Description: Use System Restore in Windows Server 2008 to be able to go back to a previous system state.

Tried:
- Running C:\Windows\System32\SystemPropertiesProtection.exe but you don't browse to the Protection tab of the Advanced System Settings dialog because it doesn't exist by default in Windows Server 2008.
- Copying the files rstrui.exe, spp.dll and srcore.dll from the System32 directory of Windows Vista and running rstrui.exe but no window shows up, probably because the actual service or driver is missing.
- Finding the System Restore service/driver but couldn't find one yet. According to the System Restore under Server 2003 thread at neowin.net, the System Restore driver inf file in Windows XP is sr.inf, but I couldn't find something alike in Windows Vista.

Solution
Download and install halladayrules' fix.

Right now im working on transferring ReadyBoost to 2008, this will definately be my second project after I get that done [or get severely stuck with nowhere else to go]. As for transferring the "driver" for System Restore, I prefer to use a much more 'raw' way of hacking up stuff like this. Considering that Vista and 200u8 are both NT6 6001 [SP1] it should be easier than it was for XP>2003 [XP is NT5 and 2003 is NT5.1]. In theory anyway, i'm not making any claims I need to do more research but I think its very possible. Anyway i'll let you know what I find as this is #2 on my list of wanted 2008 features, right after ReadyBoost. Peace.

Good job! It's nice to have you here! As you see we have many of these kind of problems in the Wish List. If you like it and have time for it you might take a look at Vista Media Center in Server 2008. At the MSFN Forums they say that it's probably some policy is causing Windows Media Center not to run...

Hmm, i've never actually used a Microsoft Media Center application at all, never even touched Windows XP MCE or anything like that haha! But fair enough, i'll make that #3 on my list as everything else here in the wishlist seems a little... less urgent or they are things I am not the slightest bit familiar with [like the Media Center]. As you know im putting all my 101% into getting ReadyBoost working though, if i get stuck maybe i'll have a look at some of the other things on the wishlist for a 'break' haha! Alas i'm still learning the internals of NT6 so with everything I do, whether it works or not, I am getting more and more familiar with Vista/2008

There a sort of Vista type system restore possible without having to make complete images of the OS partition. I've only tested this a VM where it works, but usually if things work there they work on real hardware too. The only snag is that you cannot do it with the BOOT partition of the system. You can do it with any secondary OS installed. The next time you reinstall your machine, do it twice with the first OS going into a small partition. You can use a vLited 32 bit version for the first install. Depending on your memory and how much you can vlite out first it should easily fit in a 4-8 GB partition. Remove everything that can be safely removed without completely breaking it (printer drivers, languages, speech etc. use lots of space and can allways be safely removed, but theres much more). Don't spend time pondering whether you should remove something you might need later on because you won't be using that install for anything else than installing a boot partition and making/restoring shadow copies of the OS partition you install next. Install that and then install again the way you would normally do. The second OS will be the one you will actually be using. Shadow copies made of the second OS's partition can be reverted back to if you boot into the first OS first, revert and then boot again normally, into the second OS.
The shadow copies can be made by the second OS while it's running but this will give you a black screen saying that the OS wasn't shut down properly when you revert using that shadow copy. Usually that isn't a problem but it's cleaner if you boot into the first OS to make the shadow copies (restore points) of the second.
I tested by making a shadow copy of the second OS then booting into it, clobbering the registry big time so it gave a nice blue screen upon reboot, then booting into the first OS to revert. The second OS booted perfectly again after the revert.
It will cost you the 4-8 GB for the boot partition but with nowadays disks that isn't such an issue and you can have restore points in Server 2008 ! Made in a couple of minutes and reverted to in about the same amount of time. Just my 2 cents ...

I always wonder how people invent something like that, but it sounds like a good workaround of the missing System Restore function! Good job lars, added a reference to the main topic!

Enjoy.

Windows Server 2008 System Restore 64-bit only: Download

Windows Server 2008 System Restore 32-bit only: Download

hi !

cant enjoy....after installation of system restore on win2008 it ask for file spp.dll, which i did copy from installed vista, when trying to open again...this error message appears: "there was an unexpected error:class not registered (0x80040154) please close system restore and try again"
after rebooting it was giving the same message again...
thanks for your help to resolve the problem...

pol

Try registering the spp.dll file by running regsvr32.exe spp.dll in the at the Command Prompt: Start -> Run -> cmd -> OK -> cd [folder of spp.dll] -> regsvr32 spp.dll.

Hope this works for you!

hi !

it worked !
thanks very much for help...

regards
pol