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Deleting "Unreacheable" System Restore Points

(29 posts)
  • Started 4 months ago by ReadandShare
  • Latest reply from ReadandShare
  • Topic Viewed 558 times

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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

After deleting all deletable Win 7 system restore points, opening Win 7 System Restore shows just the latest restore point, which of course cannot be deleted:

But when I tickmark "show more restore points" -- I see a bunch of really old "system image restore points":

Clicking any of these old restore points, I simply get an error message saying they could not be found, and to select another restore point instead. Can someone tell me (1) how these restore points come about -- that they show up only upon ticking the "show more restore points" box and (2) how to get rid of them? Thanks.

Posted 4 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

http://windows.microsoft.com/e.....tore-point Follow the directions here.

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

Hi warlock:

I used the term "unreachable" to describe those old points that can neither be accessed nor deleted by System Restore. In other words, the "normal" delete procedure (as you linked above) does not work.

My first illustration showed only one restore point left -- that is after deleting all other restore points via Windows Restore. Your link above was successful in deleting even that one. But... tickmarking "see more restore points" -- all the old, "unreachable" ones are still listed!

And being the anal sort, I very much want to clean those out... somehow.

Posted 4 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

You have tried this then.

To delete all but the most recent restore point
1.Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, click Disk Cleanup.

2.If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.

3.In the Disk Cleanup for (drive letter) dialog box, click Clean up system files. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

4.If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.

5.Click the More Options tab, under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click Clean up.

6.In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, click Delete.

7.Click Delete Files, and then click OK.

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

Yep, I have. Disk cleanup can't reach or delete those old restore points either.

Curious, Warlock, can you open up your System Restore and see what your restore points are... and then tickmark "see more restore points" -- and tell me if that lengthens the list? And if then you click any of the additional ones -- whether you too get the error message that they could not be found? Because these additionally-listed points seem pointless to me if they cannot be used by System Restore...

Posted 4 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto.....windows-7/ Maybe something here will do it. If not, your previous attempts may have put a glitch in it.

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

No, I dialed the slider button all the way to the left, and clicked delete -- and all the old points are still there -- laughing at me! My hunch is that the images are really no longer there anymore... but just that the listing can't be cleared for some reason. Sigh...

Posted 4 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

Sorry I am out of ideas here.

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

Thanks anyway, and I certainly appreciate your trying. But can you read the 5th post down, give it a try, and tell me what you find?

Posted 4 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

I did try, I have numerous points dating back fro 11/19/2012. How did you delete the restore points to begin with?

Posted 4 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

http://www.howtogeek.com/12918.....ked-files/ This is a possibility of what you are seeing. Not sure though.

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

"I did try, I have numerous points dating back fro 11/19/2012. How did you delete the restore points to begin with?"

But were they all on the list -- or were there more added after you tick "show more points"? Wondering about the latter...

I have deleted restore points via Windows Restore panel and also Disk Cleanup. NOTHING can get rid of those old mysterious points dating back to 2011.

Posted 4 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

Did you read the shadow copy link I gave you above? I think that maybe what you are seeing.

Also, read through this. Not recommending it just FYI.

Posted 4 months ago #
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whs
whs
Posts: 17584

Run this command and it will tell you what restore points you really have:

VSSADMIN LIST SHADOWSTORAGE

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

I am not having any luck following that piece...

o I downloaded MountLatestShowdowCoyp.bat file, placed it in the c:\windows directory, and ran it
o I ran command prompt as administrator
o I typed MountLatestShadowCopy /? at the c:\windows prompt
o I got "not recognized as an internal or external command.
o same result typing MountLatestShadowCopy C:\LatestShadow\ C:

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

@whs:

That command got me somewhere...

Shadow Copy Storage association
For volume: (C:)\\?\Volume{66477fab-91b6-11e0-b62d-806e6f6e6963}\
Shadow Copy Storage volume: (C:)\\?\Volume{66477fab-91b6-11e0-b62d-806e6f6e6963}\
Used Shadow Copy Storage space: 0 B (0%)
Allocated Shadow Copy Storage space: 0 B (0%)
Maximum Shadow Copy Storage space: 30 GB (10%)

As expected, there is no shadow copy because (as above) -- I have deleted even the most recent one, using warlock's strategy. And Windows Recovery confirms as much.

BUT, again, once I tickmark "show more recovery points" -- those old ones still show up! As I suspect, there really are no images -- but somehow, they show up on the listing (second illustration in my original post), and I can't get rid of them...

Posted 4 months ago #
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whs
whs
Posts: 17584

Sorry I gave you the command for the total shadowstorage - my bad. For the individual restore points the command is:

VSSADMIN LIST SHADOWS

With this clarified, I would not worry about those old points showing up. There are probably some lost junctions floating around. Eventually they will disappear with some disk cleanup.

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

whs:

I got "no items found".

I have done all sorts of disk cleanup using Microsoft, CCleaner, and Wise Cleaner -- all to no avail. Those old, unreachable points taunt me every day.

Posted 4 months ago #
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Scott
Scott
Posts: 5618

I'd try a variation of this:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto.....ows-vista/

Make restore storage zero, reboot, and then turn it off completely.

Posted 4 months ago #
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ReadandShare
Posts: 127

Hi Scott:

Storage cannot be made to zero -- 1% is the lowest it will go. However, I did turn off the entire system restore feature -- rebooted -- set up system restore again -- and lo and behold -- the listing is exactly the same as it was -- except those old restore points are laughing even harder now. Sigh...

Posted 4 months ago #
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