This is by no means a solution to your issue. Rather, it's a gripe of sort. I've never been able to get a system restore to save with Windows. When I do, it seems to not want to restore the system. This is why I switched to making image backups of the drive where I store my OS. I have a separate drive for programs, so restoring the drive with the OS is all I need to do.
I use system restore all the time and it works like a champ for me. Like everything else it depends on what your purpose for using it is.
Agree that system restore is not a backup solution. I'm going to have to check more closely at why my system restore doesn't work like it should. I would much prefer performing a restore for subtle changes rather than having to restore from a backup copy every time something small happens to my system.
I know about the incremental backup. I avoid that because I want to take up the least amount of space possible. Not sure it that is the case, though. I didn't know about the Rapid Delta Restore. I'll have to look into it. Thanks for mentioning it.
I'm not sure anything would restore deleted data from Outlook if you emptied the trash since Outlook synchronizes. That might not be what the OP was looking for, but as you probably know, Outlook can be irretrievable.One thing I found is System Restore works if you keep things simple. I use System Restore to do a quick test of drivers or apps. If they work, I don't need to do a restore. If there are issues, I'll do some light basic troubleshooting, and then use System Restore if I can't resolve the issue immediately. Key world being "immediately".
Also... a major difference between System Restore and a "backup" is System Restore does not backup "user data and documents". If you deleted a personal file, a System Restore isn't going to get that file back. System Restore just backs up the registry and system files to be returned to their previous state before the restore point was created.
With that, if the OP was/is hoping to retrieve some lost data from their Outlook files. I'm afraid System Restore can't do that.
About System Restore - Win32 apps
System Restore monitors system changes and saves the system state as a restore point. If a system problem develops as a result of a system change, the user can return the system to a previous state using the data from a restore point.docs.microsoft.com
Yeah, that's true considering synchronization. That said, there usually is a delay between syncs so even if you deleted something, there is an "off-chance" you could retrieve it from the server before the sync happens and it's deleted there.
Well again, if this is a user created folder, System Restore wasn't going to retrieve it anyway since System Restore only deals with the Registry and System files. So, anything not of the registry or system files, System Restore is NOT what you want in hopes of retrieving personal data files. This is where the need for a "backup" program begins
Some real experiences:
Thanks. I'll have to consider the incremental backup. My full backup of my C: drive is something like 350GB, so I incremental backup of smaller size certainly would assist me.
Yeah, that's the difference between initial and changed. But the issue isn't about backups it's about System Restore
