Should I disable Windows System Restore if I use disc imaging?

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by tepe2, May 1, 2007.

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  1. tepe2

    tepe2 Registered Member

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    I use BING (BootIt Next Generation) as a disc imaging tool.

    My setup:

    C: WinXP and applications
    D: Personal Data (My Documents)

    Do I need to have Windows System Restore enabled? If something goes wrong, I restore an image.

    How can I benefit, or put in other words, what is the advantage of disabling the System Restore? Any at all?
     
  2. HAN

    HAN Registered Member

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    I don't make lots of system changes, so I do an image every week or so. Since there is a bit of a gap, I left my System Restore turned on. I felt like wasn't hurting anything and gave me one other option in case of issues. I do limit System Restore to 5% total disk space though...
     
  3. tepe2

    tepe2 Registered Member

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    Thanks HAN :)

    I hope to hear from other users too.
     
  4. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    If you are not a FDISR-user, I think you better keep Windows System Restore ACTIVE.
    The only trouble with Windows System Restore is that you can't use it, when you have a frozen BSOD, that doesn't even allow you to get to Windows to fix it and maybe not even in safe mode.
    In that case you have to restore an image and hopefully your image is up-to-date enough (at least from YESTERDAY) to restore most of your personal data, if you have only one partition [C:].

    I had recently such a disaster with the combination FDISR + nLite + Anti-Executable and had to restore my complete system partition. My data partition on a second harddisk was still there and up-to-date until TODAY.

    Most users have only one harddisk and one partition. If they have to restore an image, they usually LOSE all their updatings of data files of TODAY and if they don't backup daily, they will lose even more.
    That's the problem with backup, your image is always from YESTERDAY or OLDER, but never from TODAY and that was one of the reasons, why I created a data partition on a second harddisk.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2007
  5. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    thanks why i hate OEm system builds.
    because they just press next next next which means there is just one partistion.
    lodore
     
  6. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    I understand. When you keep Windows System Restore active, you will have at least some restore point to recover your system. It's always better than nothing.
     
  7. farmerlee

    farmerlee Registered Member

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    I always disable windows system restore, from what i've read it can cause system slowdowns and use unnecessary resources. Plus its pretty much useless in recovering a system thats been infected imo. Its not all negative tho, it works quite well with bad software installs.
     
  8. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    if sometime i have the time i reinstall windows i will make a system and data partistion just like on my old test pc upstairs.
    well upstairs i have three partistions.
    system,data,images
    since the pc is used for alot of testing i made a clean image using paragon hard disc manager 8.0 from that free offer posted on here.
    so i can restore the system partistion after any damage without any damage to my test install files.
    shame my main pc running xp has only one partistion.
    if i ever buy a prebulti pc again i will make sure i get a real xp cd to reinstall it.
    or even better build it myself

    lodore
     
  9. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    I have System Restore off, and have one of those OEM installations with 2 disks, each with one partition. All "working" data is in the active c: partition.

    I image every couple of days, use FDISR updating an archive daily, and use a data synchronizer to update the data.

    Works well, and I've not lost anything.
     
  10. tepe2

    tepe2 Registered Member

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    Thanks to all of you :)

    My main drive is an 500 GB Samsung internal with 2 partitions. C: for WinXP and applications. And D: for personal data like music, pictures, documents. I also moved my Firefox and Thunderbird profiles to this partition.

    Second internal 250 GB. One partition. For now I only use this for my disc Images.

    External 500 GB USB/FW. For file backup of my personal data and disc images of WinXP-partition.

    I only create images of my C-partition (main drive, WinXP/Applications). I can use a file backup software to backup my personal data D:

    If something goes wrong, I dont feel I need to have an image from yesterday. Because if I have not changed my XP partition resently, I loose nothing. My personal data is still on D: and also backed up to the external drive.

    So thats why I believe I can safely shutdown the System Restore.

    But of course there could be issues which I dont know about. Thats why I ask for advantages/disadvantages of disabling System Restore.
     
  11. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    sounds like the perfect recovery plan.
    you can safely turn off system restore in that situation
    lodore
     
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