System Restore in Windows Vista Stopped Working

[dragonflyspit]

I have Windows Vista. A couple of months ago, I tried "System Restore" and after it had gone through the whole process, I got this message:

System restore did not complete successfully. Your computer's system files and settings were not changed. Details: an unspecified error occurred during system restore. You might want to choose a different restore point. For more information, see "system restore: Frequently Asked Questions."

When it happened before, I tried every available restore point, and nothing worked, so I decided to give it a little while. Here it is a month or two later, and I have many more restore points, but System Restore still won't work. I tested it by creating one with a Java update just yesterday, and it won't restore even to that point.

How can I fix this?

[tomtomg59]

This works for xp should work for Vista System Restore feature, but get the message: "Cannot restore the computer to an earlier restore point, no changes have been made to your computer." Am I right? Well, I can't tell you how to get your old restore points back, but I can tell you how to fix this problem so you can use them in the future.
Right click on the My Computer icon, choose Properties, then click on the System Restore tab.
Put a check in the box for "Disable Restore on all drives." Click OK and reboot your computer.
After you reboot, go back to the System Restore tab and uncheck the box. Click OK.
Next, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then click System Restore. Choose Create a Restore Point and give it a name like Reset as a reminder.
Now, go ahead and try to use the restore again, using the new point and it should work properly for you this time

[Paul Komski]

Have always found System Restore a blunt and unreliable tool as well as being a system bloat. OK - on occasions it can get things going again but I suggest you take matters into your own hands by learning about "imaging". Good imaging software (http://www.paulski.com/zpages.php?id=1917) such as ImageForDOS or MacriumReflect (http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp) will create image files which can restore your computer to the exact state it was in when the image file was created.

Do this periodically before any major changes are made and you will have a number of files that can restore your system perfectly. I recommend ImageForDOS (along with Verification of the file each time) run from a boot CD (or floppy). If you go with Macrium Reflect remember to make the repair CD or you will have image files that you cannot access when you want to restore things.

[tomtomg59]

I guess its all up to the person and what they prefer, I hear some people say turn off system restore etc.
But IMHO I think its a very big mistake. System Restore saved me many times!

[Paul Komski]

I guess its all up to the person and what they prefer, I hear some people say turn off system restore etc.
But IMHO I think its a very big mistake. System Restore saved me many times!

I would only recommend turning it off if you have setup alternative ways of restoring your system. Imaging does this to perfection. System Restore can be buggy and you can find data has disappeared. It wont be able to work when the file system is corrupt and may completely abreact in the presence of viruses and spyware. Imaging overcomes all those issues including being able to go back to before a large upgrade such as installing a new service pack.