No System Restore Points in Windows 7? How to Recover Them
We all know that system restore is a lifesaver when our computer crashes, or we accidentally delete something important. System Restore is a Windows built-in feature that creates system restore points automatically and periodically. With a restore point, you can return to a previous version of the system files, registry, and programs on your computer.
However, sometimes you may find no system restore points in Windows 7 when you desperately need to perform a system restore. Why are my system restore points missing in Windows 7, and how can I get them back?
Possible Reasons Why The System Restore Points Are Missing
There can be several reasons why your system restore points are missing in Windows 7. It could be that your system is not protected, or that the restore points have been corrupted or turned off. Other reasons include virus or malware infection, incorrect registry settings, not enough free disk space for System Restore, Group Policy, and more.
Whatever the reason, there are a few solutions you can do to try and fix the problem. Here we'll introduce four ways for you to try.
- Tip
- If you don't want to try these solutions one by one, jump to the System Restore Better alternatives - Qiling Backup, which will restore your system without restore points and prevent any data loss even if the computer crashes or is attacked by malware or virus.
4 Fixes to Recover System Restore Points in Windows 7
Fix 1. Run SFC(System Files Checker) to Position Problematic
Fix 3. Disable, Delete and Recreate the Page File
Fix 4. Enable Check Volume Shadow Copy
Fix 1. Run SFC(System Files Checker) to Position Problematic
If there are no system restore points in Windows 7, the issue might be caused by corrupted or damaged system files. To repair them, you can run SFC (System File Checker).
Here's how:
Step 1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator. Type cmd in search and select Run as administrator.
Step 2. In the Command Prompt, type sfc /scannow and hit Enter.
Step 3. Wait for the process to complete and restart your computer to check if the issue has been resolved.
Fix 2. Enable System Restore
Maybe the Windows 7 system restore points are missing because the System Restore is turned off by mistake. If the System Restore is disabled, all the system restore points can't be seen. Follow the steps to check whether it is turned off:
Step 1. Click Start in Windows, then open Control Panel.
Step 2. Choose System > System Protection, and go to the System Protection windows.
Step 3. Find and select the drive that you want to restore if the System Restore works well, and then click Configure.
Step 4. Check the Restore system settings and previous versions of files option.
Fix 3. Disable, Delete and Recreate the Page File
The system restore points will be deleted automatically at each startup if the page file is fragmented. To fix this issue, you should disable, delete, and then recreate a page file.
Step 1. Type advanced system settings in the search box to access System Properties.
Step 2. Click Settings under Performance. Under the Advanced tab, click Change in the Virtual memory section.
Step 3. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, choose the drive you want to set and select No paging file, and finally click Set to disable page file.
Step 4. Restart your computer, open the Computer, and delete pagefile.sys from your main drive.
Step 5. Follow the steps to disable the Page File, and click Set to enable Page File. Reboot the computer and check if the system restore or Volume Shadow Copy is running correctly.
Fix 4. Enable Check Volume Shadow Copy
If Volume Check Shadow Copy is disabled, your Windows restore points may disappear. Follow the steps to enable Check Volume Shadow Copy:
Step 1. Click Start in Windows, and enter services.msc in the search box, click Enter to open the Service utility.
Step 2. Scroll and find Volume Shadow Copy in the list, and make sure it is running properly.
Step 3. If the Volume Shadow Copy is off, right-click it and Start.
System Restore Better Alternatives - Qiling Backup
System Restore helps a lot if you want to restore your computer to a previous state. But as you noticed, you may encounter some problems while using it, such as no system restore points in Windows 7.
For some users, enabling or disabling the page file, recreating the page file, and running SFC may not work at all. And even if it does work, you may not be able to create a restore point when you need it most because there's not enough free space on your system drive.
In this case, you need a reliable and safe alternative to System Restore - Qiling Backup. This backup software can create an image of your entire system and save it to an external hard drive or network location. With the backup image, you can restore your computer to the last healthy state in no time even if Windows cannot boot.
Qiling Backup Home is a complete and reliable backup & disaster recovery solution which can back up your operating system, applications, settings, and all your data no matter how large they are. And it supports full/incremental/differential types of backup to save space as you want.
Moreover, it enables you to schedule an automatic backup to keep your computer safe. With the disk/partition clone feature, you can upgrade the system disk by cloning it to a larger one with no data loss.
Follow the steps below to create a system image and restore your computer when System Restore is not working:
Step 1. Launch Qiling Backup and choose "System Backup" on the home page to start back up.
Step 3. The system partition will be automatically selected, you only need to select the location.
Step 4. Local Drive, Cloud, and NAS are available for you to save the backup file. You can also connect an external hard drive to preserve the system backup files.
Step 5. You can customize the settings in "Options" at the left bottom. After that, click "Proceed", and the process will begin.
*After finishing the backup process, you can check the backup status, recover, open, or delete the backup by clicking the backup task on the left.
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Sum Up
If you find no system restore points in Windows 7, don't be too panic. You can try some fixes, like enabling the Volume Shadow Copy service or recreating the page file.
In addition, you'd better create a backup image of your entire system with Qiling Backup to avoid any unexpected data loss issues. With the backup image, you can restore your computer to the last healthy state in no time, even if Windows cannot boot.
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No System Restore Points in Windows 7 FAQ
1. How do you restore Windows 7 if there is no restore point?
If there are no restore points, you can open System Restore in Safe Mode and choose a restore point to restore Windows 7. To do it, follow the steps:
- Restart your computer and keep pressing the F8 key before Windows 7 loads.
- Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt on the coming screen.
- Type rstrui.exe in the Command Prompt and press Enter key to open the System Restore window.
- Choose a restore point to restore your system.
2. How do I turn on restore points in Windows 7
To turn on the restore points in Windows 7, you can right-click Computer on the desktop and choose Properties. Then click System Protection in the left pane. In the System Properties window, click Configure button. Check the Turn on system protection and select a maximum disk space usage in the popup window. Finally, click OK to confirm and exit.
3. Does Windows 7 automatically create restore points?
By default, Windows 7 creates a restore point automatically when you install new programs or updates. But you can also create a restore point manually whenever you want.
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