a new SW or made other similar system change. But it seems not the case in Win 8 any more.

I am a SW developer. Although I normally test our SW on virtual machines, but some other time I just install part of it directly on the development machine. The SW of course might have some problem. Today when I tried to restore my system to a status right before I installed the problem SW, I just found out that I don't have these restore points. The system indeed created some restore points automatically, but those don't seem to cover all the changes I made to the system. Is there a way to configure it? Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise
Maybe your restore point disk space allocation is inadequate to hold all restore points that might be created automatically. My record of restore points implies that restore points are being created for all SW installations, but the record does not go very far back in time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
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    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Thanks for the replies. I found out one interesting fact: in Windows 8 (or maybe in Win 7 as well, I didn't thing about it before) the system protection seems to be done on a drive's level, meaning I can configure the protection on one hard disk to "on" and on another as "off". In fact I added one 120 GB SSD when I installed Windows 8 so now there are two hard disks (the other one has Windows 7 installed and also acts as some data drive on Win 8). My current configuration of system restore is to have the protections on both disks as "on". And I can see the reserved space on the second disk is almost full (current usage 103 vs. max usage 106 GB. While on the first one is not). Could it be the reason why no more system restore points could be created?

And I have to say I don't understand how it works then. What if I only have protection on the first disk, and then install something on the second disk? The installation would of course write something to the registry which is on the first disk. So would there be a restore point? If so, what would happen if I choose to restore to this point? Since the second disk doesn't have protection, it won't be restored in any manner. But the registry will point to some component on the second disk due to the restore. Would it be a mess?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise
I have Windows 8 OEM - came with my new month old computer.

Mine makes restore dates automatically, I've noticed. Only used it one. I had three dates. After using it the dates were erased. Now there is only the last date restored January 13, 2013.

Windows 8 How To: 29. Restore System to a Previous State Using Restore Point - Dr. Z's Blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

The blog says system restore automatically sets points for Windows updates and maintenance ! I have downloaded some outside updates several times, such as Adobe Reader and others and NO restore points were made.

Windows 8 is quirky. I've noticed some other features that didn't seem to come along from Windows 7 or Vista Home Premium. Windows 8 kept a lot of "stuff" from previous versions but seems to have left some out to.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
I have Windows 8 OEM - came with my new month old computer.

Mine makes restore dates automatically, I've noticed. Only used it one. I had three dates. After using it the dates were erased. Now there is only the last date restored January 13, 2013.

Windows 8 How To: 29. Restore System to a Previous State Using Restore Point - Dr. Z's Blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

The blog says system restore automatically sets points for Windows updates and maintenance ! I have downloaded some outside updates several times, such as Adobe Reader and others and NO restore points were made.

Windows 8 is quirky. I've noticed some other features that didn't seem to come along from Windows 7 or Vista Home Premium. Windows 8 kept a lot of "stuff" from previous versions but seems to have left some out to.

Wow, that's brand-new information. Could somebody verify that whether Windows 8 will make restore points when a third party SW is installed? I am sure that Windows 7 does. And that's what I really need.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise
My 8 makes automatic restore points for third-party software installed; it looks like it does it all the time. Third-party updates not included as far as I know.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
My 8 makes automatic restore points for third-party software installed; it looks like it does it all the time. Third-party updates not included as far as I know.
But that's not the case on my computer (enterprise version). Did you do some additional configuration to control it? And since I have two disks, one set the protection to "off" (although I normally install SW on the one which has the OS and the protection), does it affect it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise
Thanks for the replies. I found out one interesting fact: in Windows 8 (or maybe in Win 7 as well, I didn't thing about it before) the system protection seems to be done on a drive's level, meaning I can configure the protection on one hard disk to "on" and on another as "off". In fact I added one 120 GB SSD when I installed Windows 8 so now there are two hard disks (the other one has Windows 7 installed and also acts as some data drive on Win 8). My current configuration of system restore is to have the protections on both disks as "on". And I can see the reserved space on the second disk is almost full (current usage 103 vs. max usage 106 GB. While on the first one is not). Could it be the reason why no more system restore points could be created?
This was certainly true in XP.

You could configure drives separately even in XP, but if you had one drive full, it meant System Restore stopped working for all drives, in the manner you describe, so the recommended way in XP was only to switch it on for your System drive. Must admit I don't know if Win 8 works the same way.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
Thanks for the replies. I found out one interesting fact: in Windows 8 (or maybe in Win 7 as well, I didn't thing about it before) the system protection seems to be done on a drive's level, meaning I can configure the protection on one hard disk to "on" and on another as "off". In fact I added one 120 GB SSD when I installed Windows 8 so now there are two hard disks (the other one has Windows 7 installed and also acts as some data drive on Win 8). My current configuration of system restore is to have the protections on both disks as "on". And I can see the reserved space on the second disk is almost full (current usage 103 vs. max usage 106 GB. While on the first one is not). Could it be the reason why no more system restore points could be created?
This was certainly true in XP.

