Best free alternative to Windows System Restore

[looked]

I already did some research and now would like the opinion of more experienced users.
My final choices are Reboot Restore Rx Reboot Restore Rx: Restore Windows computer every time you restart and ToolWiz Time Freeze ToolWiz Time Freeze « ToolWiz Software

This software would be used together with an imaging software like Macrium but with the main purpose of quickly restoring to an earlier "100%" state instead of restoring the whole image which would take more time.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there.

If you always have a separate OS+pgms partition / HDD from other data etc you should NEVER need more than 30 mins to image the whole OS - often a lot less - with an SSD it might just take a FEW minutes.

I'd certainly avoid other solutions than using a proper backup -- what happens for example if your PC can't boot etc -- at least with a bootable product like Macrium you can restore your OS from external media even if the main computer HDD won't boot. If the HDD is broken you can change it and also restore again .

Using more complex solutions just makes the whole process more likely to fail when you need to recover -- why change a well tried and tested methodology for something which IMO is more likely to fail.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[looked]

Using more complex solutions just makes the whole process more likely to fail when you need to recover -- why change a well tried and tested methodology for something which IMO is more likely to fail.

My aim isn't to replace Macrium in fact I already have an image of the installation and will create more before the employment of a system restore solution.
I don't know how long it'll take to restore a full image with Macrium but for sure too long (for my case) considering switching off the computer, choose start up drive, start computer, applying the image, restarting the computer and all other applications, and all of this only because I quickly wanted to go back to a safe state after the installation of a software went awful.

There must be people here on Sevenforums who use these kind of solutions.

 

[Victor S]

Maybe. But keeping your image size down is easy - if you have a second drive.
I can restore an image in about 6-7 minutes total time using the CD to boot up Ghost.
I've done the same with Macrium, but it's a bit slower, taking maybe 10 minutes.
I simply leave my Ghost CD in and have it as my primary, only hitting a key when I want it to boot.
Not sure if your computer can do that or if you want to take the time during a normal boot, and lose about 3 seconds.
My images are about 20gb.
Unless the software is malicious, you can just uninstall it, and put you fresh system on when you get around to it.

 

[looked]

Anyway, I'm looking at Windows system restore alternatives not imaging solutions, they could be a very valid option but a totally different software, also I stated that I already use Macrium and am very happy with it.

 

[pbcopter]

I find Windows system Restore more than adequate. I also use Acronis True Image for periodic backups.

What do you find wrong with Windows System Restore?

 

[Tews]

I use Reboot Restore from Horizon Data System. It is without a doubt the best alternative to windows system restore, period, and the best part is it's absolutly FREE

Reboot Restore software is a Freeware Alternative to SteadyState and replacement of Microsoft Shared computing toolkit

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I use Macrium Reflect to replace System Restore. In fact, I've found Reflect to be so reliable, I turned off System Restore, which was not very reliable for me. Far more times than not, System Restore has failed on me whereas Reflect images never have never failed to restore properly. I make weekly images and also make one just before making any changes to Windows, such as adding a new program or installing updates.

 

[looked]

I find Windows system Restore more than adequate. I also use Acronis True Image for periodic backups.

What do you find wrong with Windows System Restore?

Nothing against but the last time I used it was on Windows XP and had too much to read about, it won't restore this and that so I'm not going to use it again as I'm looking for a 100% restore back solution.
I used Rollback RX, it does exactly what I'm looking for but I'm looking for a free alternative.

I use Reboot Restore from Horizon Data System. It is without a doubt the best alternative to windows system restore, period, and the best part is it's absolutly FREE

Reboot Restore software is a Freeware Alternative to SteadyState and replacement of Microsoft Shared computing toolkit

Downloaded already just am waiting for the right spare moment to install and test it on my system.

I use Macrium Reflect to replace System Restore. In fact, I've found Reflect to be so reliable,

I also use it but for a major backup which I think isn't comparable to a quicker go back state.

I turned off System Restore, which was not very reliable for me. Far more times than not, System Restore has failed on me whereas

I think that System Restore is not too bad for common computer users when they have no other option left and don't want to take the computer to a technician but as I said above System Restore isn't a 1 to 1 go back solution.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...

I use Macrium Reflect to replace System Restore. In fact, I've found Reflect to be so reliable,

I also use it but for a major backup which I think isn't comparable to a quicker go back state.

I turned off System Restore, which was not very reliable for me. Far more times than not, System Restore has failed on me whereas

I think that System Restore is not too bad for common computer users when they have no other option left and don't want to take the computer to a technician but as I said above System Restore isn't a 1 to 1 go back solution.

I'm getting the impression that you have your system files and your data all on the same partition. If your system files (OS and programs) are on their own partition, it doesn't take much longer to restore from an image of that partition than it does to do a system restore. It takes less than ten minutes to image my 62.5GB boot drive and verify it. Restoring an image takes less than an additional five minutes of boot time.

Although imaging is the best way to backup system files, it is horribly inefficient for backing up data files. A folder/file syncing program, such as FreeFileSync, is much faster and doesn't subject the backup drive to nearly as much wear and tear. It takes only a couple of minutes to backup 1.12TB of data with FreeFileSync on most days whereas an image would take two or three hours.

 

[looked]

I'm getting the impression that you have your system files and your data all on the same partition. If your system files (OS and programs) are on their own partition, it doesn't take much longer to restore from an image of that partition than it does to do a system restore. It takes less than ten minutes to image my 62.5GB boot drive and verify it. Restoring an image takes less than an additional five minutes of boot time.

Although imaging is the best way to backup system files, it is horribly inefficient for backing up data files. A folder/file syncing program, such as FreeFileSync, is much faster and doesn't subject the backup drive to nearly as much wear and tear. It takes only a couple of minutes to backup 1.12TB of data with FreeFileSync on most days whereas an image would take two or three hours.

Absolutely not, I reserved separate partitions/drives for storing data and even software's working/output folders aren't on the system partition.
An imaging software is NOT what I'm looking after also I already said several times that I have it.