Windows 7 forum: Help, my Windows 7 System restore has disappeared!

It's easy to drag a start menu item inadvertently and when you release the mouse button, it goes no telling where.

The path to it is %systemroot%\system32\rstrui.exe so look there and see if it's not there. If so (which I expect to be the case), you can create another shortcut to it.

You could also click the Start button and type RSTRUI in the search box and get to it that way.

Good luck.

it does work if you try the windows.

Click the "orb" and in the search bar, type restore. Just click on the system restore in the pop up.. It should run you through how to activate it again. It may have become de-activated through Malware, an anti-virus program, or even a windows update.

You can also check Microsoft here :http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Turn-System-Restore-on-or-off to watch a video.

Where I next said "click on the system restore in the pop up"? I know it brings up several items, that is why I said what to click on.

clk START,
type "sys" into the search bar
look under CONTROL PANEL and clk "Restore system......"

u should look at it again.. u'ld see Control Panel when u type "sys." Its on the drop-down menu that appears as u type "sys".. don't click on enter..just type and look on the page

I agree in part, except I prefer to Search for "recovery", but that is only semantics... except that as soon as the R is input, a reduced list comes up with Recovery at the very top. I then right click on the Recovery HEADER and select "Create shortcut". After it appears on my desktop, I just drag it to my Start button and create a copy. That's it, all done.

Heads up: One caution however, if you delete the original shortcut created on the desktop, the Start menu copy points to it and it will not work once removed.

Using ruggb's suggestion will end up performing a system recovery, whereas I read that you merely want to reset your System Recovery icon in your Start menu.

Hope this helps...

The easiest way I know to access System Restore without the icon in the Start Menu is to use Windows Help.

Click on "help and Support" on the right-hand side of the Start Menu.
Type "System Restore" in the search box.
The fourth search item should be "System Restore." This is for Windows 7. For other versions, it may be somewhere else on the list. Click on it.
That should get you an option of "Run System Restore." That should get you into business.

If by chance you ever get the System Restore icon back on your Start Menu, you can create a shortcut to your desktop. Here are the steps.

1. Click the Start button and then All Programs.
2. Click on Accessories and then System Tools.
3. Go down to System Restore and right-click on it.
4. Go down to Send To, and then on the menu to the right, click on the selection "Desktop (make a shortcut)".
5. Click on that, and you should have a shortcut to System Restore on your desktop.

You may need to change the name of the icon if it doesn't say "System Restore." Just right-click on the icon and click on the icon and choose the Rename option.

Hope this solves your problems. Good luck.

Bill C.

Item 3, System restore, does NOT appear on the System tools menu!! Not helpful.

Sorry but your method is the long way around and might not work anyway. Go to Control Panel, System, System Protection, System Restore. If you have Windows 7 Pro you can use the "God" mode to create a shortcut to System Restore to put on the desktop or an appropriate folder.

If you right click the System Icon in win7 you do NOT get System Protection

My Windows 7-64 was installed in Oct. 2009 as an upgrade to Vista. I never fiddled with the Vista OR the Win 7 security settings, and I currently have a bunch or restore points "available" - too many to be worth counting. I tried restoring to two different, relatively recent, points but both of the attempts failed. What good is this system?

HP Pavilion m9500t, Windows 7-64 bit, all updates current (automatic).

It certainly can be an accidental thing but if not, my first thought would be a virus. For me, anyway, anytime this has happened to me, its been due to a virus. Sys restore would just suddenly disappear from everywhere; I wouldn't be able to get into control panel, couldn't even run my antivirus......nothing.

Goto start button
in search box type cmd

at command prompt type RSTRUI and hot enter

restore will load and you can do as you wish

What good is System Restore if it always fails to restore? I think it worked once, in the first year, but not since about 2011. Good thing I haven't really needed it; Win 7 seems to pretty much cure itself without the restore function functioning.