You’ve just installed new software on your system, but after the requisite reboot, the PC fails to work properly. Slowed performance or an improperly working application leads you to use the Windows XP System Restore utility, but it fails to work. What do you do? Error messages related to System Restore contain a description of the problem along with suggestions for resolving the problem. While System Restore should not be your only method of backup, you can try some simple solutions when System Restore fails to work properly.
Where To Start
The first thing to do is verify the System Restore service is actually running. You can do this two ways: through the Computer Management dialog window or through a command line interface. To access the Computer Management dialog window, go to Start and Run, and in the Open box, type comp mgmt.msc or go to Control Panel and Administrative Tools, and click Computer Management. Once you’re in the Computer Management window, expand Services and Applications in the left-hand pane and click Services. All services locally running on the system will appear in the right-hand pane. System Restore Service should have a Status of Started and a Startup Type as Automatic. If it is not running, highlight the service and right-click to open a menu that will let you Start or Restart the service, as well as access the System Restore Service Properties dialog box to verify that the service is set to automatically start. This dialog box also offers general information about the Service name (srservice), its executable path, and Service status. Under the Log On tab, check to make certain the System Restore service is enabled for the specific hardware profile. For example, when laptops are docked, the service may be automatically disabled. The System Restore service may also only be accessible by an administrator, leaving the local user unable to restore previous backup points. In this case, log out of the Windows profile and log back in as a local administrator before proceeding. You can quickly verify the System Restore service status through a command prompt window. Go to Start and Run, and in the Open box, type command. At the prompt, type Net Start. A list of Windows Services that have been started will scroll through the display. This method only verifies that the service has been started and offers no additional information.
Troubleshooting
One of the most common problems is insufficient drive space. A minimum of 200MB on the drive the service is running is required for System Restore to properly operate. Once you free up the required space, which you can do by using the Disk Cleanup tool or by manually deleting needless files, folders, or programs from the drive, System Restore should function again. Insufficient drive space can cause a second, more serious problem with System Restore. When drive space reaches 50MB on the drive that the service is running, System Restore will be suspended across the entire system, meaning that no Restore Points will be created from there on out. So even when you free 200MB to allow the System Restore service to engage, there may be missing restore points due to the service shutting down. To avoid this problem, especially on smaller drives that do not require backup, you can turn off System Restore for that particular drive. You can do this by accessing System Restore through the System Properties dialog box. Go to Control Panel, double-click the System icon, and choose the System Restore Tab. Then select the appropriate drive, click Settings, and in the box that pops up, click the checkbox for Turn off System Restore on this drive. If the System Restore service is automatically running and drive space isn’t the issue, try installing an older restore point. Sometimes this is where users also run into challenges. If the System Restore disk space usage for a certain drive is set too low in the System Restore tab under System Properties, the number of restore points may be significantly reduced, leaving few restore point options. Unfortunately, older restore points are not always available. System Restore uses a First In, First Out process for decreasing the size of the data store to 75% of the total size when the data store reaches 90% of its total allotment either by default or that set by the user. This deletion is automatic regardless of the amount of total disk space available. Restore points have a life span of 90 days, so if the restore point is past this mark, it will be automatically deleted and thus unavailable.
Bare Bones Boot
If you have been unable to successfully install a restore point operating in a normal Windows environment, reboot the machine into Safe Mode by holding down F8 during the initial boot sequence until the Windows Advanced Options Menu appears. Choose the first option: Safe Mode. Upon logging in, Windows offers you the immediate option of restoring the machine to a previous state using System Restore by simply clicking No. By choosing this option, System Restore automatically opens. You can also run System Restore from a command prompt. In the same way you booted into Safe Mode, access the Windows Advanced Options
Menu and choose the third option:
Safe Mode with Command Prompt. With this option, instead of offering immediate System Restore, a command line interface window opens. At the command prompt, type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe to manually launch System Restore.
