System restore not working - "insufficient storage"

cbrundage

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I realized there was a problem when I tried to uninstall some programs and was not able to make a system restore point. I opened system restore and saw that the last restore point was 2 months ago. I tried to make a restore point and I got the message that there was insufficient storage (it was set to 15% of a 465 hard drive with 92 used). I turned off System Restore,turned it on again and the same error when I tried to make a sys. restore point. I could live without it because I have some backup devices but would like to fix this if I could. Any ideas appreciated. (I have the W7 Home Edition, 64 bit).
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Did it give you error code something like this? "(0x8004231F)"
 

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Acer V3-551G
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit
CPU
AMD Quad-Core A8-4500M with Turbo Core up to 2.80GHz
Memory
8 GB DDR 3
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon HD 7640G + 7670M (2GB dedicated VRAM)
Sound Card
AMD HD Audio device / Realtek HD Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
15.6" HD LED
Screen Resolution
1366 x 768 (32bit)
Hard Drives
1 TB HDD
Antivirus
AVG 2013 free edition
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
WEI scores:

Base score= 5.9

-Processor 6.7
-Memory (RAM) 7.2
-Graphics 5.9
-Gaming Graphics 6.2
-Primary hard disk 5.9
Here is the screen shot -
http://cbrundage.net/error.jpg

I just realized that even though I shut down Restore and later started it up again, the same backups are in there that were there before.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
I have tried several times to get rid of the old system restore points by turning it off and then on, and also in the disk cleanup, removing all but the last restore point, but they stay there anyway. I don't know if their size is what is making it impossible to add a new point - normally the new one should replace an older one but something is wrong here.
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Built Desktop By DataTech
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1
CPU
Intel i5-2550K, Differing ~4.4-4.8GHz No built in GPU
Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
Memory
16GB G.Skill Sniper 1866MHz @ 2133MHz 2x8GB
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS GTX650TIB-DC2OC-2GD5, (650TI Boost)
Sound Card
Onboard Realtek 5-1
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung P2570HD
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD for OS, 500GB Seagate Constellation (Enterprise drive) for Data
PSU
Corsair HX650W
Case
Inwin Dragon Rider
Cooling
Hyper 212 EVO w/two Noctua fans, push-pull, @1300 RPM
Keyboard
E-Z Eyes, bright yellow keys with large characters
Mouse
steelseries SENSEI Laser Pro Gaming
Internet Speed
48-51Mbs Mbs down, 11 Mbs up Xfinity Cable
Antivirus
Norton Internet Security 2013
Browser
IE 10, Opera, Pale Moon if needed
Other Info
4 case fans, LG BluRay-RE, ASUS DVD-RW, Mr. Fusion power supply, 1.21 gigawatts.
I already tried the disk cleanup. It said the files except the last restore were removed but they are still listed. I think I shall just have to turn off System Restore because I can't get rid of the old restores and I can't make a new one.
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Run this command:

vssadmin delete shadows
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
Just rerun the command with the addition:

vssadmin delete shadows /for=C:
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
Thanks again - it says "No items found that satisfy the query." I assume that there are no old restore points even though they are listed. But I still get that error about storage space if I try to make a new restore point. Very frustrating. I do appreciate the help however!
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Give me a minute, I'll give you some other commands
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
Thanks, you are very kind to take the time to do this.
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Run these 2 commands one after the other. Just copy/paste them.

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=300MB

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=10%


That should get rid of the buggers.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
I tried 2 ways of typing it in as my command prompt doesn't take copy/paste. I tried using a space before the /'s and then without. Either way I got this. http://cbrundage.net/error3.jpg
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
There must be a space before the slashes. How come your CMD does not work with paste - it should.

Those commands work 100% - believe me.

PS: Just saw you also forgot the /on=C:
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
I don't know. I thought command prompts didn't take pasting - anyway, I tried but nothing.
I typed the first line and got that the "specified number is invalid" but the second line succeeded! It said it has been resized. So I thank you very much!
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
If the specified number showed as invalid, you must have made a mistake. 300MB is a valid option - it is the minimum for shadowstorage.

