System Restore With Removable Harddrives
Krystal Klear Konscience
Microsoft Newsgroup Server
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
Dear readers:
In Windows XP Profashionable and Windows XP Ohmmmmm, both
models, I am using some removable, external harddrive media, for
storage and certain file editing procedures.
It may be relevant that either USB 2.0 or Firewire via hotplug,
UP&P, is the way these creatures are connected to the big beige box.
Problem (more accurately: nuisance) is that Madam Windows, no
matter how she's dressed, wants to turn on System Restore on these
drives at some point. I don't know what is the exact impetus for
this on these removable drives. My root's drive, default C:\ , is
the *only* drive on which I want System Restore active.
The settings (turning off SR on these extended / logical
drives) are retained well with all the partitions on the big beige
box itself, but everytime I plug a project [harddrive] in, I need to
navigate via "This Old Computer" -> "System Restore" tab, highlight
the drive, click through "Settings" button, and turn 'em off, then
over to System Tools, and clean up the remnants to recover the space
used by SR on those drives.
This is too much of a drill to be repeating several times [a
day][an hour]? For my purposes.
Wondering if anyone is aware of a reg-hack, or some hidden
setting, which I could edit so that System Restore shuts-up and sits-
down until I request her assistance? Particularly, I would like SR
to ignore all my removable media - without impeding her duties on my
C:\ drive.
Many thanks in advance on any leads towards resolving this
issue.
Sincerely yours,
Kris
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Bobbie Harder (MSFT)
System Restores' protection was a "it just works" decision based on
protection is there until you decide you dont need it for the types of files
SR monitors and copies. As you know this is only application and system
binaries such as .dll's, exe's etc, never personal data types such as .doc,
.htm,.bmps, .jpegs etc. Basically SR will only make one copy for each
restore point of a monitored file type IF you have done a 'destructive' type
file operation on it (like delete or modify). It will of coarse only store
copies of files (it monitors) on the drive from which they originated. So
if your only using removeable drives for personal data files, SR will
monitor until you tell it not to, but since it doesn't backup those file
types, it should have a fairly benign existance.
If you use those drives for additional programs, SR will
protect the critical app binaries if you upgrade etc. But if your a
developer and dont want to lose your work based on restoring your C: drive -
you should turn it off certainly on that drive. We designed more for the
first 2 scenarios as the more prevelant, and admittedly taxed the more
advanced user who may not need an app protected on another drive, or was
developing code they didnt want restored. For personal data storage its a
wash.
Let me know if that helps or if you need further information.
thnks,
Bobbie Harder
PM, System Restore
--
System Restore FAQ:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/itcommunity/Newsgroups/FAQSRWXP.asp
This posting is provided "As Is" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Krystal Klear Konscience" <Just~Say~NO~2~sp...@anywhere.net> wrote in
message news:Xns93FF8281...@206.127.4.10...
Krystal.Klear.Koncepts
news:uQUQCihg...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl:
Hello, Bobbie, and thank you very much looking at this situation
and for your response!!
What happens in reality is that System Restore wakes up on these
drives, and if I just let it go - especially if I'm editing or
converting video files, it will eventually back-up ~1.5 GB of
[those uniquely named] SR files.
It's really easy to hunt 'em down - first by going through the
System Properties dialog, and systematically turning off SR on each
logical partition --- then goto Windows Explorer's 'Tools' |
'Folder Options' dialog, unhide the System Folders, delete the
[virtually useless] files, and normally I would defrag the drives
on a routine anyway.
It's just a mechanical drill - which would be nice if I could
access some settings, registry hack might be nice, and just avoid
it completely.
I can't imagine what reason someone would have to run SR on one of
these removable drives; however, I can certainly see the prudence
in the design feature. It would certainly be better to have it,
and not need it - than the inverse???
Just an FYI note on how I'm using these assets: I like to hot-plug
them as needed, and then hot-unplug when done. (WinXP and BIOS
doesn't recognize these guys on boot up anyway - at this point -
and the way I use them, it's not necessary anyhow.) I may well run
complete anti-virus scans, or other anti-malware scans on these big
drives, especially if there is a major update/upgrade or
significant development out there in the wild. This leaves a tiny
little hidden system file on the drives as well. Also, depending
on what I'm doing, one of those tiny *.ini files and those little
Thumbs.db files are generated. But, like I've observed, SR will
quickly occupy *Gigabytes* of [hidden] real estate if I don't
diligently patrol the feature. There's really nothing [but data]
to be backed up.
Additionally, this is not an isolated phenom - it regularly occurs
on all my removable hard-drives with several different stations,
all running Windows XP. Hmmm. Never noticed it in the 9x days,
but I'm not sure that I was paying that much attention at that
point.
I was sorta' hoping someone in the Windows XP 'know' might have a
'canned' solution or workaround to this. I can't believe that I'm
the only one looking for a solution - LOL - but it's starting to
appear that way? I couldn't link up to anything via the MSKB and
I'm about Googled-out on parsing search inquiries. My luck: it'll
be something so simple that if it were be a snake it would have
smacked me in the face with an apple by now. (^;
Many thanks for any suggestions or leads!
Kris
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