System Restore

Hi Shawn,
I am sure this is covered somewhere, but a fundamental question I have about RESTORE PTS is do they leave behind on the hard drive the files & directories a particular software may have installed? The reason I ask this because it appears some software I installed from National Instruments I now want removed. I thought SYSTEM RESTORE prior to the installation would take care of that, but it appears the programs have been disabled & the directories & files still remain? So to do a FULL removal I need to run the PROGRAMS REMOVAL utility or maybe restore the image I created prior to the installation?

So does SYSTEM RESTORE only address REGISTRY issues?

Hi, Brink,

As all other topics this is also a useful tutorial.
My problem is i could create the system restore points, i do not know default system SR is created or not i could see it created.
But when checking randomly, it is surprising that it all vanished.
What is the reason and how to fix it.
How to ask the system to create default SR points.
Some programs on uninstall always create a SR point, and revo uninstaller for any uninstall, create SR point. I wanted to check and delete some of the created points, but to my surprise, no SR point is available except that the program created points after the logon session, ie, present log on. Would you give tips to how to create. If any fix is available by, or reregistering etc..

It’s been advertised that System Restore doesn’t delete personal files—personal—now I’d like to define what exactly it means by “personal”.

From Monitored File Name Extensions

 

No code has to be inserted here.

If your file has one of the extensions listed in the above table it is not considered a personal file and System Restore, if unlikely, will eat it during operation. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself missing shortcuts, batch files, or executables after doing a System Restore. Tip, rename the extension of these kinds of files first!

Brink said:

For research purposes, where does it say that those file types are not considered a personal file or will be excluded from a restore point?

It’s just what I’ve noticed.

As you can imagine, I make frequent modifications to batch files and powershell scripts alike.

I had to do a System Restore recently (graphics driver been playing up after an update and hypervisor issues) and found a few of my batch files have disappeared on me or have been rolled back to a previous date with the restore. None of my powershell scripts, which were modified alongside in time with my batch files, where affected. Guess which of the two file extensions was on the list and which wasn’t.

One executable I downloaded prior to the restore (a hardware stats tool) got deleted from my Downloads directory.

All of these files observed resided within my user profile hierarchy.


When I posted, I hadn’t done significant research. A maybe not-so-creditable source mentioned that files with extensions that were on the list were monitored by System Restore, but then when to say that they had to be marked with the System attribute to be affected, which in my experience is wrong.

Other sources begin to agree with my reasoning.

• https://chrisjakeway.wordpress.com/2...me-extensions/
• windows 8 - Exclude files or folders from System Restore - Super User
• “Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition”, the paragraph above Fig. 12-17
• “Windows XP Unleashed”, under section “What Gets Saved and Restored with System Restore?”

My suspicions are founded.

Layback Bear said:

When I use Windows 7 Restore all my personal files/folders are also restored to the date of the restore point. Of course all things after the restore date I will have to updated or re-install.

Do all your personal files happen to consist of file names with extensions on the list?


I think it’s safe to justify that System Restore shouldn’t be trusted with your files. Best to backup the important ones before attempting a System Restore just in case.