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| Home >> Resources | Support >> Questions and Answers (QA) >> |
Questions and Answers (QA) on WindowsOur Phone Number: 713-773-9898 (9am-5pm Central, M-F) (11am-4pm Central, Saturdays)95% of the questions we receive through telephone calls and e-mails already have answers on our web site. Question: Can anyone tell me why my system restore refuses to function and simply says,"Unable to restore...because no changes have been made."? I seem to remember reading something about this on a tech support site somewhere, but can't find the reference again. I'm using Media Centre Edition 2005 with SP3, (the problem predates this update). A friend has a similar problem and has to run SR in safe mode in order to make it work. Any ideas? - Mark 1966 ( posted 06/03/08 12:29 ) Answer: System protective utilities may prevent restore functions from working. Here's an old article about Norton Antivirus 2001 preventing System Restore from working: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305671/en-us Even if you don't have Norton Antivirus, any system protective software may cause this. - By SteveS ( posted 06/03/08 12:40 ) Thanks Steve for your swift, and as ever, informative reply. I'm now using Kaspersky having used the NAV removal tool, (their best product). So if I temporarily disable KAV, (off-line naturally), all should be well? - Mark 1966 ( posted 06/03/08 13:03 ) Possibly. Most protection software locks the boot sector and prevents things from changing the drive image. - By SteveS ( posted 06/03/08 14:46 ) Does that mean that using safe mode by-passes the problem? I haven't actually tried using SR since changing AV and was asking as much for myself as for the friend who is stuck with NAV still. Kaspersky (in training mode) usually asks you to make a decision to allow, or deny, any change of any kind, sometimes to the point of distraction, although the only alternative setting is "minimal protection". It may be that if I try to run SR it will allow it, subject to the usual allow/deny decision, unlike NAV. - Mark 1966 ( posted 06/03/08 16:29 ) In Safe Mode, programs like antivirus and their drivers don't load. So there's nothing to stop System Restore from operating there. The problem comes in when the system reboots. Some of the changes which System Restore makes have to take place on the restart, and it's before you have a Windows interface running which can ask you about allow/deny an operation (NAV asks those kinds of questions nowadays too) but after drivers have loaded, so if there is boot sector protection and write protection included in the security software, it will still block System Restore. - SteveS ( posted 06/03/08 17:36 ) I see. So I presume the steps provided in the Microsoft kb link apply generally to any AV blocked SR. I sent the details to the friend with NAV 2007, but she's even less experienced than me, so finds them complicated, and she's always afraid of exacerbating problems. I've suggested she temporarily disable the auto-protect and heuristics as the easier option. I'll let you know if it works. - Mark 1966 ( posted 06/03/08 17:59 ) Here's another suggestion I received on another site: "What worked for me and some others: Shut down System Restore, then reboot twice, Then re-enable it and reboot again. Hopefully, it will now be working." from 'lenjack' - Mark 1966 ( posted 06/05/08 12:36 ) I tried the last piece of advice (posted above) first, on the basis that it was the simplest, and my SR is now working properly. - Mark 1966 ( posted posted 06/27/08 20:37 ) The reboots will provide clean copies of the Registry....enough that Windows won't automatically go back to get an old copy with a "bad" entry in it. Perhaps that's why it works to get System Restore going again. - SteveS ( posted 06/27/08 21:08 ) It occurred to me after posting, that this was the first time I've had occasion to try SR since switching to Kaspersky, which prompted me to permit SR to run, whereas my 2007 version of NAV did not. Either way, at least it works now. As the friend I mentioned is stuck with NAV provided by her ISP she may have to try the more complicated solution. - Mark 1966 ( posted 06/28/08 17:50 ) Thanks for posting the fix from Lenjack. I read that post before but, couldn't recall it. It's a way better option then re-installing the OS. - newdude ( posted 06/29/08 17:49 ) a screen comes up and say spyware as dectected and wont let me go into any otherday for last know configuration - newdude ( posted 08/31/08 15:36 ) Does the screen come up after Windows starts, or before. What is the model number of your computer? - newdude ( posted 08/31/08 16:14 ) after windows starts inspiron 6000 - sdaddy ( posted 08/31/08 16:54 ) Are you able to go online with the inspiron? - newdude ( posted 09/01/08 16:07 ) Sdaddy - What does the screen with the spyware warning look like? Does it appear to be part of your AntiVirus/AntiSpyware program, or is it something you've never seen before? There are a lot of variations on the zlob trojan around, (such as the WiniFixer/"Windows AntiVirus Pro" malware), causing pop ups and screen theme hijacking, with bogus messages about spyware infections on them. You can try Googling the exact message that you are getting, and see whether it relates to an infection of this kind. Many of these can block system restore etc, and the installation of antivirus programs, and can even prevent browsers from accessing the sites that offer the tools to remove them. You could try Malwarebyte's AntiMalware if you discover this is the problem. - Mark 1966 ( posted 10/19/08 08:00 ) Question: Got up this morning and my just-out-of-warrantee Acer Aspire 1500 (2gb ram, 20 gb hd, Vista Home Premium) had shut down. I turned it on to this: Stop c0000021a Fatal System Error (0x000000001 0x0010037c) It does a physical memory dump and then restarts. Rebooting and f8 gives me the same errors no matter which option I choose. I have an OEM version of Vista Home Premium that I bought because I lost the USB drivers on the Acer installed version early on and didn't want to send it in to Acer. I set the boot options to boot from CD rom and tried booting from/installing the OEM version. It unpacks the files and then I get a mouse pointer and then it shuts down (power off). I don't think its a heat issue as it always blue-screens at the same point and doesn't power down unless I'm trying to install the new Vista disk. I checked the RAM and both 2gb chips work fine (tried them individually in my laptop and then in my husband's...) Its looking like a bad HD or a really corrupt file. Is there a way to bypass Vista and go straight to a DOS prompt so I can run scandisk? Or a utility I can boot from using the CDrom to check the disk? I'll take any suggestions... Thanks! hey...get outta there! - TypicalGirl ( posted 10/24/08 13:17 ) Answer: There are many 3rd party utilities you can purchase to do this. You can create a boot disk by going here: http://www.bootdisk.com/ - By CS_George ( posted 10/28/08 08:07) Thanks George. I lucked out - took the hard drive out of my laptop (was going to test it in my husband's laptop but the mounts are different and I didn't want to screw with switching them), reinstalled the HD and now the thing is up and running as if nothing ever happened. But when it came up, there was some message from Norton and I wonder if something got messed up during an update. Anyway, backing up all my files, then I'm going to make a boot disk, do a scan disk and maybe even just go ahead and reformat and put a clean install of my OEM Vista on this thing. And order a backup hard drive too... hey...get outta there! - TypicalGirl ( posted 10/24/08 13:34 ) Related Items: | Operating Systems | Windows XP Operating System Software | Antivirus & Security Software | Microsoft Vista Operating System Software | |
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