Should Windows create a Restore Point before updating?

SaggyMaggyPoo

New Member
Power User
Messages
341
Location
Greece
I just had a problem with my laptop and, though I've managed to recover from it (I think), I was considering doing a System Restore to before it happened. Since we had updates this week I assumed that Windows would have created a Restore Point a couple of days ago, but when I look, the last one is from 10th Jan, which I created before a System Image.

I can see earlier Restore Points associated with Windows Installer, and I had thought that one was automatically created before Windows installed updates. Am I mistaken?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
Mine doesn't , but I do one manually be fore updates.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 9100
    CPU
    intel i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    24 Gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5670
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Flat Screen HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 850 250 GB SSD
    2 Seagate internal 1TB
    WD external 3TB USB 3
    WD external 2TB USB 3
    PSU
    550-W
    Case
    Mid
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    US USB
    Mouse
    USB
    Internet Speed
    3.84 Mbps Download .44 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
    Other Info
    Liteon DVD wrighter
    Liteon BD drive
    Monoprice Tablet
On my Desktop as well as my Laptop the only times I see when Windows Updates automatically creates a Restore Point is when one of the updates is marked as critical. I think Windows 8.1 might auto-create a Restore point ever 6-7 days or so if one has not already been created manually or via some other trigger.

Personally I always manually create a Restore Point at least every other day and sometimes daily depending on what I have been doing in addition I always manually create a Restore Point before Windows Updates or installing any software or uninstalling anything. It's free and easy and you can always delete all or all but the most recent.

I also image the system at least once a week or more often using Macrium and an external HDD.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 64, LT -Windows 10 Home 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP 500-075 Desktop + HP 15-f018dx Laptop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2 GHz Quad Core/ LT - i3-4030U 1.9 GHz
    Motherboard
    Foxcon Joshua-H61-uATX
    Memory
    8 GB/ LT - 6GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD (DX10.1)
    Sound Card
    Integrated IDT 92HD73E
    Hard Drives
    1T HDD, 16G Sandisk Cache Drive, 2T Seagate 3.0 External
    Keyboard
    Wireless
    Mouse
    Wireless
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Norton 360
    Other Info
    CyberPower UPS, Macrium Backup, Revo Pro, Malwarebytes Premium
In addition to gator's backups I find it a good idea to make Registry backups on occasion. I have used ERUNT across many versions of Windows. But there are others I'm sure.

Edit: Registry backup has the advantage you can restore a munged Registry setting without overwriting other system files. It just gives you another option.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
It depends on how the software updater was written. It can be made to not request Windows do a Restore point.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
I just had a problem with my laptop and, though I've managed to recover from it (I think), I was considering doing a System Restore to before it happened. Since we had updates this week I assumed that Windows would have created a Restore Point a couple of days ago, but when I look, the last one is from 10th Jan, which I created before a System Image.

I can see earlier Restore Points associated with Windows Installer, and I had thought that one was automatically created before Windows installed updates. Am I mistaken?

That's a really good question, After reading I looked for triggers in Task Scheduler and it was blank on that tab:
View attachment 56700
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update Pro in Hyper-V/Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Cliff's Black & Blue Wonder
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
    Memory
    32 GB Quad Kit, G.Skill Trident Z RGB Series schwarz, DDR4-3866, 18-19-19-39-2T
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG Strix O24G, 24576 MB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    (1) HD Webcam C270 (2) NVIDIA High Definition Audio (3) Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ BL2711U(4K) and a hp 27vx(1080p)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD
    E: & O: Libraries & OneDrive-> Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
    D: Hyper-V VM's -> Samsung PM951 Client M.2 512Gb SSD
    G: System Images -> HDD Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i High Performance ATX Power Supply 80+ Platinum
    Case
    hanteks Enthoo Pro TG
    Cooling
    Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB TT Premium-Edition 360mm and 3 Corsair blue LED fans
    Keyboard
    Trust GTX THURA
    Mouse
    Trust GTX 148
    Internet Speed
    25+/5+ (+usually faster)
    Browser
    Edge; Chrome; IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender of course & Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit as a
    Other Info
    Router: FRITZ!Box 7590 AX V2
    Sound system: SHARP HT-SBW460 Dolby Atmos Soundbar
    Webcam: Logitech BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM 4K webcam with HDR
Mine doesn't , but I do one manually be fore updates.

I haven't been doing because I had assumed that it was being done automatically :(. Another task to think about.