You could configure drives separately even in XP, but if you had one drive full, it meant System Restore stopped working for all drives, in the manner you describe, so the recommended way in XP was only to switch it on for your System drive. Must admit I don't know if Win 8 works the same way.

But what would happen in the situation I described above? The scenario is: I make C drive (system drive) have protection, but D drive don't. Then I install a SW called AA on D drive. Assume I have enough space, the system will then make restore point. Then I delete the installed files on D drive, and maybe mess it up a little bit on C drive as well, for example, with the registry. After that, I decide I want to restore the system to the state right after I installed AA. I guess the registry will be restored, maybe also the desktop icon and start up menu for AA. But since D drive doesn't get restored, AA will not be ran correctly. In another word, this is really a messed up situation. Am I right?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise
Yes you could be right; it's probably an oversimplification when I said it was the recommended way, as it wouldn't apply in all cases. For my old XP machine, the software was all kept in C:, but the D: drive contained non-software, and was very often nearly full, so I switched off System Restore for D: to ensure it worked for C:

Edit: I'm thinking of XP though - not sure how much of this applies to Win 8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
Yes you could be right; it's probably an oversimplification when I said it was the recommended way, as it wouldn't apply in all cases. For my old XP machine, the software was all kept in C:, but the D: drive contained non-software, and was very often nearly full, so I switched off System Restore for D: to ensure it worked for C:

Edit: I'm thinking of XP though - not sure how much of this applies to Win 8.

Thanks for the explanation. This is indeed the best way I can think of for how system restore works. I can't come up with a solution to not mess up with the system in the scenario I described.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise
Some of my posts above might be away from the original question. But I do have one related situation: I have turned off the protection on my D drive. I have made sure my C drive has enough space for restore points. Then I installed a SW on C drive. However, I still have don't see the system restore points created automatically. It's really bad since I can easily ruin my system in this case. Is there some other stuff preventing the restore point to be created?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Enterprise
When I set up my LAN I had one new computer with Win 8 OEM, one with Windows 7 and one with Vista Home Home premium. I had read that a LAN works better if all computers are Win 8. So I bought Windows 8 Pro *( It's not the same as Win 8 OEM, it has enhanced Bitblocker encryption and a couple of other features, remote desk top ) and contemplated a dual boot Win 7 AND Win8. A poster said: DON'T DO IT, it's trouble. Win 8 reaches back into Win 7 even in a dual boot. So I forgot about conserving Windows 7 and did a new Windows 8 install with the disc.

For myself I do not have any need for Windows 7. It's becoming history.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
My 8 makes automatic restore points for third-party software installed; it looks like it does it all the time. Third-party updates not included as far as I know.
But that's not the case on my computer (enterprise version). Did you do some additional configuration to control it? And since I have two disks, one set the protection to "off" (although I normally install SW on the one which has the OS and the protection), does it affect it?
No additional configuration here. If you don't get any sort of notification, then OS protection probably is not affecting restore-point automatic creation.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
Some of my posts above might be away from the original question. But I do have one related situation: I have turned off the protection on my D drive. I have made sure my C drive has enough space for restore points. Then I installed a SW on C drive. However, I still have don't see the system restore points created automatically. It's really bad since I can easily ruin my system in this case. Is there some other stuff preventing the restore point to be created?
I am not aware of anything that would interfere with the creation. I have always been vigilant with System restore--making sure that needed restore points are created before, and sometimes soon after, SW installation.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Ult on DIY; Win8 Pro on MBP/Parallels; Win7 Ult on MBP/Boot Camp; Win7 Ult/Win8 Pro on HP
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Rig; MacBook Pro (MBP)/Parallels/Boot Camp; HP Pavilion dv6500t Laptop
    CPU
    Intel i7-2600K (sometimes OC'd to 4.8 GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev B3
    Memory
    16 GB Corsair Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 570 SC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway
    Hard Drives
    Dual Boot:
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on OCZ Revo x2 and
    Win7 Ult RAID 0 on Caviar Black SATA 3's
    PSU
    Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
    Case
    Cooler Master 932 HAF
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Mouse
    Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500
    Internet Speed
    20 Mbps Download/2+ Mbps Upload
    Other Info
    Pioneer Blu-ray Burner/DVD Burner
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