Windows Restore Points go missing

[Brian_A]

All my Win 11 System Restore checkpoints have suddenly vanished.   But I have not deleted them.  

If I create a "safety net" checkpoint I find that a few days later that has been erased too.   I do not want to encounter a need to apply a restore point but have none.

System Protection is turned on.   Current usage is shown as  2.33 GB and is configured to a maximum usage of 10% (or3.72 GB.    The Local Disc properties show a Free Space of 132 GB

I can't be certain if it is related but but I noticed the problem most recently following the successful installation of a new app (CCleaner).

So my question.   Are there any other relevant Windows settings/services I should check, and what value(s) should those.be set to, please?

[Prométhée]

hi

I don't know if you have a problem, because I've never faced this..
Normally you should have at least the last point created..
If the space is insufficient, the old ones can be deleted, that's ok..
but that shouldn't remove everything, it seems to me
Do a test by adding more placeholder..
but anyway, use another backup system in addition, because this is not infallible, if too much trouble it is not much use
Use ghost/system disk clone software to create backups to external media
if the system disk fails completely, you will be able to recover the computer, at the time of the backup made

https://www.geckoandfly.com/4997/disk-to-disk-clone-software-for-sata-and-laptop-hard-drive/

never tested but macrium often offered
Acronis tested some time ago, is also quite good

[itsmyname]

@Brian_A -- note that each "checkpoint" takes a copy of all the files/folders/shortcuts on your Windows desktop.  Are you in the habit of creating folders on the Windows Desktop, and storing a lot of content in those folders?  Can you move the folders into your "Documents" folder, and then creating shortcuts on your Desktop that point to the moved folder?  That should reduce the size of each checkpoint, allowing more checkpoints to be stored within the "quota" allocated to those checkpoints.

[BeemerBiker]

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@itsmyname wrote:

@Brian_A -- note that each "checkpoint" takes a copy of all the files/folders/shortcuts on your Windows desktop.  Are you in the habit of creating folders on the Windows Desktop, and storing a lot of content in those folders?  Can you move the folders into your "Documents" folder, and then creating shortcuts on your Desktop that point to the moved folder?  That should reduce the size of each checkpoint, allowing more checkpoints to be stored within the "quota" allocated to those checkpoints.

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Thanks, I learned something today.  

After reading this I went to my windows 11 admin prompt and found the size of my "points"

27.0 GB of shadow backup!  I then deleted a lot of stuff I had on the desktop!

[itsmyname]

@BeemerBiker -- I was glad to help. 

The presence of a backup of the "desktop" files/folders is something to remember, if you accidentally delete something, and need to recover it.

Also, the more content on the "desktop" means a longer elapsed time to perform each "checkpoint".

Not much longer, if your "C:" drive letter is a SSD volume, of course.  🙂

Note that Windows Update creates a checkpoint, as its first step.  That checkpoint may cause the "oldest" checkpoint to be removed, to keep the total size of the checkpoints below the "quota" value. So, some user-created checkpoints may "vanish".

[Prométhée]

hi @Brian_A 

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06386403

is it still this computer according to the available space it still looks like this

if so, you can save even more space, if you haven't configured like this yet

Re: So my PC came with a 1TB hard drive, how do I find where... - HP Support Community - 7834985

the size of the restorations will be reduced even more if you do not have all these documents here

the size of the restorations will be reduced even more if you do not have all these documents here
Personally I check regularly because the points can be too old
I therefore keep an old point and I create a new one regularly, deleting those which I do not need with ccleaner
My 256gb ssd and set to 2% , current usage 5.65gb

by following all the recommendations here, if it's not better, let us know, we have no news?

thanks