Windows 7 forum: Help. My Windows 7 System Restore just doesn't want to work!

Some antivirus apps will not allow this. Try disabling it and try again.

Dafydd.

To often during a PC or Laptop malfunction, and or basic application with programs and the Windows operating system, we overlook, maybe the Hard Drive isn't working properly or has met its shelf-life.
Dependent upon its (HHD) age, computer year, you might have to repace it. When you ask for assistance or suggestions please give complete information, concerning, computer make or brand & model number.

I have only one (1) question to people like you...

ARE YOU COMPLEATLY AND CERTIFYEBLY STUPID OR JUST PRETEND TO BE?

giving advice like this (if something does not work on your windows PC switch to Linux) is stupid 99.5% of the time.
especially when the question is for one or the other secondary functions of the OS.

it's like telling some one who complains about a dome light of his Chevy not working properly to change to Ford, as it is always works for you.

you know the saying: "If you hold a hummer everything looks like a nail to you."

I have used windows since the version 1.0 (yes that old) and I only start to realy like it when win98 came out. I did not like Vista at all(it never worked properly for me ) but I do like win7 (it works greate almost 99.9% of the time), the system restore never worked for me. and you know what, I did not care much anyhow. if everything else is working the way you like/need than find a fix or work around for the future that doesn't and move on.

FYI : I have nothing against Linux, I do not love it but I do not hate it either.
I will use a linux system when I need to. (I have home File server running a version of linux)
I am planning a setup for my Media Server with Linux OS as well.
but that is becouse for those 2 or 3 applications requirements Linux is a vyable OS , as in it can be used successfully (it is commonly used now by many people ,thus help and information is there to use) and it is free and not locked down by licenses so I can experiment with it easealy and freely.
also it can be setup as very lightweight to concerve the power and resources wich is very important for server applications.

but for user workstation use it might not be a good fit for a multitude of reasons.
and just blanket statement like your really get me raildup

Yes, please make fun of my spelling.
Instead of addressing the real issue.
Like my subject said, I do not know why I even bother anymore.

PS>> BUT I STAND BY MY REPLY TOO

When Ubuntu crashes. It restarts and it is fine. No such luck with Windows.

When Windows restore did not work on my computer I noticed other problems. I eventually had to reinstall Windows and restore worked.

I have used System Restore many times but I have found that it works best in the Safe Mode otherwise you may get the message at the end of the process: "System Restore did not Complete Successfully. No Changes Were Made to your Computer." In the Safe Mode I believe I have had a 100% success rate.

I too had the "Not Valid Microsoft Windows" error and BOUGHT my Windows 7 Professional directly from Microsoft. I called them and they corrected the problem by taking control of my computer and doing whatever voodoo they do.

I have had a problem from the beginning with my win7 laptop where the nVidia driver for the monitor is not working properly. I was getting all sorts of messages portraying all manner of disasters possibly happening. Took me months to work it all out. I kept religious notes on every start-up & have rheems of them now. I still have the driver problem but I now have a simple fix for the times when start-up goes awry.

During start-up you are asked to log-in, then there should be a quick flash & your desktop should appear. Well sometimes I would get that, sometimes I got the original small low res desktop, but often nothing, just a black screen. The cursor would be there for a second or 2 then it was gone too. I did all sorts of things to get that monitor happening like hard shutdowns which just prevoked the little monster even more & brought up all those messages at next start-up!

Eventually I worked out that if it was either the low res screen or no screen, if I waited about 5-20secs of black screen until windows was fully loaded (watching for the little harddrive indicator light to stop blinking) then pressed the start button for about 3 secs until the keyboard lights went out & of course the small low res desktop(if it had come up) also went out, then waited a few more secs, the start button would begin to flash. Then I press it just once & wait between 2secs & 20secs & whalla! the correct nVidia driven desktop appears all in working condition.

Things that can cause the driver to get it's t!ts in a twist are:- using non-standard desktop backgrounds that apparently don't save correctly at shutdown; not shutting down properly; using the laptop on battery right from start-up.

