Is Point In Time Restore Useful?

I use Reflect 8 on my laptops and Reflect X on my desktop PC to make regular scheduled backups. Reflect has always proven super reliable for restoring the OS and my files. I stopped using System Restore a few years ago since I found it unreliable. I see there is now a new Windows 11 option - Point in Time Restore. Is this new backup / restore method reliable and does it offer anything useful compared to Reflect backup / restore?

There is a close connection between System Restore and Point-In-Time Restore.
If I change Max Usage in either one, it changes the other.

I haven't bothered to look into it, as I am not too interested.
System image backups and restorations for me.

The image backup of Reflect X gives you option to individually restore files the point-in-time you don't have that option it's all or nothing feature i stick with Reflect X image.

I've only used Point in Time Restore one time just recently from the WinRE menu on my girlfriends machine and it worked flawlessly and saved me a lot of work so I would say yes it's useful as an added safety measure. Especially if you don't have a backup app like Macrium or Hasleo Backup (my preference) and spare SSD. I would add it seems to keep restore points much more consistently then the older much less reliable System Restore. Now is it a replacement for your backup app, certainly not but is it better then nothing, most definitely and I leave it enabled on my machines as kind of a backup to my backup apps. I'm a believer in Murphy's Law so ...

Point in Time Restore is useful within a given context.

It is only designed to wind back PC up to three days. So how is that useful?

First, vast majority of PC users do not even know what an image backup is (in fact most do not even do simple data backup). So for these zillions of userd, there is an AUTOMATIC backup/recovery tool to assist.

Second, if you make image backups daily, then sure PITR is rather pointless. However if backup is more than 3 days old, you can use PITR to bridge the gap between last backup and current pc status.

So yes - PITR is useful providing you understand its intent.

Perhaps a key point to consider is that it justs sits there quitely doing its job AND may help one day.

Finally, thus one can only say "It is of no use to me personally" but it is kind of arrogant to say "It is of no use to anybody".

One disadvantage is that it is very slow - 45 minutes in my case. It seems to use all the PIT restore points to build a full list of how blocks have changed.

kelper said:

One disadvantage is that it is very slow - 45 minutes in my case. It seems to use all the PIT restore points to build a full list of how blocks have changed.

Click to expand...

Fair enough but it all about perspective.

If it avoids you doing a clean install and all the associated hassle, then 45 mins does not sound too bad.

If you 'Rufus' an iso, that would take less than 45 minutes. But I can see that PITR might be useful if you are offering remote assistance to someone who knows little about Windows.

Take the "belt and braces" approach and use both.

There were a few posts over at the Wilders Security Forum about Point in Time Restore (PITR) automatically activating itself, or activated itself with the Windows Update when it was introduced earlier this year.

I do manually create Restore Points weekly, or before "trying" a new program. If I don't like the new program, booting into Safe Mode, and using system restore is easier than firing up my backup software.

What I found, after reading those Wilders posts and checking, was that PITR was active on both of my computers. I NEVER turned it on. PITR overwrote all of my manual Restore points. I got PITR disabled on both of my computers.

It is hard to like Microsoft when they do stuff like that: turn on resource-hungry features without NOTIFYING the computer owner.

The lesson: if you do have some space allocated for Restore Points from BEFORE PITR made its appearance, and you don't want PITR, you should check "System, Recovery" settings and select "Edit" to see if it is active. You have to dig to find out. That seems a rather nefarious way to foist an enhancement on unsuspecting users.

Posting this in case it might be of interest to ElevenForum members.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

PS: @z3r010 , I hope I have not "bent" any Forum Rules by including that link to another Forum. If so, please delete it, and you may castigate me!

I don't care lol

It worked for me and I don't think it's useless.

I am sure there are some scenarios (and for some users)where it is the proper (or only)recovery method. We all do things differently and have our systems set up differently so while "point in time" is better than nothing, I will continue with what has been tried and true for me....creature of habit that I am in choosing my own Windows destiny.
(I have had system restore disabled for years because it failed me too many times, and now, so is point in time)

I make nightly Macrium Reflect images and have for many years. I have no use for PITR.

However, I remain knowledgeable in its use as the majority of users are non-technical, often don't make backups of any kind, and default PITR may be all they have.

TraderGary said:

I make nightly Macrium Reflect images and have for many years. I have no use for PITR.

However, I remain knowledgeable in its use as the majority of users are non-technical, often don't make backups of any kind, and default PITR may be all they have.

Click to expand...

Yep well said.

I know from my own experiences most of the public do not even do simple data backup letalone more sophisticated image backups.

So if somebody calls me for help (significantly less frequent since MS introduced forced security updates), I know with PITR I have some chance of fixing issue more easily (I think the 3 day limit is too short - at least a week would be better).

There is sometimes a somewhat "arrogant" attitude that is common on technical forums i.e. I do not need a particular feature, therefore it is just useless.

As @TraderGarry eloquently says:

"However, I remain knowledgeable in its use as the majority of users are non-technical, often don't make backups of any kind, and default PITR may be all they have."