System Protection - Change Maximum Disk Space Usage in Windows 8

How to Change Maximum Disk Space Used by System Protection and System Images in Windows 8 and 8.1​

   Information

System protection is a feature that regularly creates and saves information about your computer's system files, programs, drivers, and registry settings as restore points for all drives that have system protection turned on. You can use these restore points to do a system restore to return these items to an earlier point in time without affecting personal files (ex: anything in C:\Users\(user-name) folder). Restore points are created just before significant system events, such as the installation of a program or device driver. They're also created automatically by Windows using a scheduled task once every seven days if no other restore points were created in the previous seven days, but you can create restore points manually at any time.

To store restore points, you need at least 300 MB of free space on each disk that is 500 MB or larger. By default, system protection might use between 3-5 percent of the space on each disk that system protection is turned on for restore points. As the amount of space fills up with restore points, Windows automatically deletes older restore points to make room for new ones. System protection doesn't run on disks smaller than 1 GB.

This same setting also determines the maximum disk space that can be used to store system images on a drive letter. The size of a system image can be quite large since it will include all system drives in the image by default plus any drives you have included. If you want to keep multiple system images, be sure to increase the max size accordingly.

• How to Create a System Image in Windows 8
• How to Create or Set Up Windows Backup to Back Up Files in Windows 8

This tutorial will show you how to manage and change the maximum disk space you want to be used for system protection restore points and system images in Windows 8 and 8.1.

System Restore isn't available for Windows RT.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to change the maximum disk space used for system protection and system images in Windows 8.

OPTION ONE

To Change Max Disk Space Usage by System Protection and System Images

​

1. Do step 2, 3, or 4 below for how you would like to open System.​

​

2. Open the Power User Tasks Menu, click/tap on System, and go to step 5. (see screenshot below)​

​

​

​

​

OR​

​

3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the System icon, and go to step 5.​

​

OR​

​

4. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the Recovery icon, click/tap on the Configure System Restore link, and go to step 6. (see screenshot below)​

​

​

​

​

​

5. Click/tap on the System protection link in the left pane. (see screenshot below)​

​

​

​

​

​

6. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes.​

​

7. Select a listed drive that system protection has been turned on and that you want to change the max disk space usage of, then click/tap on the Configure button. (see screenshot below)​

​

​

​

​

​

8. Move the Max Usage slider to the left (decrease) or right (increase) to adjust how much you want for this drive, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshots below)​

WARNING: If you decrease the disk space to be smaller than the Current Usage space being used by system protection, then older restore points will be deleted.​

​

​

​

​

​

9. Repeat step 7 if you wanted to change the max disk space usage of another drive that system protection is turned on.​

​

10. When finished, click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below step 7)​

​

11. If open, you can now close the System or Recovery window if you like. (see screenshot below step 4 or 5)​

OPTION TWO

Change Max Disk Space Usage by System Protection and System Images in Command Prompt

​

1. Open an elevated command prompt.​

​

2. In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below and press Enter. (see screenshot below)​

NOTE: This will give your the details on the Used, Allocated, and Maximum Shadow Copy Storage space for the drives that you have system protection turned on.​

​

​

​

​

vssadmin list shadowstorage​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Result	Description
Used	This is the amount of space currently used on a drive.
Allocated	This is the amount of space that is currently reserved on a drive.
Maximum	This is the maximum amount of space that can be allocated and used on a drive.

​

​

3. In the elevated command prompt window, type the command below for the drive letter and max size you want, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)​

WARNING: If you decrease the disk space to be smaller than the Current Usage space being used by system protection, then older restore points will be deleted.​

​

​

vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /Maxsize=3GB ​

​

OR​

​

vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /Maxsize=5%​

​

​

   Note

Substitute the drive letter and size amount for what you want instead.

   Note

​

​

Command	Description
/For=	The For volume: listed in step 2. (ex: C)
/On=	The Shadow Copy Storage volume: listed in step 2. (ex: C)
/Maxsize=	The % or amount of KB, MB, GB, TB, PB, or EB of maximum drive space to store restore points. This must be 300MB or larger.

​

​

​

​

​

4. When finished, close the elevated commmand prompt.​

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Turn System Protection On or Off in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Create a Restore Point in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Delete System Protection Restore Points in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• Create a "System Protection Properties" Shortcut in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Make a "Create System Restore Point" Shortcut in XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Add "Create Restore Point" to Context Menu in XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Do a System Restore in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Undo the Last System Restore in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Enable or Disable Automatic System Restore Point Creation in Windows

 

[Jm44jg39]

I am running the new Windows 8.1 preview (64 bit). The computer keeps deleting my Restore Points. I have set the configure setting to about 10% of my SSD space (10 gig or so). I can create the restore points, however, after a day or so and some re-boots I either have no restore points or maybe 1. The allocated space keeps getting re-set to 0 bytes.
When I was using Win 8 all was working fine. Any suggestions?

