Where Have All the System Checkpoints Gone (Long Time Passing)?

I've noticed that for the last 10 days, System Restore is no longer making daily system checkpoints.

The settings still indicate it's monitoring all drives. Task Scheduler service is started and on automatic. And my computer is never shut down.

So what could have suddenly gone wrong?

Any ideas?

 

Hi Dave,

Can you make a manual Restore point?

Here's a SR troubleshooter http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...port/kb/articles/q302/7/96.asp&NoWebContent=1

Regards - Charles

 

Yep,. I can manually create restore points.

I went through that troubleshooter and could see nothing that applied. All System Restore functions seem to be working. It's just not making daily systen checkpoints anymore.

 

Hi Dave,

On the chance that the Checkpoint interval got changed:

Look in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore and at the value of RPGlobalInterval. 86,400 seconds = 24 hours - the default. 259,200 is three days.

The interval can be changed here by you.

Regards - Charles

 

Another idea worth checking, Charles. Thanks. But it's set to the default of 86,400 seconds.

It's a mystery, isn't it.

 

Hi Dave,

Try shortening that interval and see what happens - to 43,200 = half a day.

In Services, is SR on auto or manual?

Did you install any 3rd party apps lately?

Another idea would be to move the slider in the System Restore tab of My Computer > Properties. Empty out half of it, then move back to the default 12%. That'll empty the oldest points.

After that, I'm pretty much out of ideas - if Task Manager is running, there isn't reason for it not auto checkpoint. It doesn't appear that the System Restore reg settings or any part of the process is corrupt if you can create manual checkpoints.

You can disable it and re enable or re register the .dll for SR, but that will delete all the checkpoints.

You can test the restore and see if that works, if it doesn't work, then you have another problem.

Take any executable file (extension .exe) and burn it out and/or move it to the My Documents folder and delete it from it's original location. SR does not monitor files in My Documents folder regardless of file type.

Then restore to the initial restore point created by the system; the deleted executable should be back in it's original location. Afterwards, you can delete the copy in My Documents.

Regards - Charles

 

Well, all I know is I had system checkpoints automatically created on October 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 -- and then nothing since then.

 

You say your computer is always on. I don't use sys restore but I think that a restore is created when you boot up.

You really should shut down and reboot periodically.

 

Slip.

Well, okay, I shortened the interval for checkpoints in HKLM.

I also moved the slider back to 5%, which to my surprise cleared out all restore points prior to October 26. I moved it back to 12%.

So we'll see if it kicks in again. Thanks for the advice.

Btw, SR in services is set to automatic, and the only third party app that I dealt with was reinstalling zone alarm in mid-October.

And in answer to this:

Some days yes, other days no. But they're all gone now because I moved the slider back.

 

SR points depend on their being 'idle time.'

Here is an troubleshooter by MS-MVP Bert Kinney, and I have linked here the section discussing auto SR point creation troubles: http://bertk.mvps.org/html/body_srauto.html

 

I have found System Restore to be very un-reliable when left on its own.

Some times it does and sometimes it don't. The note by dkline proves it.

So. Before I do any cleanup up or adding/removing I MAUNALLY make sure that the System Restore points are up to date.

I know that Windows is a bit better than it used to be but it STILL requires Human intervention to make sure things are OK.

BillyBob

 

Hi Dave,

If you haven't solved this yet:

The links are to threads about Symantec 2006/2007 software causing problems with SR.

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=59801

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=61010

Another idea: is the Indexing service running on the C drive or did you disable it?

I have external USB drives that I don't want SR monitoring and couldn't make the SR "don't monitor" the drives setting to stick until I turned indexing off. This was quite a while ago and didn't remember to suggest that at the time of this thread.

Regards - Charles

 

Hey Charles, thanks for the additional tips.

But for some unknown reason, SR has been working normally for the past month or two and making system checkpoints every day.

Go figure. I didn't do anything that I'm aware of.

 

Then I'm inclined to think that the system was too busy and Bmoore's suggestion was right - should shut the system down every once in awhile - booting back up, the first thing the system will do is to create an RP if its way past the 24 hr interval and reset itself.

Regards - Charles