System Restore has stopped functioning !!
1) If I try to set my own restore point I receive a dialogue box saying 'not possible- reboot computer and start again' after reboot same message 2) If I try to roll back to an autogenerated resore point I receive splash screen saying not possible to restore choose another restore point.I do with an identical splash screen message following.Anyone come across this malfunction before and can suggest a fix ? or has anyone in our group any idea on a fix otherwise ? My system is functioning normally otherwise. Desperate as I need the comfort of System Restore.

Keith

Keith Wise, dumb question, but you never know. Do you have restore turned on? It's possible to disable it & there're some nasties about that turn it off.
HTH.
Ed in Texas.

Greetings from England Ed
Thanks for bothering to respond.
Your query is certainly not dumb but sensible.
Regretably not the answer though.I tried everything I could to my technical standard before I bothered the group,including disabling and rebooting before switching on again with the intention of flushing the cache.I think I have damaged my registry but am terrified of venturing into the registry without expert opinion.Have a think for me will you Ed ? As I say my system is performing OK but I need my System Restore

Keith

MS article Q274092; In SAFE mode do Start/Search for wininit.ini When found Rename .ini to .xxx, xyz, whatever. I think this is associated with an Un-Installer tool in AdAware and even had something to do with the Desktop Icon. Found that when I removed the AdAware Launch Icon from desktop, problem hasn't returned. From old notes: {Found this is created by AdAware unwise.exe is uninstaller that creates clone of self as GLB1A2B.exe so former can close while Windows is open. GLB1A2B.exe is what’s putting wininit.ini in Win/TEMP -}

Thanks Craig
I have read Q274092 as you direct.
Please be patent with what follows I know I am dithering
1) I am reluctant to mess with wininit as that file seems to be important to a lot of programmes.What do I risk by changing .ini to xxx ?
2)Could you expand on your comments with regards to Adware ? I do regularly use Lavasoft SE 1.05 to weed out files so it is quite possible I have deleted where I should not.I want to properly understand.
3) The reason for all this is my system is running OK bar the System Restore glitch. I am terrified of making things worse.

Keith

Finally made myself get the nerve to tweak the wininit.ini file as instructed by Craig and Microsoft knowledge file Q274092.After a search discovered that file is not present on my system (search response--no file found) Anyone in the group any thoughts on that ? What now ?

Keith

Keith, try this: Start/Search/enter smgr.dll in the "Search for Files-Folders" block; You can search all of C: or you can hit the arrow next to the Lookin: HardDrive C block and clk Browse to Select "Windows/System". When it finds smgr.dll in Windows/System then Rt Click on it and Select Properties/then Version tab; Confirm that the ver is 4.90.0.3003. (Note: if you just Search C: you'll get several smgr.dll's but in other Folders besides Windows\System. Check the Ver of the others to be safe but I think the System Folder is the key.)If it's not the correct Version, MS article KB290700 is for a Patch that would need to be downloaded. This patch for me fixed an Error Msg that Restore Couldn't Restore selected point but the Re-Boot msg is still a question. Try this smgr.dll ver Search and see what happens.Be sure you didn't leave out a character when Searching wininit.ini in Safe Mode. If it does appear, I can tell you that changing .ini to xxx per MS instructions didn'affect me. If you have to repeat the Search wininit.ini because the error msg appears again, I found I had to change .ini to a different extension if .xxx was used last time/wouldn't let me re-name to same extension twice. Just keep making up different extensions (xyz, xrr,xty, etc) until someone helps fix the issue. Another MS moderator had me Close All Applications & do Start/Run scanreg /fix with a space between the g and the slant. It'll have to re-boot after but these are the steps I was told to use in a MS chat/moderator response. Good Luck!

Fabulous reponse and more than I deserve.Thanks for sharing the knowledge.One final favour if you think I funked messing with wininit.ini imagine how I am with messing with a dynamic link library file :-))To help me keep my nerve why do you mention smgr.dll relative to a search ?

Keith

This could possiby be your prob . You must have StateMgr enabled in MSCONFIG in orfder for the system restore utility to work , I know it sounds to easy to be true ,howecver I helped a guy that had a virus and could not get it out of his hidden restore foldr. I gave him imsructions on how to didable the sytem restore and ourge all of the restore points including the oe holding the virus .He was very happy untill he could not re-enable the system restore utility, Well it turned out he had the check mark remove from StateMgr in MSCONFIG ,once he put the mark in that spot ,it was working again !
Good Luck Nick

Nick may have discovered the obvious fix I forgot.Do the Start/RUN/msconfig/Startup tab and see if *StateManager is checked. Hopefully, Not. If Yes, the smgr.dll version HAS to BE 4.90.0.3003 so "messing" with it is not an option. The Download would be necessary, and this is from experience and from the MS moderator I've used who is quite capable. I think the version would be wrong primarily if you Re-Installed Win Me; Not sure if Version would change if original install is in. Hope Nick's idea is all that it is. Good Luck- P.S. Save this/Nick's verbiage as someday Symptoms may force you to refer back to some of the Trouble-Shooting tips that experts have taught me and others. Networking tips is how we non-experts survive and learn!

Craig/Nick Thanks to you two I have learned and got my precious System Restore working again.Verbiage ? well maybe but vital to this grateful Brit.So much so I have saved every word of it. :-))

Keith