 

[Brink]

Hello John, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Do you dual boot with any other OS, or use any type of 3rd party disk defragmenter program?

Could you also post a screenshot of your System Protection settings like under step 8 in Option One after it's reset to see how they look?

 

[Jm44jg39]

Thanks for the fast reply. I have two ssd's, one with Win 7 64 bit hp, and one with Win 8.1 pro 64 bit. I am using a Asus Maximus V Gene and a Intel I5 3570k along with 16 gig of ram. Also installed is a Asus/Nvidia 660 graphics card. I am not dual booting. The operating systems each reside on their own seperate SSD and were installed with only one SSD connected at a time as not to cross pollute. I use Easy BCD to select witch operating to boot into. I do not defrag the SSD's. I will use the Intel or Samsung trim utility about once per week. I will post screen shots later as my wife is using the computer now and I'm on my I Pad.Thanks.
John

 

[Brink]

Not sure if the trim utility is wiping the shadow space on the HDD, but that would be something to look at to see if it happens right after using it.

Since you do multi-boot with W7 and W8, check to make sure that you do not have system protection turned on for the other OS's HDD while in each OS.

 

[Jm44jg39]

I will check on the trim function. Since my operating systems are on seperate ssd's does that mean I'm really dual booting? There is no indication of that on either operating system. However, the Win 8.1 pro does list the Win 7 system in the restore point configure window. I will try configuring the restore function on only one system and choosing to protect the other SSD.
Regards,
John
Georgetown, Texas

 

[Brink]

You'll need to have System Protection set to be turned off that way in both Windows 7 and Windows 8 for only the other.

 

[axe0]

I have a problem with my restore points.
Yesterday in the evening I checked my restore points for my C partition an saw that almost all of my created restore points in the past few days are deleted. I had only 3 restore points and they took 10GB, this is at least twice as much as the max usage (I had set the max usage at 4.67 GB)
I have deleted the restore points and have set the max usage at 10GB.

Right now the restore points are taking a few 100 MB, I have created a new restore point yesterday after deleting the other restore points and I have just created a new restore point.

It is just like the restore system is ignoring the max usage and deletes restore points whenever it likes.

This happened a couple of times since I've noticed it.

 

[Brink]

Hello Martijn,

Did vssadmin list shadowstorage show the correct size?

Do you have any 3rd party utility programs installed that may be deleting them?

If you dual boot, it can delete restore points when starting the other OS.

 

[axe0]

Vssadmin list shadowstorage shows the correct size.

With 3rd party program you mean something like Ccleaner?

I have no dual boot, wouldn't be smart since I play a lot with the spaces.

 

[Brink]

Yeah, CCleaner or one of those all-in-on tweaking type programs may have an option to delete restore points.

I'm not sure why it would be using more space than set. You might see if turning off system protection, restart the PC, and turning on system protection may sort the size issue. This will delete all restore points though.

 

[axe0]

Besides of Ccleaner i wouldn't know which other program could delete them.
But if Ccleaner deleted a system restore point, then it would only getting stranger why I didn't get any space back.

 

[axe0]

Situation right now:
2 restore points,
Space taking 880.80 MB in (just increased to 881.00 MB),
Set the maximum usage back to 3.11 GB (2%).

I have used Ccleaner twice now, but it hasn't removed the restore points.

 

[Brink]

So far, so good.

 

[axe0]

By accident I removed my restore points on the 29th last month and immediately created a new restore point.
My created restore point has been removed and I only see a restore point created by the system from the 30th.
This restore point takes more then 600MB

 

[Brink]

The size of the restore point is nothing to be concerned about since that's nothing unusual. I'm more interested in why your other restore point got deleted.

As a test, increase the max size to about 10% if able, and manually create a few restore points to see how they do over the next few days. Be sure to see if you may be able to notice any particular action or time when/if a restore point gets deleted.

 

[axe0]

Changed the size to 10% and added a new restore point, more will follow in the next week and I'll watch activily my activity.

 

[axe0]

Yesterday I created a 3rd manually restore point so I had 4 restore points.
Today, the automatically created restore point is gone.

Windows can hold a max of 3 restore point?

Max usage is 15.56 GB and the usage is 2.29 GB if it helps anything.

 

[Brink]

It should store as many restore points as your max usage will allow. Something is deleting them, but I'm just not sure what. Perhaps a Windows Update?

Keep an eye out to see if METHOD ONE for system images in the yellow tip box at the top of the tutorial below may apply to this for using up the max usage space.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/8956-system-image-create-windows-8-a.html

As a test, see what restore points CCleaner has listed to see if they match with what's in System Protection. They should of course.

 

[axe0]

They're not matching, restore system hides some?