System restore not creating restore point

namsilat

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I went into Task Scheduler and set System Restore to create a restore point every day at 12:01am. Under Conditions I cleared all the check boxes because I want SR to run regardless of whether computer is idle or not. I have been watching this for about 1 week and so far it's not created a single restore point. Under History there's no entry, and the tab itself actually say "History (disabled)", not sure what that's about. Suggestion?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
I found the vbs script below on the web that works for Windows 7 Pro. However, it would not work for Windows 8 until I added the following the DWORD value SystemRestorePointCreationFrequency under the registry key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore. I then set the value of SystemRestorePointCreationFrequency to 0 and System Restores Points were successfully made when I launched the .vbs script from my task scheduler. All of the above work was performed from a user account with Administrator privileges. I did not have to log on as the true administrator with full rights.

Please remember to be careful when working in the registery.

Hope this helps.

To create the script I cut and pasted the text below and pasted it into notepad. I then saved the file as system_restore.vbs and saved it at c:\tools_sr\

If WScript.Arguments.Count = 0 Then
Set oShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
oShell.ShellExecute "wscript.exe", """" & WScript.ScriptFullName & """ Run", , "runas", 1
Else
Set oWshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
oWshShell.Popup "Creating a SystemRestore point. Please wait.", 2, "System Restore", 0
swinmgmts = "winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore"
GetObject(swinmgmts).CreateRestorePoint "Scheduled Restore Point", 0, 100
'MsgBox "System Restore Point created", 0, "System Restore"
End If
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 7 pro x64, vista home premium x32 and windows 8 x64
When you said "added", should there be a "SystemRestorePointCreationFrequency" registry entry in the first place? My registry doesn't have that entry at the location you specified.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Sorry about the confusion...I did not have the "SystemRestorePointCreationFrequency" registry entry. I had to create it as a DWORD value. Zero (0) was the default value after I created it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 7 pro x64, vista home premium x32 and windows 8 x64
I had this problem and disabled and re-enabled System Restore. That seemed to fix the issue. Disabling SR deletes all restore points, so I immediately created a manual system restore point.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 / 64
I set up a schedule to run Recovery Point Create when I logon.
It is set to run regardless of what might be happening.
However no recovery point is created.
The "Last Run Result" shows (0x0).
History shows disabled.

SR Schedule.PNG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3470 CPU @ 3.20GHz, 3601 Mhz, 4 Core(s)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 1600MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GE Force GT 610
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek High Def
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2913WMP
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB
    Seagate ST2000DL003-9VT166 2TB
    Seagate ST31000528AS 1TB
Tried run from the Task Scheduler entry.
Had no effect.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3470 CPU @ 3.20GHz, 3601 Mhz, 4 Core(s)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 1600MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GE Force GT 610
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek High Def
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2913WMP
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB
    Seagate ST2000DL003-9VT166 2TB
    Seagate ST31000528AS 1TB
Decided that the best answer is contained in this tutorial:- System Restore Point Shortcut

(Shawn to the rescue once again. :D )

Even got it pinned to the taskbar (well kind of).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3470 CPU @ 3.20GHz, 3601 Mhz, 4 Core(s)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 1600MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GE Force GT 610
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek High Def
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2913WMP
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB
    Seagate ST2000DL003-9VT166 2TB
    Seagate ST31000528AS 1TB
The task may run, but it doesn't have to create a restore point every time it runs. It only happens if there have been no restore points created within the past 7 days. This change was introduced in Windows 7 to stretch the period of time covered by points.

P.S. If you require daily points, create a task that runs a PowerShell command
Code:
checkpoint-computer
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion dv7t (17.3'', i7-2630QM, HD 6770M 1Gb, 8Gb RAM, 2 SSD@120Gb + 1 HDD@750Gb)
P.S. If you require daily points, create a task that runs a PowerShell command
Code:
checkpoint-computer

Sounds good. Got an example?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3470 CPU @ 3.20GHz, 3601 Mhz, 4 Core(s)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 1600MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GE Force GT 610
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek High Def
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2913WMP
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB
    Seagate ST2000DL003-9VT166 2TB
    Seagate ST31000528AS 1TB

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3470 CPU @ 3.20GHz, 3601 Mhz, 4 Core(s)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-B75M-D2V
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 1600MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    GE Force GT 610
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek High Def
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2913WMP
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB
    Seagate ST2000DL003-9VT166 2TB
    Seagate ST31000528AS 1TB
After many hours of trial and error I finally found a way to automatically create system restore points in Windows 8 using the task scheduler. All of this information was gathered from web posts by others but this is the combination which works for me.

You must first create a .vbs script file.

To create the script just cut and paste the text below into notepad. Then save the file as SR.vbs in C:\Users\Mike (Of course you must substitute "your user name" for "Mike")


If WScript.Arguments.Count = 0 Then
Set oShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
oShell.ShellExecute "wscript.exe", """" & WScript.ScriptFullName & """ Run", , "runas", 1
Else
Set oWshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
oWshShell.Popup "Creating a SystemRestore point. Please wait.", 2, "System Restore", 0
swinmgmts = "winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore"
GetObject(swinmgmts).CreateRestorePoint "Scheduled Restore Point", 0, 100
'MsgBox "System Restore Point created", 0, "System Restore"
End If


Then you have to create a registry DWORD (32 bit) VALUE entry (using regedit.exe by way of RUN) with the text
SystemRestorePointCreationFrequency
under the registry key
HKeyLocalMachine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore
The DWORD (32 bit) VALUE needs to be typed into the "System Restore" folder itself (not in any of it's sub folders). I then set the value of SystemRestorePointCreationFrequency to 0 ( I think 0 is the default anyway). When you exit the registry by clicking "X" the changes you have made are automatically saved.

