MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-270): Installing ...

18-26 Chapter 18 Using Windows XP Tools
System Restore does not monitor the following files and folders:
■ The virtual memory paging file
■ Personal user data, such as files in My Documents, Favorites, Recycle Bin, Temporary
Internet Files, History, and Temp folders
■ Image and graphics files, such as those with .bmp, .jpg, and .eps extensions
■ Application data files with extensions not listed in systemroot\System32\Restore\
Filelist.xml, such as .doc, .xls, .mdb, and .pst
Restore point information is saved to a hidden folder on the volume in which a monitored
file is located. The archive collects multiple restore points, each representing
individual system states. The files, Registry snapshots, and logs associated with older
restore points are purged on a first in, first out (FIFO) basis, optimizing System Restore
disk space and making room for new restore points.
Real World Changing System Restore Options in the
Windows Registry
In most situations, the default System Restore operation is satisfactory. However,
there might be situations in which you need to change how System Restore functions.
There are four settings that you can change in the Windows Registry that
affect the intervals System Restore uses when creating automatic restore points
and the disk space it uses.
Each of these settings is located in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFT-
WARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore subkey. These settings
include the following:
■ RPSessionInterval This setting specifies the intervals, in seconds,
between scheduled restore-point creations during an active user session. The
default value is 0 seconds (disabled).
■ RPGlobalInterval This setting specifies the time interval, in seconds, at
which scheduled restore points are created (regardless of whether or not
there is an active user session). The default value is 86,400 seconds (24
hours).
■ RPLifeInterval This setting specifies the time interval, in seconds, for
which restore points are kept. System Restore deletes restore points older
than the specified value. The default value is 7,776,000 seconds (90 days).
■ DiskPercent This setting specifies the maximum amount of disk space on
each drive that System Restore can use. This value is specified as a percentage
of the total drive space. The default value is 12 percent.