Where is W7 keeping the "Restore Points"?

ben07 · 04 Sep 2009

The only way I know how to view Restore Points is to invoke System Restore and click Show me more points....and that's about it.

I allocated 5GB for System Restore and the last time I checked Windows was using less than 1GB out of the 5GB, however 2 restore points I created only few days ago are missing from the "Show me more points...", so now I'm trying to locate where exactly is W7 storing all those Restore points and hopefully I can copy/save to a different location/file as backup.

Thanks.

P/s I've gone thru all folders in C, but I couldn't locate the Restore Points folder!

Lee · 04 Sep 2009

You have run into a common problem with 7. For some reason Microsoft doesn't want you go back more than a week. Can't give you a reason why. Maybe someone where on the forums will be able to answer your question. Here is a web site explaining Windows 7 restore. This article gives you an extensive look into the Restore Feature. Maybe it will help you a little bit. :)

ben07 · 04 Sep 2009

Thanks Lee, for both the info and link!

Legbiter · 21 Dec 2013

Hmmm, I was hoping to find the initial question answered rather than skipped.

So anyone know where they lurk during the hours of daylight?
- I've cloned to a larger HDD, not realising that restore points are Not carried across.
Plan A - Locate them on the old drive (untouched) and try adding them to the new drive.
Plan B - get a plan B.

whs · 21 Dec 2013

Restore points are kept in Shadowstorage. If you want to know how your shadowstorage is used, issue this command:

vssadmin list shadowstorage

And if you want to see the restore points (at least their description), use this command:

vssadmin list shadows

And if you want to know what's inside each restore point, use Shadow Explorer

ShadowExplorer - Recover Lost Files and Folders

And if you want to change the size of the shadowstorage, use this command:

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=20GB

20GB is only an example. You can use any number. You can also say /MaxSize=xx%

Layback Bear · 21 Dec 2013

Excellent video Wolfgang.

whs · 21 Dec 2013

Thanks Jack. I like video tuts because you can show better than with words what needs to be done.

Legbiter · 21 Dec 2013

Thanks for sharing your knowledge whs, it has added to my learning, however using ShadowExplorer I can now look Inside the restore points on my old HDD but it seems not actually activate a system restore point . . .

I'll paraphrase my post:
I wish to ACTUALLY FIND the restore points ie place a mouse cursor on the files and make them turn blue. Then drag them to the corresponding position on the Active HDD and make them do my bidding.

Reason: Restore Points were NOT cloned (despite sector-by-sector) and I now have a wish to use one to reset the OS to a previous point in time (entirely, totally and in full, Not just grab a random file). The only other option is refit the old HDD regress it and clone it again.

whs · 21 Dec 2013

What you are trying to do is not doable as far as I know. You can delete individual restore points (with CCleaner) but not copy them.

Note that restore points are highly volatile. If you want safe backups, make images - the more often the better.

Imaging with free Macrium

Legbiter · 21 Dec 2013

Hmmm, Thanks once again. Been busy researching further and all things point to this very same answer. Can't say that I am surprised; the simple, the logical and the Bill Gates do not ever seem to co-exist. Sigh.

Perhaps I can get a result by imaging the old drive, which just might precede the issue I wish to eradicate.
Otherwise reinstall old and regress it.
Still annoyed about the non-cloning of restore points, my impression was that sector-by-sector gave an Absolute clone. It is not something that appeared in any of the advisories that I read (and there were many), otherwise I would have immediately set a restore point on the new drive as a fast fallback position.