System Restore missing from services.msc

Question

I recently noticed that I no longer get automatic restore points on my Vista SP1 desktop. I do get restore points when software is installed and I can create them manually. I went into services.msc to see if the system restore service was running and there was no entry for system restore. I then looked in regedit for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ SystemRestore and found there was no systemrestore there either. Where did the service go and how do I get it back?

Thanks,

Ken

Answer 1

I don't have System Restore in my Services folder either and it does automatic restore points at every installation and update.  The way to setup automatic updates is to go to Start / Control Panel / Backup and Restore / Create a restore point or change settings and make sure there's a check in the box next to your drive(s).  If there's a way to set it up to do automatic restore points at various intervals (say every other day or every Thursday or something like that) then I don't know how to do it (and as far as I know my system is working perfectly - but maybe not if this "feature" is absent when it should be available).

This thread might help: http://www.vistax64.com/vista-performance-maintenance/229407-automatic-system-restore-points-sp2.html.  Here's another article on the problem http://www.vistax64.com/vista-performance-maintenance/104579-automatic-restore-points-not-being-created.html which suggests that the way to get it done is to use Task Scheduler.  I'll bet that would work if I could figure out the executable file necessary to initiate creating the restore point - do you have any idea?

Good luck.  Hope this helped and please post back in either case - especially if you know the name of the file that starts the create restore point process.

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Lorien - One - MCSE/MCSA/Network+/A+

Answer 2

Here's another thread on the same issue - perhaps it contains the answers we seek: http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistasecurity/thread/54df98fc-b19c-4e9a-81c5-b36bab3e3265.

Good luck - and let us know if anything you find there works.

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Lorien - One - MCSE/MCSA/Network+/A+

Answer 3

I don't have System Restore in my Services folder either and it does automatic restore points at every installation and update.  The way to setup automatic updates is to go to Start / Control Panel / Backup and Restore / Create a restore point or change settings and make sure there's a check in the box next to your drive(s).  If there's a way to set it up to do automatic restore points at various intervals (say every other day or every Thursday or something like that) then I don't know how to do it (and as far as I know my system is working perfectly - but maybe not if this "feature" is absent when it should be available).

This thread might help: http://www.vistax64.com/vista-performance-maintenance/229407-automatic-system-restore-points-sp2.html .  Here's another article on the problem http://www.vistax64.com/vista-performance-maintenance/104579-automatic-restore-points-not-being-created.html  which suggests that the way to get it done is to use Task Scheduler.  I'll bet that would work if I could figure out the executable file necessary to initiate creating the restore point - do you have any idea?

Good luck.  Hope this helped and please post back in either case - especially if you know the name of the file that starts the create restore point process.

---

Lorien - One - MCSE/MCSA/Network+/A+

From what I have read and from past experience, System Restore is supposed to create Restore Points when the computer is started each day. Since my computer did this at one time and now doesn't, I am assuming that it may have something to do with the missing service.