Windows 10: How to permanently disable system protection?

I used to run with System Restore off until I read that Automatic Maintenance doesn't work properly if SysRestore is off. Anyone else know about this?

bob Frost

 

This cannot be true as by default system protection is switched off in Windows 10.

OP: System protection is still a good idea even if you have full image backups, as it oftens sorts niggling issues.

 

Read this then:-
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TheRea...ntYourSSD.aspx

Bob Frost

 

Interesting article.

What is unclear is if you have an hdd, not ssd, does turning off system restore stop defragging of an hdd (am I being too simplistic?)?

If so, why does MS make the default for system restore to be off?

This does not make sense if it is prevents defragging.

 

It seems that system restore is disabled by default on small disks but not larger ones. That seemed the consensus in this thread anyway Solved Why is system restore disabled by default? - Page 2 - Windows 10 Forums

 

Reading that thread that is just speculation with no evidence. I have three devices I use

1) tablet with 32 GB mmc drive upgraded from 8.1+Bing

2) laptop with 256 GB ssd for os and 1 TB hdd for data, upgrade from 8.1

3) laptop with 1TB HDD, upgraded from windows

All systems from completely different vendors

In all cases, system restore was switched on before upgrade. On all cases, it was off after upgrade.

Turned restore on - all upgraded to TH2 - setting back to off.

Backed up laptop with 1TB drive only - wiped drive and clean installed 10 TH2 (to use this as my insider pc).
Setting again off.

So I do not believe it has anything to do with drive capacity.

Also using MS or local account has, no bearing either as made no difference.

Personally, I have not seen any case after a major update or clean install on any sized drive, or account type that sets restore to on.

Something else is going on, or it could just be a bug of course, but no obvious answer.

 

That didn't work. Checked today and system protection was turned back on. And since I had followed the procedure recommended, I cant turn it back off until I reverse the procedure because the selection is grayed out in the menu. At this point I have not found a way to permanently disable it. Even though I had turned it off, and followed the procedure to disable it, and the menu was grayed out, something still turned it back on. I am guessing that it was ether the installation of new software or a driver install since I did both yesterday. Seriously , there must be some way to turn it off so it doesn't come back on again...

 

I don't see how. You could write a powershell script that does this that would turn it off and on all day long...

Disable-ComputerRestore -drive "C:"
Enable-ComputerRestore -drive "C:"
Disable-ComputerRestore -drive "C:"
Enable-ComputerRestore -drive "C:"
etc etc

What do you want to do? Stop the ability for this to work? What if I write a program (or installer) that includes enabling it for some reason? Even if that reason is wrong?

You could block access to the registry key (but this may make the installer or program fail) or you could submit a job to run every log-on (or every 5 minutes) to disable it no matter what.

Actually I have a manual powershell script I run after every upgrade and one of the lines is
Disable-ComputerRestore -drive "C:"

I don't think even theoretically you can get around it in an elegant manner.

 

What I want to do is turn off system restore and not have it turned on again without me doing it. Sorry but I thought that I was clear. I turn it off using the menu and confirm that it is off. I don't expect it to be turned back on unless I go back into the menu and turn it back on. Apparently it is getting turned back on by either driver or program installations. I haven't determined how or why it is getting turned back on.

 

In a safe way you can't because you can't know how other programs would react to a failure.

Schedule a task to disable it every log on or day or whatever.

 

Sorry, I don't really understand that logic. Take a look at my OP, I have daily backups. I don't need or want system restore/protection on. Why have a menu that "supposedly" turns it off (actually it says "disable system protection") if it won't stay off until I turn it back on?

 

I really think you haven't understood. Unless you disable ANYTHING from turning system protection on or off then you haven't solved your problem.

The only way you could get what you want is if Macrium (but not any other software) was allowed to override Microsoft security. Obviously that will never happen.

You need to decide who you'd like to complain to then - IMO Microsoft shouldn't do anything about it and Macrium can't. I doubt you'll have much luck arguing your case with either company but you never know.

If it stays as it is anything you install (or any program you run as admin) may change it and you have to live with that.

It is trivial to change it anyway (and as MS keeps changing the default it is something many people do)

 

Macrium has nothing to do with system restore. It doesn't need or use it. Macrium Reflect is backup/image software. Because I use Macrium Reflect to take daily system images/backups I do not want or need Windows system restore on. I'm just trying to find a way to turn it off so it doesn't come back on unless I turn it back on. I'm not complaining. It just doesn't make sense to me to have a menu that "supposedly" allows you to "disable" system restore....but it's not really "disabled" apparently. It is apparently only disabled until some program decides to turn it back on...without the user aware of it. Maybe that is the way it is supposed to work, but it certainly seems strange to me. Might as well not have a disable menu selection at all.

 

Macrium does indeed uses VSS (see Macrium Support Forum - VSS)

VSS is the Volume Shadow copy Service which allows you to take a snapshot which can be backed up while further changes are made.

If it didn't you could only use macrium when booted outside of windows (I do that actually - I like and use Macrium but have never installed it).

I suppose in this case Macrium should check if system restore is turned off and if it is turn it off again when it has finished (which the link above says it should do).

Well, yes. The point is you are turning it off unless another program changes it. Or a Microsoft upgrade changes it (normally seems to turn it off).

I think you are right - it isn't exactly set in stone.

 

While Macrium does use VSS I don't think system restore has to be enabled for VSS. As an example, I have Macrium set to run daily. When I use the menu to disable system restore sometimes is stays off for many days. So I don't think the status of system restore ( on or off) has anything to do with VSS.