Published by

**Brink** · 29 May 2007

How to Turn System Restore On or Off in Vista

Information

This will show you how to turn System Restore on or off in Vista.

Note

System Restore helps you restore your computer's to an earlier point in time. It 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. It is a way to undo system changes to your computer that you did not like the results of without affecting your personal user folder files, such as e‑mail, documents, or photos.

Sometimes, the installation of a program or a driver can cause an unexpected change to your computer or cause Windows to behave unpredictably. Usually, uninstalling the program or driver corrects the problem. If uninstalling does not fix the problem, you can try restoring your computer's system to an earlier date when everything worked correctly.

Warning

Disabling System Restore will also delete all of the available system restore points for the selected drive. It will also reset the maximum disk space used by System Restore back to the default size. For more information, see: How to Change the System Restore Disk Space Usage in Vista
If you dual boot with Windows XP, then everytime you start in XP the System Restore Points and all except the most recent Complete PC Backup files in Vista get deleted. For how, see: How to Stop System Restore Points from being Deleted in Vista when Dual Booting with XP

Tip

System Restore uses these Services with these settings for them:

Volume Shadow Copy
- This service is set to Started and Manual by default.
Microsoft Shadow Copy Provider
- This service is set to Started and Manual by default.

Here's How:

1. Open the Control Panel (Classic View)

2. Click on the System icon.

3. Click on the Advanced system settings link. (upper left corner)

4. If prompted by UAC, then click on Continue.

5. Click on the System Protection tab.

6. To Turn On System Restore for a Drive

A) Check the Available Disk letter(s) that you want System Restore to create restore points for and stored on the same drive. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: Each drive selected will have it's own restore points stored on only that same drive. For example, C will not be stored on D, and D will not be store on C.

B) Go to step 8.

7. To Turn Off System Restore for a Drive

A) Uncheck any Available Disk letter that you no longer want restore points created for. (See screenshot above)

B) You will get a pop up window. (See screenshot below)

C) Click on the Turn System Restore Off button.

8. Click on OK.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**Bare Foot Kid** · 14 Feb 2008

Here it is again, I hope!

When you have time can you help me. I didnt disable any of this, and Shadow Copy/Restore Point Is still active. TIA, Bare Foot kid

**Brink** · 14 Feb 2008

Hi Bare Foot Kid,

This is a normal setting if you unchecked the box in step 7. The services Volume Shadow Copy and Microsoft Shadow Copy Provider for these are set to Started and Manual by default. Take a look in Services to see what they are truly set as.

If you unchecked the box, then this would be why the service is showing as Stopped instead of Running in System Configuration (msconfig). What does it say for the Volume Shadow Copy service?

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**Bare Foot Kid** · 15 Feb 2008

Hi Brink.

Volume Shadow Copy service?

is Running. And now Shadow Copy Provider is running also. I have noticed that it is sometimes
running and sometimes its not. I did change the Maximum Shadow Storage to 20 GB yesterday. Could that have something to do with it? Thanks for your help and thanks for cleaning up my earlier mess!!! Later, Bare Foot Kid P.S. The shadow/restore creater is working. one more thing the local disc C: is checked in step 6.

I also went to Services: BOTH Shadow Copy Provider and Volume Shadow Copy are set at MANUEL.

**Bare Foot Kid** · 15 Feb 2008

Sorry I had to open another reply but if i "edit" too much it delets the screenshots. I had to put that one back. Anyway I went to System Restore: and it is creating new restore points, one for "system checkup" and one for that update today earlier today.

I just created a restore point and went to see, and it said RUNNING. who knows ???
Thank you Brink for all your time and trouble Later Bare foot Kid

**Brink** · 15 Feb 2008

Bare Foot Kid,

Glad to hear that everything is working just fine.

I did change the Maximum Shadow Storage to 20 GB yesterday. Could that have something to do with it?

No, that would just the amount of hard drive space that it can use. Vista will only run a service set to Started and Manual in Services when it needs it. If the service was set to Manual only, then it will not run unless you call for it to run, usually by running a program or feature in Vista.

Shawn

**yongkailoon** · 09 Jun 2008

Is system restore actually needed ? Well of course it is always good for backups but from my past experience with Windows, whenever there is a serious problem it usually won't be able to boot up to Windows. So I would like to ask if in any case that the computer isn't able to boot into Windows, is there any other way to do system restore from a saved point ?

**Brink** · 09 Jun 2008

Hi Yongkailoon,

Yes. You can boot from your Vista installation DVD into the System Recovery Options screen to do a System Restore. Method Two in this tutorial outlines how to do this.

System Restore - How to

System Restore can come in handy for problems that just happened to help bail you out of it.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**nipo** · 15 Jul 2008

I don't know, if I understand you. Please create a link for me. However the system does not allow me create restore point to another disk.

What about restore points that were stored by Norton Ghost on DVD and restore it on originally place?

Thank you and best regards

**Brink** · 15 Jul 2008

Hi Nipo.

Norton Ghost has nothing to do with this. You will need to read the instructions for that program to see if it is possible to change where Norton stores it's restore points.

For the Vista System Restore, you will have to have another hard drive or partition to be have the option to select another drive in the screenshot below step 6 above. Otherwise you will just have the C: drive to select to turn System Restore on or off.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

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