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.