On my Desktop as well as my Laptop the only times I see when Windows Updates automatically creates a Restore Point is when one of the updates is marked as critical ... I always manually create a Restore Point before Windows Updates or installing any software or uninstalling anything.

I guess I must have noticed this when there was a critical update and just jumped to conclusions. I always try to remember to manually create a Restore Point before installing etc. but my memory doesn't always live up to my expectations :D. I do also try to create backups every couple of weeks, both Windows own and Macrium. The problem I had in this instance was just before I was going to do a new backup, so several days after the previous one. Sod's law is alive and kicking.

In addition to gator's backups I find it a good idea to make Registry backups on occasion. I have used ERUNT across many versions of Windows. But there are others I'm sure.

Edit: Registry backup has the advantage you can restore a munged Registry setting without overwriting other system files. It just gives you another option.

Does this mean my System Image backups aren't the best option for the Registry? This is a totally new area for me to start thinking about.

That's a really good question, After reading I looked for triggers in Task Scheduler and it was blank on that tab

Thanks for introducing me to Task Scheduler Cliff. (I just spent some time browsing and deleting some stuff out of there :thumb:.) Mine is also blank on the triggers tab but all the comments received have got me thinking about maybe setting a trigger to create a daily Restore Point.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
Does this mean my System Image backups aren't the best option for the Registry? This is a totally new area for me to start thinking about.

It's not that one backup should preclude another. It should supplement it. It only takes a few seconds to run ERUNT. So you can make backups fairly frivolously. It's another tool is all.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
It's not that one backup should preclude another. It should supplement it. It only takes a few seconds to run ERUNT. So you can make backups fairly frivolously. It's another tool is all.

Thanks, I will have another look at this. I assume the program you've linked to works okay with 8.1 as the site only talks about OS's up to 7 from what I recall.

It could be a good idea to do this now as I'm apparently due a hard disk failure imminently!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
It's not that one backup should preclude another. It should supplement it. It only takes a few seconds to run ERUNT. So you can make backups fairly frivolously. It's another tool is all.

Thanks, I will have another look at this. I assume the program you've linked to works okay with 8.1 as the site only talks about OS's up to 7 from what I recall.

It could be a good idea to do this now as I'm apparently due a hard disk failure imminently!

I don't have W8.1 to try it but it works for me on W8.0. It's one of those NT based utilities that pretty much works on any Windows flavor NT 4 or later. It's just backing up Registry hives after all. To make sure you get the entire registry in a backup there's the Restore Point.

I recommend taking some time to read the Readme file that comes with ERUNT. But at some time when you aren't under the gun. It's quite detailed and not a casual read. So it's best absorbed when you can devote your concentration.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
That's a really good question, After reading I looked for triggers in Task Scheduler and it was blank on that tab:
Mine is empty too.

What would you put in the trigger tab to make it create a restore point before an update? I guess I should have said, what do you put in all the tabs to make it work. I have never done anything in the Task Scheduler.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 9100
    CPU
    intel i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    24 Gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5670
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Flat Screen HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Samsung EVO 850 250 GB SSD
    2 Seagate internal 1TB
    WD external 3TB USB 3
    WD external 2TB USB 3
    PSU
    550-W
    Case
    Mid
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    US USB
    Mouse
    USB
    Internet Speed
    3.84 Mbps Download .44 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    MS Defender
    Other Info
    Liteon DVD wrighter
    Liteon BD drive
    Monoprice Tablet
True some updates create one, some don't, but also notice it increases in size over time adding more to most recent or only restore point. Revo uninstaller makes restore points and registry backups. I to tend to make them manually, before and after.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1502 (GX1502)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 5820K 3.30 GHZ 64 bit 6-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3
    Memory
    G.Skill 16GB Quad Channel DDR4-2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0+ DDR5 4GB
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PA24Q 24" Pro Art IPS LCD/LED Backlit 1920x1200
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 16:10
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    WD WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal HDD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750W 80 Plus Gold Full Modular
    Case
    AZZA Cosmas Black Gaming Case
    Cooling
    Cool Master Hyper 212 Evo Dual 120mm, ( 2) Noctua PWM 120mm Case Fans (1) Gelid PWM 120mm Blue LED
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 Illumiated Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball
    Internet Speed
    84mbps /94mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox 41.0.1 / Microsoft Edge/ IE 11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security 2015
    Other Info
    Pioneer BDR-209DBK 16x Blu-Ray Burner, LG 24x Dual Layer DVD Burner,
    StarTech Front Bay 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Multi Media Memory Card Reader,Logitech Z906 5.1 Speaker system
Back
Top