Restore Points - Windows 10

**101RRS** · 14th May 2021, 02:57 PM

In earlier versions of Windows you could create Restore Points so if there was a minor issue you could restore the computer to the earlier point without having to load a backup.

In Windows 10 I do not see that ability. Is there such a thing as Restore Points in Win 10?

I was having a problem on another site and I was told to clear cookies which I did expecting it just to just clear cookies on the site I was using but it wiped out all cookies across me computer including some important financial data I use as well as other information on various sites - including some games I use. I can get all this back but will take time and it would be easier just to go back to a earlier Restore Point.

Thanks

Garry

**AK83** · 14th May 2021, 03:11 PM

pretty stupidly hidden system in Win10.

Best way: is to use the search feature and type in restore.
It'll show you a list, and what you want is the "create restore point" option in the list .. ie. not recovery or something.

It'll then take you directly to the System Properties and directly to the System Protection tab where you can create a restore point, but also find the restore point option.

By default it will show you their idea of the best restore point option, but it also has the option to find one of your own choosing[Choose a different restore point] either by date, or any manual restore point you may have created yourself.

The above assumes you haven't removed the search feature in the toolbar. If so, otherwise you go to Settings->System->About-> scroll to the bottom and see System Protection option there(will lead you to the above option dialogue box).

.. told you it's a stupid system in Win10!

**p38arover** · 14th May 2021, 03:13 PM

One should be able to:

Create a system restore point

I just tried it on Win 10 and the create is greyed out.

**AK83** · 14th May 2021, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by p38arover

...

I just tried it on Win 10 and the create is greyed out.

Home or Pro.

I just checked and in my Pro version it's working fine. Click and it opens a box to type in a name for the restore point.

But Garry doesn't need that(unless he also wants to create a manual restore point too.

But all he asked for is the ability to restore to a previous date to get his cookies and saved history/data back.

**p38arover** · 14th May 2021, 03:45 PM

Mine is Win 10 Pro.

EDIT: It has finally recognised that I have some drives (6 actually, not including 3 NAS boxes) and can create a restore point.

**101RRS** · 14th May 2021, 06:14 PM

All good until I get into the System Protection tab - I can configure a create a restore point but the option to revert to a previous restore point is greyed out - I guess I needed to have already created a restore point system but I haven't as I didn't know I could

.

So it would seem I don't have any restore points to go too.

Need to look at alternatives.

Thanks for the help

Garry

**incisor** · 14th May 2021, 07:03 PM

system restore....

love it..... destroys more than it helps...

**AK83** · 15th May 2021, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by 101RRS

All good until I get into the System Protection tab - I can configure a create a restore point but the option to revert to a previous restore point is greyed out - I guess I needed to have already created a restore point system but I haven't as I didn't know I could

.

So it would seem I don't have any restore points to go too.

....

Garry

Back in the system properties/system protection window, click on the [configure] button and check if restore is turned off. By default it should be turned on.
I have mine turned off, but when Windows does a major update, it creates a restore point automatically.

So on my system, the only two restore points I have to revert too are a couple of days ago when Windows got updated to 20H2 version(on the 12th May).

Another possibility for not having any restore points to revert too is had drive space.
Without knowing all of the specifics of your PC, this could be a possibility.

Restore needs a specific amount of space, and this will also be adjustable in the configure area via a slider(and numerical value as you adjust it).

So if restore is on and you have no saved restore points, maybe your drive is getting full and it's deleting old points quickly.
From looking at my restore configs, the two previous points I can choose(12th and 13th May) take up about 8Gigs of space .. so not really all that much.

EDIT: I just had a bit of a play around with it. I had two restore points(for my C drive) I clicked the disable restore setting in configure, and it made changes.
Going back to system protection, now with restore turned off, the system restore button was greyed out as with yours ... so it seems that it's turned off for some reason.

Went back and turned it on again, restore button reactivated but having turned it off there is nothing now to restore too, and a window pops up to tell me so.

