System Restore question

[ninety5eclipz]

Yesterday I did my biannaul cleanup (reformat) on my computer. After the fresh install I updated windows and all my security software. I went to System Restore and created a restore point. Today when I went back to check it my restore point it was not there anymore. What would cause this? Is there a way to keep a restore point there indefinately? I noticed in the past they would usually dissapear after a month or so, but never after just one day. I have my System Restore optionions maxed out to 12% for disk space. I'm not running anykind of other system restore programs. My security software are as follows:

Norton Internet Security 2005
Norton System Works 2005 (without system go-back installed)
Norton Antivirus 2005
Microsoft Anti-Spyware (beta versoin but very good)

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Ninety

[pip22]

Don't know why it disappeared so early when it was the only restore point listed. However, it's not possible to keep a restore point indefinitely (which would be very useful). As the restore points stack up, Windows 'dumps' the older ones on a 'first in, first out' basis. The most you can do to preserve one as long as possible is to elect as much disk space as SR allows - which it seems you've already done.

[Jazz]

System Restore is both unreliable and unpredictable, at the best of times, as you have discovered. Ultimately, it makes no sense whatsoever relying on a utility that is both of the aforementioned.

You would be far better off 'cloning' your HDD using third party software, such as the following, IMO: -

Acronis True Image 8.0

Depending on the size of your image, you will be up and running with XP installed and tweaked, along with your programs, in around 20-40 minutes.

Naturally, project work, important data, music, movies, etcetera, can be backed up in the normal manner, using CD's/DVD's, etcetera.