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#1
Losing System Restore points.
Adobe Flash Player 11 Active X = 11.8.800.94
Adobe Flash Player 11 Plugin = 11.8.800.94
Firefox 23.0.1
Internet Explorer 9.0.8112.16421 Update Version 9.0.19
Anti-Virus = Avast Free
I've had my Sony Vaio laptop for 2 years: Windows 7 Home Premium w/SP1. 64 bit. Intel Core i5. 4GB RAM.
Recently I discovered that my System Restore points are disappearing.
They create with no problem.
And I tested a restore and it restored me with no problem.
But daily I will check System Restore and I have the Red X telling me that I have no SR points.
I've done:
About 8 different anti-virus/rootkit/boot time scans, and they've turned up nothing.
Did scannow and ckdsk with fix/repairs and they've turned up nothing.
Turned off Sys.Restore, rebooted, turned back on, rebooted, did not solve problem.
Deleted all SR points, completed new ones, did not solve problem.
I uninstalled/rebooted/reinstalled Adobe Flash for IE and Firefox, rebooted. Did not solve problem.
I ran Windows diagnostic on my Memory and Hard Drive, no problems with them.
I have the System Restore set to use 20% of my hard drive. There is an abundance of space for dozens of Restore Points, which it used to hold successfully for the last almost 2 years. This is a recent problem. There is plenty of available space on the hard drive.
Also, since they started disappearing, I never have more than 3 and usually only 1 RP when they disappear.
I am running no cleanup programs like CC Cleaner which may delete Restore Points.
So I kept checking SR after everytime I'd do something or use a program.
It now appears that when I am running a lot of streaming videos at the same time my Memory goes up to as high as about 91%, and sometimes (fairly often) Adobe Flashplayer crashes.
But even if it doesn't, it is then that I lose my SR points.
The RP's disappearance ALWAYS coincides with me using Adobe Flashplayer, but not at all EVERY time I'm using Flash.
It seems to occur especially when my RAM usage is over 70%, especially when it gets to 90% or so which can occur when I have many windows open and am streaming several things.
Also periodically, especially when Flash is using high memory amounts, I get a message: "A script running is causing Shockwave Flash to run slowly." and/or "Shockwave Flash may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the plugin now, or you can continue to see if the plugin will complete."
There is an option to close Flash, or to Continue.
It occurred today, I clicked "Continue" the several times it appeared, and I did not lose my rps today when this occurred.
But this message also seems to appear frequently at the times when I lose my rps,
Losing the rps is not contingent on this message appearing.
UPDATE - I can now replicate the problem, using either Firefox or IE - run a bunch of streaming videos, have the RAM usage reach at least the 60% range but especially over 70% and more so when high 80%s range or 91% or so, and I lose the Restore Point(s).
UPDATE - Although high RAM usage seems to increase or speed up the loss of the RP's, I've now lost them with memory usage only in the 60%'s range, which is pretty normal amount of RAM to be using.
I've been planning to double my memory anyway from 4 GB to 8GB.
Hopefully that will solve the problem.
But I've had the computer for almost 2 years, and this is a new problem, and I've always streamed a lot of video simultaneously (not all the time but once in awhile) and had Adobe Flash crashes.
But never affecting the SR's until recently.
So I'm not sure if the Memory upgrade will do it, as it's a new problem.
EDIT - I feel quite sure it will not help the situation, as I stated above I've run the same amount of videos and used a large amount of memory when I do for almost 2 years with no problem losing rp's.
It seems like perhaps instead of Flashplayer crashing, it's deleting my SR points instead.
I've already tried all the fixes in : http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/flash-player-games-video-or.htm l
Just went with Firefox to: Adobe - Test Adobe Shockwave Player and there is message "A plugin is need to display this content. Install plugin...", which is strange, since I also sometimes get the "Shockwave Flash may be busy..." etc. message described above.
Trying to avoid reformatting Windows to a Sony factory restore.
Very scary not having several rp's, let alone not having a single one.
Suggestions?
UPDATE - Uninstalled my antivirus Avast Free, installed MSE using it as a real time antivirus (as I did with Avast).
Brought up a bunch of videos which use Flash, lost my restore point within a few minutes.
So it is not antivirus dependent, it is not caused by Avast.
Adobe Flash is undoubtedly causing me to lose my system restore points.
For the last almost 2 years I've run the same amount of Flashplayer videos, and never lost a restore point.
Flashplayer used to crash a lot, but never a problem losing the rp's.
I suppose it's conceivable that a malicious script is triggered when Flash videos play, but I've run 2 different Rootkit scanners - Kaspersky's TDSS and Malwarebytes AntiMalware BETA Rootkit Scanner, as well as about 6 different antivirus scanners and Avast Boot Scan, and nothing has been found.
Help please.
I'm going to have to reformat unless you can help with a cure.
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