Now you need to program your task scheduler to run the SR.vbs script at the desired intervals. Create a "Basic Task" in the task scheduler to do this.
On the General tab type in a name and description of your choice for the task. Make sure you check only the "run whether user is logged on or not" and "Run with highest privileges" options.
On the Triggers tab select new and set the time you want to use and check only the "Enabled" option.
On the Actions tab select new and then select "Start a program" in the drop-down box. Under "Program/script" type in C:\Windows\System32\wscript.exe Then in the "Add arguments (optional): box type in C:\Users\Mike\SR.vbs
In the Conditions tab just make sure that none of the options are checked.
In the Settings tab you want only "Allow task to be run on demand" and "Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed" options to be checked. In the drop-down box at the bottom select "Run a new instance in parallel".
The History tab has no adjustments so you are done.

I know this sounds like a lot to do but is really not that complicated and, to me at least, was well worth the effort.
I now get two system restore points created automatically for me each and every day.
Hope this is of some use to someone out there.
Mike Blevins
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP P2-1334
    CPU
    AMD Fusion E1-1200
    Motherboard
    Pegatron APXD1-DM (Redwood A)
    Memory
    Upgaded to PNY 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 7310
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP w1707
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    WD 500 GB (onboard)
    + many,many external USB hard drives
    PSU
    stock
    Case
    stock
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    HP wireless 5187-4099
    Mouse
    Logitech laser wireless M325
    Internet Speed
    DL 6.99 mb/s......UL 3.34 mb/s
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox v.20.0.1
    Antivirus
    Norton......CCCleaner 64......Zone Alarm
I know this sounds like a lot to do but is really not that complicated and, to me at least, was well worth the effort.
I now get two system restore points created automatically for me each and every day.
Looks like you went into a lot of trouble, while it's pretty simple ^^

Actually, your approach demands a lot of extra disk space for the shadow copies. Here's why.

By default, it's:
• 3% for partitions < 64GB
• 5% or 10GB (whichever is less) otherwise

Restore points (RPs) are created at least once week, because the built-in task checks daily and creates an RP, if 7 days have passed. The idea behind this approach is to manage the disk space efficiently while extending the time period covered by RPs. Some problems may surface a few weeks later, hence you have a better chance of restoring the system.

Now, if you create RPs twice a day and keep the default 5% (~25GB for your 500GB drive based on your specs), I'm guessing you'll get about two weeks of coverage. While if you keep the default scheduling settings, you may get a couple of months.

I'd be curious to understand the reason for creating RPs twice a day. If this serves for saving file versions, than File History is a much better and flexible approach.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion dv7t (17.3'', i7-2630QM, HD 6770M 1Gb, 8Gb RAM, 2 SSD@120Gb + 1 HDD@750Gb)
Hey Vadikan,
Appreciate the reply. I was just very uncomfortable with the restore points not automatically happening every day. My system is not using near as much space as you said although I do delete some of the older restore points from time to time. Since I store most of my files on external USB drives anyway, space is really not a big concern for me. In short having those SRPs created twice every day with no input on my part just gives me much better peace of mind. I still do the system image backups every 2 weeks or so to USB hard drives. System Restore and those twice monthly system backups saved my butt many times on the old XP system when things just went horribly wrong and I could not resolve the issues any other way. I still subscribe to the old adage that says "Back up early and often". Old habits die hard I suppose.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP P2-1334
    CPU
    AMD Fusion E1-1200
    Motherboard
    Pegatron APXD1-DM (Redwood A)
    Memory
    Upgaded to PNY 8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 7310
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP w1707
    Screen Resolution
    1440 X 900
    Hard Drives
    WD 500 GB (onboard)
    + many,many external USB hard drives
    PSU
    stock
    Case
    stock
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    HP wireless 5187-4099
    Mouse
    Logitech laser wireless M325
    Internet Speed
    DL 6.99 mb/s......UL 3.34 mb/s
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox v.20.0.1
    Antivirus
    Norton......CCCleaner 64......Zone Alarm
I guess peace of mind is worth it :) BTW, if you use the built-in Windows tools for image backups, each backup represents a restore point ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion dv7t (17.3'', i7-2630QM, HD 6770M 1Gb, 8Gb RAM, 2 SSD@120Gb + 1 HDD@750Gb)
system restore and software shadow copy and volume shadow

I have my computer set up with system protection turned on, but it does not create system restore points. I was able to create one manually yesterday and this morning but for some reason it is not creating them for me. or at least I can't see them (such as when there are new updates installed) The only restore points that show up are ones that I am creating manually.

I have gone into the services.msc and checked and the microsoft software shadow copy was set to manual so I changed it to automatic and this morning it was still set to automatic but it was not running; the volume shadow copy is set to automatic but is not starting either.

I have had problems in the past when trying to restore the computer to a restore point and there were none there so I have been creating an image of my computer every few days in case I need to fix a problem. But it would be nice to actually have the darn computer create the restore points before installing updates or new software to the computer.

I did check the task scheduler and it says that one was created when I turned on the computer this morning... but I have looked for restore points and there are none there. I know that I have images that I make up every couple of days, but it would be nice to be able to simply restore the computer to right before a problem.

I suddenly lost the charms bar working last week and was going to restore the computer to when it happened but that is when I realized that there was no restore point to use and started researching the problem.

I can start software shadow copy and volume shadow copy and I was able to create a restore point when they were not running but why aren't they starting / running even though the startup type is automatic and Remote Procedure Protocol is running.

This may not be the right place for this post and I do apologize if it should have been posted elsewhere. I really would like to know that system restore is creating restore points when updates are installed or new software is installed without having to manually create them all the time.

I don't know if this makes any difference but if I am in task scheduler and I click properties in the right section it states history (disabled)

Thanks so very much
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64bit
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