Re: System Restore causes loss of data files.

There's no need to post the same question three four times, Johan.

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org


johan wrote:
Hi Bert,

Listen to this story. The HD of my computer has two partitions, C and D.
Beginning this week I reinstalled XP SP2 plus all my applications, all that
on the C-partition [what a hassle, what a hassle]. The user data and
installer files from applications are located on the D partition - there is
no system nor any system files on the D partition.
I installed Adobe Reader 7.0.7 on the C-partition from its installer on the
D partition. After that I updated AR to AR 7.0.9 using the updater in the
installed AR 7.0.7, all that happened on 16 May. That was the LAST
installation I did, and SR made a restore point just prior to installing AR
7.0.7.
Right after that, I downloaded other installer files which I found on the
net, namely the big installer for AR 7.0.9 (20MB file), which I found after I
updated to AR 7.0.9, also the installer AR 6.0, and some other files.
Apparently those downloaded files where not known/recorded in the last
Restore Point (RP).
On 17 May I reverted back to the RP of 16 May. After that I noticed
immediately that the installer files of AR 7.0.9 and AR 6.0. on the D
partition were unsaved. More specifically those files are called
AdbeRdr709_en_US.exe and AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe. Undoing the SR made the
installer files come back.

Conclusion: It looks like SR considers those installer are system files and
not as data files. If that is really the case, then there is something fuzzy
with SR. What is the definition of *user files* and *system files*??

Please reply
thanks

"Bert Kinney" wrote:
johan wrote:
Hi,

I did an undo of the system restore and the files came back on the D
partition. However, I went back to the 16 May restore point because of the
desktop icon problem. Hence, some of the files (only those put on the D part
after 16 May, which are only a few files) are missing.
What type of files are being affected by System Restore on the D: Partition?




"Rock" wrote:

"Terry" <F1ComNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:eZqrVBNmHHA.3264@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 5/17/2007 2:44 PM On a whim, Rock pounded out on the keyboard

"HEMI-Powered" wrote

<snip>

I highly concur with your last. Now, please tell us why the
default is to monitor non-system drives and not leave it to the
user to turn it on if they really think it is necessary? I know
this is true because when I mount one of my stored externals,
within a few minutes, Windows System Restore has turn RPs on for
the partitions it finds. I don't call that a bug, but I would say
it is not terribly user friendly and, apparently, not all that
obvious to people.
I don't know the reason. I can only surmise it was to err on the side of safety since programs can be installed to any partition or drive. If the default is off then folks would complain that SR wasn't available. I think it would have been wise to disable it by default for external drives but leave it on for all internal drives/partitions.

Does anyone know when SR began tracking data also? I remember years back there being a lot of discussion on how SR does NOT touch data, only the system and programs. Sure if one has multiple drives (as I do) you can disable the data drive independently, but most systems have only one drive and you can't be that selective.

This is info from technet:

Q. Does System Restore protect personal data files?
A. System Restore does not monitor changes to or recover personal data files such as Word documents, graphics, e-mail, etc.

Q. What files are monitored by System Restore?
A. System Restore monitors only a core set of specified system and application file types (e.g. .exe, .dll etc), archiving the states of these files before system changes are made. System Restore does not monitor any user/personal data files. To view the included files specified in System Restore, see Monitored File Extensions in the System Restore section of the Platform SDK. Modifications to this list from sources other than Microsoft are not supported.

I don't understand what happened on the OPs system. It is my understanding that SR does not track user data, so I was very surprised to see effect he posted about. Maybe Bert Kinney will see this thread and jump in.

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: should the swap file reside on a drive with data frequently accessed?
    ... How large is your C partition? ... Do you have one or two internal hard drives? ... The default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C partition ... Temporary Internet Files, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain)
  • Re: Windows updates
    ... It is likely that an allocation of 12% has been made to System Restore on your C partition which is over generous. ... Place the cursor on your C partition select Settings and the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700 mb and exit. ... Other ways to increase free disk space on your C partition can be achieved by relocation of folders. ... As for the data drives, they are being used for setup files, received ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: HP "D" Drive content
    ... The used space is 10 times more on your C partition than your D partition. ... This makes sense given that your D partition contains a restore copy of your Windows XP operating system compared to the operating system, programmes and data on your C partition. ... You should not have System Restore monitoring an external drive and there is no point it monitoring the D partition. ... Turn it off on these drives. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: running out of space.........I "guess"?
    ... Computer icon on the Desktop and select System Restore. ... your C partition you will have some Uninstall folders in your Windows ... the text of the folder name appears in blue characters. ... assuming I need to get partition magic or backup both drives (image ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Partion problem
    ... Try System Restore on the More Options section of Disk CleanUp. ... If your My Documents folder is in your C partition then create a My Files ... > I partitioned my drives about a month ago. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)