Blank Calendar
If you see that the restore point calendar on the left side of the Select A Restore Point window is blank, there could be a problem requiring adjustments to the Registry. This may be due to the file association for HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) component (.htc) files missing from the Registry. (NOTE: Making changes to the system using the Registry Editor may cause errors that render the operating system unstable.) To check the Registry, go to Start and Run, and type regedit. Locate the keys below by finding the first category and subsequent categories by expanding the appropriate folders. The following keys should be present in the Registry for the System Restore Calendar to be properly populated with valid restore point configuration. If one of the Registry keys is not present, you will need to create a new key. To create a new key in the Registry, first open the Registry editor by going to Start and Run, and type regedit in the Open box. Locate the corresponding keys in the directory tree in the left pane of the Registry editor and add the following values. To add keys, highlight the working directory in the tree to which you want to add a key and select Edit, New, and Key. To add a new Value name, highlight the key, and in the right pane, right click to obtain the New menu and choose String Value. Right-click the String Value and rename to the corresponding key information below. Right-click the renamed String Value and choose Modify to edit the Value data to correspond to the key information below.
Do this for all keys listed.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htc
Value name: Content Type
Value data: text/x-component
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\.htc
Value name: Content Type
Value data: text/x-component
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Content Type\text/x-component
Value name: CLSID
Value data: {3050f4f8-98b5-11cfbb82-00aa00bdce0b}
Create a second entry with the following values:
Value name: Extension
Value data: .htc
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{3050f4f8-98b5-11cf-bb82-00aa00bdce0b}
Value name =“Microsoft Html Component”
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{3050f4f8-98b5-11cf-bb82-00aa00bdce0b}\InProcServer32
Value name: Default
Value data: “C:\Windows\System32\Mshtml.dll”
Create a second entry with the following values:
Value name: “ThreadingModel” Value data: “Apartment” If this procedure results in returning the Restore Points to the Calendar and you use the System Restore tool, the earlier configuration may not have the necessary Registry entries needed to populate the Calendar. Check to be certain the Registry Keys are present, and if not, repeat the Registry edits and create a new restore point by going to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and System Restore. Choose Create a restore point and click Next. In the next window, enter a description for the restore point and click Create. If the System Restore continues to fail, check the Event Viewer System Log, which records all system errors. Go to Control Panel, choose Administrative Tools, and double-click Event Viewer. Click System in the left-hand panel to display the log on the right. Sort the list by clicking the Source tab, and look for entries with sr or srservice. Double-click each entry to view the Event Properties for a detailed description of the error.
Where To Start
The first thing to do is verify the System Restore service is actually running. You can do this two ways: through the Computer Management dialog window or through a command line interface. To access the Computer Management dialog window, go to Start and Run, and in the Open box, type comp mgmt.msc or go to Control Panel and Administrative Tools, and click Computer Management. Once you’re in the Computer Management window, expand Services and Applications in the left-hand pane and click Services. All services locally running on the system will appear in the right-hand pane. System Restore Service should have a Status of Started and a Startup Type as Automatic. If it is not running, highlight the service and right-click to open a menu that will let you Start or Restart the service, as well as access the System Restore Service Properties dialog box to verify that the service is set to automatically start. This dialog box also offers general information about the Service name (srservice), its executable path, and Service status. Under the Log On tab, check to make certain the System Restore service is enabled for the specific hardware profile. For example, when laptops are docked, the service may be automatically disabled. The System Restore service may also only be accessible by an administrator, leaving the local user unable to restore previous backup points. In this case, log out of the Windows profile and log back in as a local administrator before proceeding. You can quickly verify the System Restore service status through a command prompt window. Go to Start and Run, and in the Open box, type command. At the prompt, type Net Start. A list of Windows Services that have been started will scroll through the display. This method only verifies that the service has been started and offers no additional information.
