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How to Control the Amount of Disk Space Used by System Protection (System Restore) in Windows Vista/7
The shadow copies for Windows Vista/7 that were discussed in the previous tip can consume quite a bit of disk space. However, it is easy to change the space settings for these System Restore backups. These settings are found under System Protection. There are various ways to access them but here is one that is convenient:
- Open the Start menu and right-click Computer.
- Select “Properties”.
- On the left side of the window that opens, click “System Protection”.
- The dialog shown in figure 1 below will open.
- Highlight the disk or volume you want to configure.
- Click the button “Configure”.
- The dialog shown in figure 2 will open. In this case, disk C: has been selected.
- Use the slider (shown highlighted) to adjust the space allocated on the selected volume.
- Click “OK” and “OK” again.
For a more fine-grained way of changing the settings, the command-line with the command “vssadmin” can be used. Its use is discussed at this link. The methods given there show how to allocate a numerically specified amount of space or to delete shadow copies.
Be aware that Vista Home Premium does not provide for access to shadow copies nor does Windows XP.
Figure 1. Settings for Windows System Protection
Figure 2. Allocating space for Shadow Copies
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This tips section is maintained by Vic Laurie. Vic runs several websites with Windows how-to's and tutorials, including a computer education website and a site for learning about the command line.
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Comments
Disable System Restore and use ERDNRT's AUTOBACKUP feature.
Simpler and easier.
You can delete old backup points easily freeing space as long as you're sure everthing is good to go.
excellent suggestion!
I use ERDNT on all my PCs.
you can also use Ccleaner to delete old system restore data.
If restore points go to a certain folder, why can't one go there and just delete the useless ones?
System restore files are hidden protected files. The contents cannot be accessed or edited directly.
Who with a modern computer has "disk space" problems? With 1-2 TB disks the problem isn't finding space but recovering from a disaster.
System Restore has saved my butt several times and I am happy to give it 12.5% of my disk space and even 1/2 of one of my 4 cores.
I do turn it off on the disk that I use for backups, because it isn't very useful there.
/Dave Snow
Many laptops do not have huge drives. Also, many people use a relatively small volume or a small SSD drive for the system files.
Now that I've paid my dues with a tip, I've got a question. I've two HDs in my machine. I use C: strictly for the OS and E: (a 500GB drive) for all my files and data.
My question is, where does Windows XP keep the information for System Restore for E:? Does it keep it on C: or E:?
And also, do I really need a System Restore setting for E:? After all, I back it up on a regular basis. I've just reduced the amount of space for System Restore on E: to 2%. Have I done a bad thing?
Thanks.
gruff
System restore files are hidden files kept on the same volume being monitored. They cannot be accessed directly. How much space to allocate is a personal decision that depends on your particular usage patterns.
The same basic feature is available in Windows XP. Right click on My Computer, then click on Properties, then click on System Restore, then click on Settings for each drive you have.
I've got to section 5., but there's no "configure" button, so I'm stuck!
(Toshiba Satellite laptop with fully updated Vista).
You may have missed this comment by the author:
"Be aware that Vista Home Premium does not provide for access to shadow copies nor does Windows XP."
Vista Home Basic can be included as well.
Does System Restore slow down a computer?
It can if you have a slow computer already.
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