I changed my system to not restore .. from the beginning on this current Win10 install .. maybe 7 years ago now.
Why it was enabled again I dunno .. maybe a major update or something ????

In all the years I've had Windows, I've never used restore so always turn it off to save space and resources.

Finally if you are desperate to get back your browser cookies and saved stuff, there could be a way to do so in the browser you are using.

**101RRS** · 10th June 2021, 06:17 PM

Some issues - the create a Restore Point menu always remained grayed out so I did not persist with it.

However the last Ver 90 update of Firefox is a stinker and according to the net cannot be rolled back - just have to install an earlier version and loose bookmarks etc. Before tinkering I once again to see if I could create a restore point but same issue - there is not an option in my Home version of Win 10.

Anyway with tinkering I stuffed things up so uninstalled firefox with the intention of using a backup that I did on Monday. I use the standard windows backup and just back up the entire drives.

I was expecting that by doing a restore of the entire computer all the firefox stuff would go back. The reinstall from the backup went well overall but it did not put any of the Firefox files back.

So when you do a restore of an entire drive, why would the Firefox files not also be restored - seems to defeat the purpose of doing backups - I must admit that I have never had a full backup work as it is supposed to. Recovered a couple of files but a backup restoration has never worked.

I have now installed an earlier version of Firefox and imported some old bookmarks from Google Chrome but they were about 2 years old.

Thanks

Garry

**AK83** · 10th June 2021, 08:12 PM

Oh.

If using firefox and want 'backups' of it, I can highly recommend two software to do this for you(automatically).

MozBackup(old, no longer updated) and Hekasoft Backup.
MozBackup still works fine, but only does Firefox and Thunderbird backups. Still works perfectly if simple and small is a high priority.
It's interface is easy to understand.

Heckasoft does both FF and TB(all I need it for) but also does other software(it says what it does), more modern interface and still supported.

Both are free.

All they do is to back up automatically what you could do yourself manually anyhow.

In your Windows profile is a directory called appdata. By default hidden, so you need to unhide system files to see it.
In there are two other directories of interest(for FF) for you.
Local and Roaming.

In those two respective directories are two Mozilla directories too(among many other folders for your other software).

ie. you're looking for Local/Mozilla and Roaming/Mozilla folders in this appdata folder.
Copy them somewhere and then that current version of FF on your system at the time that you backed up those two Mozilla folders is the same thing as you currently have.

The slight trick is when going to reuse them on the next 'system' you want to get up and running. This 'system' can be a totally new box, or an update/refresh of Windows.
If you want to reinstate the backed up version in the two Mozilla folders, when you install Firefox again on the new system, it's vital that after install you DON'T open FF until you reintaste the two Mozilla directories into the same named area in appdata again before you open FF.

They use some arcane naming system for the 'profile' that gets created for you. So if you reinstall FF and open it immediately you create a new profile, so reinstating the backed folders doesn't give you your firefox back.
If you reinstate the backed up folders first, FF knows there is a profile already there, and knows not to create one for you.

if you follow these steps, no matter the system you make at some future date and use this backed up data, FF will open in the same old, maybe glacial, manner you were used too on the old 'system'.

For many years I used to do the slow tedious appdata method and found zero issues in using Mozbackup for many years since, and now for the past year or so, heckasoft .. they're just easier.
But the same 'do not open' program(ie for me FF and Thunderbird) apply with the software/auto method after reinstalling FF and TB. Install them, don't open, reinstate the backups using the backup software and only after that do you open them.

Hope that made some sense.

Also, you said your FF version is v90?
if so, you realise you are on a beta build, sometimes can be called a 'nightly'.

if it's going badly, use the stable release, which up until July is v89.
V90 stable is due for release in July.
Be weary of beta build(of any software) if you rely on them.

Nothing wrong with beta builds, I was using a beta version of FreeCAD for a while while trying to learn some CAD ... nothing wrong with it. But this is just mucking about.

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