Troubleshooting
One of the most common problems is insufficient drive space. A minimum of 200MB on the drive the service is running is required for System Restore to properly operate. Once you free up the required space, which you can do by using the Disk Cleanup tool or by manually deleting needless files, folders, or programs from the drive, System Restore should function again. Insufficient drive space can cause a second, more serious problem with System Restore. When drive space reaches 50MB on the drive that the service is running, System Restore will be suspended across the entire system, meaning that no Restore Points will be created from there on out. So even when you free 200MB to allow the System Restore service to engage, there may be missing restore points due to the service shutting down. To avoid this problem, especially on smaller drives that do not require backup, you can turn off System Restore for that particular drive. You can do this by accessing System Restore through the System Properties dialog box. Go to Control Panel, double-click the System icon, and choose the System Restore Tab. Then select the appropriate drive, click Settings, and in the box that pops up, click the checkbox for Turn off System Restore on this drive. If the System Restore service is automatically running and drive space isn’t the issue, try installing an older restore point. Sometimes this is where users also run into challenges. If the System Restore disk space usage for a certain drive is set too low in the System Restore tab under System Properties, the number of restore points may be significantly reduced, leaving few restore point options. Unfortunately, older restore points are not always available. System Restore uses a First In, First Out process for decreasing the size of the data store to 75% of the total size when the data store reaches 90% of its total allotment either by default or that set by the user. This deletion is automatic regardless of the amount of total disk space available. Restore points have a life span of 90 days, so if the restore point is past this mark, it will be automatically deleted and thus unavailable.
Bare Bones Boot
If you have been unable to successfully install a restore point operating in a normal Windows environment, reboot the machine into Safe Mode by holding down F8 during the initial boot sequence until the Windows Advanced Options Menu appears. Choose the first option: Safe Mode. Upon logging in, Windows offers you the immediate option of restoring the machine to a previous state using System Restore by simply clicking No. By choosing this option, System Restore automatically opens. You can also run System Restore from a command prompt. In the same way you booted into Safe Mode, access the Windows Advanced Options
Menu and choose the third option:
Safe Mode with Command Prompt. With this option, instead of offering immediate System Restore, a command line interface window opens. At the command prompt, type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe to manually launch System Restore.
Blank Calendar
If you see that the restore point calendar on the left side of the Select A Restore Point window is blank, there could be a problem requiring adjustments to the Registry. This may be due to the file association for HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) component (.htc) files missing from the Registry. (NOTE: Making changes to the system using the Registry Editor may cause errors that render the operating system unstable.) To check the Registry, go to Start and Run, and type regedit. Locate the keys below by finding the first category and subsequent categories by expanding the appropriate folders. The following keys should be present in the Registry for the System Restore Calendar to be properly populated with valid restore point configuration. If one of the Registry keys is not present, you will need to create a new key. To create a new key in the Registry, first open the Registry editor by going to Start and Run, and type regedit in the Open box. Locate the corresponding keys in the directory tree in the left pane of the Registry editor and add the following values. To add keys, highlight the working directory in the tree to which you want to add a key and select Edit, New, and Key. To add a new Value name, highlight the key, and in the right pane, right click to obtain the New menu and choose String Value. Right-click the String Value and rename to the corresponding key information below. Right-click the renamed String Value and choose Modify to edit the Value data to correspond to the key information below.
Do this for all keys listed.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htc
Value name: Content Type
Value data: text/x-component
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\.htc
Value name: Content Type
Value data: text/x-component
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Content Type\text/x-component
Value name: CLSID
Value data: {3050f4f8-98b5-11cfbb82-00aa00bdce0b}
Create a second entry with the following values:
Value name: Extension
Value data: .htc
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{3050f4f8-98b5-11cf-bb82-00aa00bdce0b}
Value name =“Microsoft Html Component”
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{3050f4f8-98b5-11cf-bb82-00aa00bdce0b}\InProcServer32
Value name: Default
Value data: “C:\Windows\System32\Mshtml.dll”
Create a second entry with the following values:
Value name: “ThreadingModel” Value data: “Apartment” If this procedure results in returning the Restore Points to the Calendar and you use the System Restore tool, the earlier configuration may not have the necessary Registry entries needed to populate the Calendar. Check to be certain the Registry Keys are present, and if not, repeat the Registry edits and create a new restore point by going to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and System Restore. Choose Create a restore point and click Next. In the next window, enter a description for the restore point and click Create. If the System Restore continues to fail, check the Event Viewer System Log, which records all system errors. Go to Control Panel, choose Administrative Tools, and double-click Event Viewer. Click System in the left-hand panel to display the log on the right. Sort the list by clicking the Source tab, and look for entries with sr or srservice. Double-click each entry to view the Event Properties for a detailed description of the error.
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