System Restore Not Restoring (XP SP2)

[TMorse]

I am having the System Restore problem that others have reported: although checkpoints appear to exist, System Restore concludes the process with, "Your computer cannot be restored to [checkpoint date]. No changes have been made to your computer." Unlike some others, running SR in safe mode didn't overcome the problem. A Dell support tech said that I could run SR in DOS by rebooting in safe mode to a command prompt and typing "scanreg /restore" at the C: /Windows prompt. When I do this, I get the message, "scanreg is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file."

Can anyone help me get SysRestore working? I tried searching for scanreg, including hidden and system files, and it doesn't appear to be on my computer, which may explain why the DOS approach doesn't work. Shouldn't scanreg be a standard part of Windows XP?

Thanks,
Terry

[Rebel]

This KB search may help. There are several troubleshooting articles here.

[WyllyWylly]

Someone at Dell's call center should be smacked. And then smacked again. SCANREG /restore was only a valid command in Windows 98. Can you elucidate on why you need to restore the computer to an earlier point? It may be a problem that can be solved without the need to do that, although getting System Restore to work still needs to be figured out.

Hopefully something in Rebel's link will help you solve this one, but post back either way so that we know what's goin' on!

[TMorse]

Thank you for responding, John.

The article "How to start the System Restore tool at a command prompt ..." seemed promising. I was able to run System Restore, but it was still unable to take me back to an earlier checkpoint. Another thing happening is that my Norton Firewall log viewer has stopped working. When I was checking the log a couple days ago, it reported blocking repeated worm attacks (something that started with the letter E, but I can't retrieve it now) that was reported to affect security settings. It's possible I caught it. I have both Norton Firewall and Norton Antivirus running all the time, and did a full system scan with NAV that turned up no viruses. However, if the worm does indeed affect security settings, perhaps that isn't a reliable indicator. An online scan at Symantec turned up no "known threats."

I'm probably going to have to try to restore from a backup. Fortunately, I did one the day before the problem began.

Terry

[TMorse]

Mark:

I would like to slap the people at Dell, but mostly management. The tech made no bones about being a hardware, not a software, specialist. Even though it I contacted Microsoft for Win XP support they would tell me that, since I have an OEM copy, Dell is my Windows support, Dell apparently charges for software support, even though my system is still under warranty. The abysmal state of customer service in the computer industry appalls me.

The problems I know of, which began two days ago, include inability to pop3 connect to my ISP; sluggish Windows shutdown; and Norton Firewall's log viewer freezes on opening, but doesn't lock up the computer. However, Windows's application manager appears unable to shut it down. I don't know what the underlying problem might be. Seems like the sort of thing that restoring an earlier version of the registry would fix. I used to do this quite reliably with CyberMedia First Aid, but McAfee stripped out the backtrack applet when they purchased CyberMedia. I had high hopes that System Restore would prove as reliable. I should have known better.

Terry

[TMorse]

The good news is that I was able to fix my substantive problems by restoring the registry from the backup I did over the weekend. The bad news is that I still don't know why System Restore didn't work, nor whether it will work next time I need it. I will probably try the fix someone suggested on a Dell discussion group of turning System Restore off, then turning it back on again. This is supposed to delete all checkpoints, but will, I hope fix the problem with SR.

Terry

[WyllyWylly]

If you don't mind my asking, did you receive the computer with Windows XP already installed, or did you perform the installation clean, yourself? The reason I ask is because many manufacturers (and Dell is as guilty as anyone else) load down their machines with a lot of "extra features" that you probably don't need. That may be a contributing factor here, but my money is on Norton's firewall or a component of the suite. It fits the facts you presented earlier: <UL><LI>inability to pop3 connect to my ISP<LI>sluggish Windows shutdown<LI>Norton Firewall's log viewer freezes on opening[/list]all of the above could well be due to a faulty firewall.

[TMorse]

Hi Mark.

Win XP came pre-installed from Dell. Yes, they also installed lots of stuff that I likely won't need, and I've uninstalled some of it, only keeping demonstration programs that I might be interested in in the future. Although Dell claims to recommend Symantec security programs, the computer came with McAfee Firewall and Virus Scan installed. As soon as the limited-term licenses expired, I installed the Norton versions of these programs. I know that Symantec products are frequently incompatible with some competitors' programs, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Everything was chugging along just fine until something got corrupted on Sunday or Monday. With the registry restored the computer is back to normal, I have to chalk it up as an unexplained fluke.

Terry