Things that cause all those horrid messages & incorrect self-diagnoses are:- pressing the start button too long the second time & having the whole system shut down (rather than it just going to sleep) which causes various messages on the next start-up again; doing all sorts of things trying to get the black screen to work; redoing start-up all the time, tinkering, taking note of the self-diagnosis & trying those offerings & making yet more changes that are all piling ontop of an existing problem. It hates that! The darned thing learn all these bad habits the more start-up & shutdown cycles it does that contain issues & problems, the further away from a fix you get. You need to give it time to unlearn so it regains proper start-up functions.

Ignore the whole restore crap for now & make sure your drivers are working ok. Then just use the plain desktop background to begin with, give it a few start-ups to learn better habits, then reassess. Yes you still have a restore problem but if it's your driver not working, you now have a way to at least use your pc.

I hope this helps you or others with these annoying issues.

As bugs would say...."What a maroon"....WTF....if you can't be part of the solution....don't add to the frustration with this idiotic statement....dude....pull your head out of your @$$....the man is looking a constructive answer....

There is the possibility system restore is turned off in services. To get there:
Click on Start
Control Panel
Admininstrative Tools
Click on Services
Scroll down to system restore
System restore should show the service "started" and "automatic"
If not right click on the descriptive line
A box will open
Click on properties
a second box will open
Start the service and then change the startup type to automatic
click ok
close all open windows and try system restore again

pmishler, did you ever find System Restore listed in Services? On my Windows 7 I had to do a search in Control Panel to find Services, and when I found it System Restore also was not listed.

If I remember this right.........you can turn it on and off by right-clicking Computer in Windows Explorer, click on properties, click on system protection, click on the drive you want to control, click on configure, and turn System Restore on or off. This is for Windows 7 and maybe XP, I didn't check.

Hi Paul,

There are a hundred reasons why System Restore may not be working on your Windows 7 System. Corrupt files, failing hard drive, bad RAM, viruses, malware, and a host of other potential problems. System Restore is a utility provided by the Windows 7 Operating System that affects Windows system files, programs, and registry settings. It can also make changes to scripts, batch files, and other types of executable files on your computer. But System Restore is not intended to be "A BACKUP" for your computer system as much as it is intended to be a "GO BACK" feature when things go wrong. It works best when attempting to recover from a bad update, a faulty driver, or corrupted file. Unfortunately, System Restore is HIGHLY UNRELIABLE as a tool for complete restoration.

Even Microsoft Recommends that users create a System Backup soon after receiving a new computer, or reloading the Windows Operating System. They also suggest you should create a "Recovery Disk" which can serve as a true restoration point for your system, and back up your system on a regular basis.

I've been banging my drum for years here on CNET about backups, and over that time the only thing that's changed is that today it's cheaper and easier than ever to keep your system and files backed up and safeguarded from disaster. This is just my humble opinion of course, but if you are going to spend $400 - $1,000 or more for a computer system, it just makes good sense to spend an extra $50-$60 bucks to have a reliable backup drive. On my home system I think I have 4 hard drives running 24/7. Every one of the hard drives has a clone that sits on my shelf at the ready in case I need it.

My final piece of advice regarding your situation Paul, is to consider doing a "Repair Installation" of Windows 7. Much like System Restore, a Repair Installation is not a cure all, but it should remedy the problem you seem to be having with System Restore not working at all. You should remember that a Repair Installation is a method of LAST RESORT, in an attempt to get Windows 7 functioning properly and at the same time preserving all of your data. If you're planning on attempting this procedure, MAKE SURE YOU BACK UP IMPORTANT FILES FIRST. It sounds like you have Windows 7 working with a few exceptions, so after you back up your files, a repair installation should do the job for you.

Best of Luck

I know there are other programs out there, but I use Acronis True Image, and it works great. I make a "base backup" when I first get a system up and running the way I like it and then I burn it to DVD. I also have a dedicated backup partition that I leave it on (as well as the last 6 of my weekly backups). I run the program once a week to keep my backups up to date. If my computer won't boot or if it has some other emergency that calls for a backup to be used, it is always a matter of less than an hour to restore it.

There are other ways. This is just my way. I'm sure that others will be happy to tell you how they do it.

Acronis is a back up system. I am in total agreement with other readers that carrying out a backup operation for crucial data is a must. I have a large external hard drive and back up my entire system at least monthly. I also have an internal backup drive and back up crucial data after any significant change thus this data is doubly backed up.

But this does not address the original question of a go back restore point.
any one know of a good alternative go back system