Restore point creation and task scheduler 'catastrophic failure'

[Perchance]

Having run Windows Repair v3.7.4 in safe mode on a PC and a Laptop both running Vista (one 32 bit the other 64bit) both machines had the same serious problem. When trying to create a restore point from within Windows I got the error "The restore point could not be created - catastrophic failure 0x8000FFFF" Got same error trying to access Task Scheduler. Attempting to do a System Restore from an existing restore point also failed.

Thankfully I had taken the advice in the program to back up the entire registry and also create a restore point from within the program. By restoring the registry from within the program itself, I was able to get the two machines working properly again.

I would like to run the program again as it appeared to have made some significant improvements but I am obviously wary of doing so in case the same problems occur and may not be so lucky in succeeding with the restore a second time.

Any ideas what may have caused these problems and whether unticking any of the options in running it would bypass the likely cause?

Incidentally, I reset the following Services several times to 'automatic' and rebooted several times but the error remained on both machines - WMI Performance adaptor, Background Intelligent transfer, Windows Management Instrumentation, Windows search and Plug and Play.

[Boggin]

The main service for restore points is the Volume Shadow Copy and that is default set to Manual with its only Dependency being Remote Procedure RPCS, but if that wasn't running you would have a myriad of problems.

Event Viewer may have some info on the restore creation failure, but if the restore failure was in normal mode then that could have been blocked by your AV program and the workaround to that is to try the restore in Safe Mode.

As a fall back to relying on restore points, create a system image onto external media before running Windows Repair (WR) again.

I should think this will be the same in Vista as it is in Win 7, but if you create the system images onto an external HDD then you would need to boot up with either an install or System Repair disk, but in Vista, it doesn't appear to be as straight forward to create a System Repair disk in Vista as it is in Win 7.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/141820-create-recovery-disc.html

It may also be worth running a sfc /scannow from a command prompt run as an administrator to see if it reports it has repaired some files or is unable to repair any.

If it reports no violations then it hasn't found any corruption.

If it reports it is unable to repair some files then run SFCFix.exe http://www.sysnative.com/niemiro/apps/SFCFix.exe

This will output its report to Notepad which you can then copy and paste into the reply box.

[Julian]

open a command prompt and type in

Code: [Select]

vssadmin list writers paste what it shows or send a snap shot.

[Perchance]

Fraid I can't do that Julian, as the registry restore from within the program has removed the problem.

[Perchance]

Many thanks for your helpful reply, Boggin. I did in fact run sfc /scannow but it did not show any errors. I did ensure that Volume Shadow Copy was running on both machines (it had been set to manual) so I started it, rebooted, checked it was still running, but the problem remained.

I just was wondering which actions/changes Windows Repair makes in doing its thing could have affected VSC or any other setting that could prevent Windows from correctly running both Sytem Restore and creating a Restore Point. The list of actions in the program is comprehensive and maybe unticking likely suspects could make good use of the program without creating the problem I experienced.

Your suggestion of creating a system image is of course sensible.

Also, I do congratulate you on how very prominent the warning to create a registry back up and a system restore point from within the program is, before running the repair. Having done so, that is the only thing that worked in solving the problem for me despite all my other efforts.

[Boggin]

Having used the restore from within the program would mean that the reason why you first ran WR would have returned - why did you need to run WR ?

[Perchance]

Hello Boggin.

I didn't have a specific problem at all!

I wanted to try the program to identify any problems with the registries of my two machines and correct them, if they existed. As is normal, over time the registry gets cluttered with remnants of crap or minor corruptions of many kinds.

I assumed that is why your program exists. That is why I ran it. If I am mistaken, so be it.

Apart from the problem that I have referred to, watching the program doing its job while it was undertaking the 'repairs', I got the impression that many corrections had been made successfully. That is why I was happy to give it another go and why I posted my experience in using it - and also to alert you to a problem that might affect others.

[Boggin]

The program belongs to Shane - Julian and I are just two that Shane has asked to help out with the forum when things get busy for him with his computer business and his upgrades of the program, plus whatever else life throws at him - but I'll e-mail him to let him know about your Vista restore problems.

[Shane]

Having run Windows Repair v3.7.4 in safe mode on a PC and a Laptop both running Vista (one 32 bit the other 64bit) both machines had the same serious problem. When trying to create a restore point from within Windows I got the error "The restore point could not be created - catastrophic failure 0x8000FFFF" Got same error trying to access Task Scheduler. Attempting to do a System Restore from an existing restore point also failed.

Thankfully I had taken the advice in the program to back up the entire registry and also create a restore point from within the program. By restoring the registry from within the program itself, I was able to get the two machines working properly again.

I would like to run the program again as it appeared to have made some significant improvements but I am obviously wary of doing so in case the same problems occur and may not be so lucky in succeeding with the restore a second time.

Any ideas what may have caused these problems and whether unticking any of the options in running it would bypass the likely cause?

Incidentally, I reset the following Services several times to 'automatic' and rebooted several times but the error remained on both machines - WMI Performance adaptor, Background Intelligent transfer, Windows Management Instrumentation, Windows search and Plug and Play.

Thats why i have the program do the registry backups

To many unknown variables on each persons machines, all the repairs are tested on a fully up to date windows, every version from xp to 10. No 3rd party programs installed as it would be impossible to test against all the software out there.

So with vista and that error it can mean a number of different things, such as this one here where MS says it is caused by the drive being flagged as dirty
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/973558

But a simple chkdsk would have fixed that and restoring the registry shouldnt have fixed it if it was the drive, it can also because by any problems with any services it needs, such as VSS.

So during the repairs system files are registered and permissions are set, but if any 3rd party program messes with these it can cause problems, one of the reasons I say to always run the repairs in safe mode. There is also a trick where running the repairs twice does the trick because some commands may fail during the first run because they had problems or something that get fixed after the first run, so you run it a 2nd time and the commands run properly.

So when I test all the repairs on vista 32 and 64bit I dont have any trouble with system restore, so there is an unknown variable on your system, one way to help trace down which repair is triggering the problem is to run each repair 1 at a time and see how it does, can take a bit of time but it would trace down which repair is doing it, then I can check the commands and we can trace down what the unknown variable is on the system

Shane