Question is: can you make restore points now.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
I just set it to try to make a restore point and again got that error. I feel this is taking up too much time from you.
(I was typing into the black command prompt box, not the search box, which is why it wouldn't take paste.)

And it is still listing the old restore points although I don't think they are really there.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
That's why the first command was important. It would have gotten rid of the whole shadowstorage. Try this command and then the second 10% command.

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=1%
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
Here is something you can try that I found.
These are part of a message received when trying to run a Windows 7 backup with a system image. I myself have encountered the problem but luckily after some searching have found a solution that worked for me.

Unfortunately I don't have a screenshot of the message you may have received but I do have a text version of it:

[Window Title]
Windows Backup: Troubleshooting Options
[Main Instruction]
Check your backup

Contents

A shadow copy could not be created. Please check "VSS" and "SPP" application event logs for more information.
Details: Insufficient storage available to create either the shadow copy storage file or other shadow copy data.

[^] Hide Details [Try to run backup again] [Change backup settings] [Cancel]

[Expanded Information]
Backup time: 10/25/2009 3:23 PM
Backup location: Terra-Stor (M:)
Error code: 0×81000019

So the insufficient space this error is referring to isn't the space on your hard drives that you're trying to copy the backup too, it's the space on that small 100MB boot partition that was created during Windows 7 installation. You can look at the partition yourself by:

Start
Right click My Computer
Manage
Storage > Disk Management
Right click the 100MB
Properties
If you have less than 40% of Free Space then that's the insufficient storage available error. See that drive is actually used to create your system image and therefore cannot drop below 40%. According to a Microsoft employee there is a problem with Windows 7 which causes it to use up more than 60% of that 100MB boot drive.

The trick around this problem is:

If the System reserved partition cannot be extended using Disk Management because of lack of contigous space adjacent to it, creating a new system volume is the workaround. Here are the steps to move the system volume to any other volume:
Choose where you want to have your system volume. Few things you need to keep in mind:
System volume can only be created on a primary partition of MBR disk.
If system volume & boot volume are together, then BitLocker feature cannot be used to encrypt volumes on your machine.
Suggest creating a new volume (say F:) on the same disk that contains the boot partition of size of about 490 MB (be careful to keep it less than 500 MB)
My Edit: To do this you must be in the manage properties as per the steps above.
Right click your C:\
Shrink Volume
Enter 490MB
Right click the new drive
New Simple Volume
Assuming Windows 7 is installed on C: on your machine. From an elevated command-prompt run: bcdboot.exe C:\Windows /s F:.
From elevated command-prompt run: DISKPART
From the disk part command-prompt:
DISKPART> select volume F
DISKPART> active
Now you can reboot your machine and F: will become the system volume. You can undo this by repeating the same steps using the original system volume (you have to assign drive-letter to it) to revert to your previous configuration.

via social.technet.microsoft.com

Once this is done you can head back into Manage:

Right click the new 490MB drive
Change Drive Letter and Paths
Remove
Removing the letter will also remove the drive from appearing in My Computer. Now you should be done. The drive should now be 490MB which is plenty for Windows 7 backup to create a system image. Go to Backup & Restore and run through the wizard again and this time hopefully it should work.
Contents


Source: http://www.sevenforums.com/backup-r...store-not-working-insufficient-storage-2.html
 

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Acer V3-551G
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit
CPU
AMD Quad-Core A8-4500M with Turbo Core up to 2.80GHz
Memory
8 GB DDR 3
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon HD 7640G + 7670M (2GB dedicated VRAM)
Sound Card
AMD HD Audio device / Realtek HD Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
15.6" HD LED
Screen Resolution
1366 x 768 (32bit)
Hard Drives
1 TB HDD
Antivirus
AVG 2013 free edition
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
WEI scores:

Base score= 5.9

-Processor 6.7
-Memory (RAM) 7.2
-Graphics 5.9
-Gaming Graphics 6.2
-Primary hard disk 5.9
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